Sankt Laurentius

Zealand


Squeezing up a narrow spiral stairway takes you past two 19th-century jail cells to the clock at the top of this AD 1500 bell tower for peeped views across Roskilde's main square. After you come down from the tower, descend into the basement where you can see the excavated ruins of a much older 12th-century church and a whole series of medieval graves – skeletons and all.

The church was demolished in the 1530s after the Reformation, but the still-new tower was spared and desanctified. Two hundred years later it was incorporated into a new town hall that was built next door, hence its partial historical use as a prison.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Zealand attractions

1. Museum for Samtidskunst

0.09 MILES

Though it's housed in Roskilde's elegant 18th-century royal palace, this museum focuses on Fluxus art, often perplexing sound, video or performance…

2. Roskilde Domkirke

0.11 MILES

The crème de la crème of Danish cathedrals, this twin-spired giant was started by Bishop Absalon in 1170, but has been rebuilt and tweaked so many times…

3. Roskilde Museum

0.16 MILES

The city's main historical museum explores Roskilde from the Stone Age through Harald Bluetooth’s legacy to the first railway in Denmark.

5. Insp!

0.33 MILES

While it's not exactly Christiania, since 2011 Roskilde has had its own tiny, self-organising alternative community in a graffiti-covered area of semi…

6. Sankt Jørgensbjerg Kirke

0.59 MILES

Strolling up past a remarkable collection of thatched cottages along Kirkegade and Skt Ibsvej is the highlight of visiting this small 11th-century church.

7. Museumsø

0.62 MILES

Reconstructions of the five classic longboats displayed in Roskilde's Viking Ship Museum are moored around this 'museum island' along with several other…

8. Viking Ship Museum

0.67 MILES

Five original Viking ships, discovered at the bottom of Roskilde Fjord, are displayed in the main hall of this must-see museum. A short walk away, the…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "denmark/zealand/roskilde/attractions/sankt-laurentius/a/poi-sig/1574304/358865",
      "destination": "Zealand",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Denmark",
      "region": "Zealand",
      "position": "superzone"
    }