Christiansfeld - part of UNESCO World Heritage

Actually, it started as a kind of reverse industrial espionage. During a trip to the Netherlands, King Christian VII and his doctor, J. F. Struense, visited the Church of the Brethren town Zeist, and they were impressed by what they saw. Here, skilled craftsmen and merchants had built a beautiful and prosperous town.

Therefore, Christian VII invited these talented and enterprising people to Denmark and let them build a town after his own model. The intention was to kick-start economic growth in the duchies.

And while things went badly for Struense, who became a head shorter after far-reaching reforms and slightly too hot nights in the Queen’s bed chamber, the Church of the Brethren created a town in such a short time that it is today listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With a rigorous urban plan, the well-preserved iconic yellow-brick houses sit side by side on cobbled streets, and the core of the town has been preserved. So, today you can experience the town that Christian VII allowed the Church of the Brethren to build back in 1773.

Explore the town’s shops. Enjoy a coffee in one of the cosy cafés. Experience the town’s signature cake - a honey cake shaped like a heart.

Europe’s most beautiful Church of the Brethren town

The Church of the Brethren in Christiansfeld is an Evangelical Free Church and part of a worldwide brotherhood with cities and congregations in many countries. The church’s ideology is universal and based on a pietistic view of Christianity, which means a personal and deepened faith based on purity, emotions and sensations rather than empty rituals, hymn verses and the correct doctrine.

Many of the Church of the Brethren towns are built exactly like Christiansfeld. However, Christiansfeld is considered to be the most beautifully preserved of the old Church of the Brethren towns in Europe, as the original town plan is preserved here. And the buildings stand today as they did when the town was founded at the bidding of King Christian VII in 1773.

The layout of the town

The town’s layout follows the Church of the Brethren’s recipe, starting from the church with two parallel main streets, one on each side. The town’s coherent architecture is because it was founded on bare ground and built over a short period between 1773 and 1812. Christiansfeld is today a well-preserved cultural gem. In 2015, Christiansfeld achieved UNESCO World Heritage status as the 7th site in Denmark.

Denmark’s only Brethren Church

Christiansfeld is home to the only Brethren church in Denmark. Every Sunday, there is a church service, and everyone is welcome. The church hall is the largest in Denmark without supporting columns and can accommodate up to 1000 guests. It’s kept quite simple. The lines are clean, and almost everything is white with sand-strewn floors. The beautiful hand-forged chandeliers date from 1777.

Town Square

The town square is located by Brødremenighedens Hotel and is named after Johannes Prætorius, who was the first priest of the Church of the Brethren in Christiansfeld.
Prætorius Torv is an atmospheric square with cafés and restaurants that, together with the rest of the town, create a unique and charming experience. Both for you as a tourist and for locals.
Prætorius Torv is also the setting for the Christiansfeld Wine Festival every year, as well as markets, crafts day and much more.

Good craftsmanship can be seen and tasted

The Church of the Brethren were known to be skilled and industrious craftsmen. You can see it in the buildings they built. And you can still visit the town’s stove maker, who makes and restores the unique Christiansfeld heating stoves. 
The bakery craft has also been preserved, and the town’s tasty honey cakes have become world famous. You can still find two honey cake bakeries in town, so don’t miss out on getting your teeth into the traditional baked goods. 
Visit Brødremenighedens Honningkagebakeri (Church of the Brethren’s Honey Cake Bakery), located in the centre of Christiansfeld or Honningkagehuset in the south of Christiansfeld. Bon appetit!

This year’s wine event in Christiansfeld

If you are near Christiansfeld the first weekend in August, don’t miss the successful Christiansfeld Wine Festival. The streets buzz with life from locals and tourists as the wine festival kicks off with live music in the town’s beautiful square. Come and taste wines from local vineyards or one of the many German producers sharing their experience with wines.

You will also find wines from the USA, Portugal, Spain, France and Hungary, so there’s a wine to suit every taste. And should you feel like enjoying life with a menu that calls for a good glass, the hotel welcomes you. 

Relax and take some hours out of your calendar to be part of perhaps Denmark’s cosiest wine festival. See more about Christiansfeld Wine Festival on their Facebook page