Sortestenen at Asnæs
At the water's edge along the fjord coast of Asnæs lie two great boulders: the dark Sortestenen (the Black Stone) and the pale Hvidestenen (the White Stone). Legend says a giant threw them, and Golden Age painter J.Th. Lundbye painted the slopes here in 1847. Walk along the forest down to the fjord and discover a coast full of legends, wind and art history.
Asnæs is a peninsula south of Kalundborg Fjord, and along its north coast the forest meets the water. Here, at the shoreline off Asnæs Dyrehave, lie two great boulders that have inspired both legends and art. The larger is the dark Sortestenen, the Black Stone, and close by lies the paler Hvidestenen, the White Stone. The site is one of the points on Lundbye Landmarks, because the Golden Age painter J.Th. Lundbye returned here several times and painted both the stones and the slopes.
The legend of the giants
According to an old legend, two giants once lived on either side of the fjord: Refs on Røsnæs and As on Asnæs. They were at war, and one day Refs hurled the two great stones across the fjord at his enemy. It was said that you could see the giant's fingerprints in the stones. As replied with a throw of his own, and that stone, Blak, lies off Vindekilde on Røsnæs, where it can be seen at low tide. In his diary from 1843 Lundbye mentions seeing Blak. The legend also inspired an etching that Lundbye made in 1843 for an edition of Danish folk legends.
The slopes by Asnæs Dyrehave
In July 1847 Lundbye stayed for a few days at the farm of Hedvigslyst on Asnæs. He wrote home that the forest and the wind on Asnæs moved him deeply. During the stay he painted a study of the slopes by the deer park, now in the National Museum in Oslo. The picture shows a bare, windswept landscape with tall trees, a stormy sky and a fallen tree, and on the opposite shore Raklev Church appears as a small white speck. As early as 1838 he had painted a sunrise over the sea in which Sortestenen lies prominently in the foreground. That painting now hangs in Ribe Art Museum. The name Dyrehave, deer park, comes from the forest being set aside as a hunting ground rather than for timber.
The coast today
The stones still lie in the water along the shore, and the site is quiet and peaceful. The forest runs right down to the fjord, and from the beach you look across the water towards Kalundborg and Røsnæs. Standing here, it is easy to see why both Lundbye and, later, Hans Christian Andersen, who visited the area in 1862, were struck by the wind-bent trees and the rugged coast. The spot is also popular with anglers.
How to find it
Park at the edge of Asnæs Forskov and walk along the forest down to the fjord coast opposite the stones. Follow the paths and be considerate of the wildlife. Nearby are the traces of the old brickworks that Lundbye painted the same summer, and further out on the peninsula you will find Havnemarken. Find more nature areas and experiences on Asnæs and across the region at destinationsjaelland.dk.
Who is it for?
Sortestenen is for anyone who loves nature, legends and art, and it makes a good goal for families, who can look for the giant's fingerprints in the stone. Combine the trip with a woodland walk, and bring Lundbye's pictures on your phone to compare them with the coast as it looks today.
Last updated by:Destination Sjællandinfo@desj.dk
