Sønderborg Castle, Als

Sønderjylland, Als · Dänemark · Castle

Legend says the imprisoned king walked circle after circle around the table in his room until he wore a groove in the top with his thumb. For seventeen years.

Christian II lost his crown, his country and finally his freedom. From 1532 to 1549 he was held prisoner at Sønderborg Castle on the Als Sound: seventeen years in the same building while the kingdom outside changed king and religion. The most enduring legend about him is the image of a man walking circle after circle around a round table in his room, night after night, until he had worn a groove in the tabletop with his thumb. Historically it does not hold — household accounts show he was treated as a royal person in food, clothing and service, and no such table ever existed. But the image stuck, was reinforced by Carl Bloch's dark painting of 1871, and is today better known than the imprisonment itself. A round table now stands in the castle, made for the legend. Outside, the sound lies lead-grey.

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Wo befindet sich Sønderborg Castle, Als?

Sønderborg Castle, Als liegt in Sønderjylland, Als, Dänemark.