Follow in B.S. Ingemann's footsteps along Sorø Lake

The Ingemann Poetry Trail is a 3.5-kilometre walk around Sorø Lake that combines literary history with scenic natural surroundings in a way that is rare in Denmark. The route is named after Bernhard Severin Ingemann, one of Denmark's most beloved poets and writers, who spent most of his adult life in Sorø, where he taught at Sorø Academy from 1822 until his death in 1862. Along the way, you can listen to audio stories about Ingemann's life and poetry on your mobile phone – a walk that engages both body and mind.

The Academy grounds and Ingemann's Sorø

The route begins at the Academy grounds in the heart of Sorø, where the beautiful buildings of Sorø Academy provide the backdrop. This is where Ingemann spent his days as a teacher and writer, and it was the view across Sorø Lake from this very spot that inspired many of his best-known works. Ingemann's home lay right next to the Academy, and his garden stretched down to the lake. When you stand at the starting point and look out across the water, you see the same landscape that Ingemann described in his novels and poems nearly two hundred years ago.

Along the lakeshore with audio stories

The path follows the shore of Sorø Lake through old avenues and past benches that invite you to pause and enjoy the view. At selected spots along the route, you can scan QR codes and listen to stories that bring Ingemann's world to life – his morning hymns, still sung in Danish schools today, his historical novels about King Valdemar the Victorious and the childhood of Erik Menved, and the story of his lifelong love for his wife Lucie. The audio stories are designed to match the place where you are standing – you hear about Ingemann's descriptions of nature while standing in the very landscape he wrote about.

The nature around Sorø Lake

Sorø Lake is one of Zealand's most beautiful lakes, surrounded by old deciduous woodland and parkland. The lake is relatively deep and clear, and on still days the towers of the Academy and the surrounding beech trees are perfectly reflected on the surface. Along the path you will encounter ducks, swans and grey herons, and in spring the forest floor is covered with anemones. The terrain is flat and easy to walk, and the 3.5 kilometres are manageable for most people – including families with pushchairs. It is a route that works in every season: summer's green canopy, autumn's golden colours and winter's frost over the lake each bring their own atmosphere.

More than a poetry trail

The Poetry Trails are a nationwide project that connects the lives and works of Danish poets with the places where they lived and wrote. The Ingemann trail in Sorø is one of several routes in the project and is accessible all year round. You can find more about the route and the audio stories at Danske Digterruter. Dogs are welcome on a lead along the lakeside path.

Things to see and do nearby

Sorø offers far more than Ingemann. Sorø Museum is just a few minutes' walk from the Academy grounds and tells the story of the town from its monastery days to the present. Sorø Abbey Church, one of Denmark's best-preserved Romanesque churches, contains royal tombs and medieval wall paintings. For more nature, you can continue along the Sorø Lake Trail, which extends the walk along the lake, or drive to the Tystrup-Bavelse Lakes south of town. Visit destinationsjaelland.dk for more experiences and inspiration for your next trip to West Zealand.