Ribe Things to Do

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we took a train from esbjerg to ribe just to walk around and experience the historic old town.
The buildings date back 500 or so years and some of them are literally leaning through age. we walked around the cobbled streets and ate lunch in a very pleasant restaurant.
It was a trip worth taking as there was not a lot to do in esbjerg itself and i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys looking around towns with a bit of history.

This simple late Gothic church dates back to the XV century but has been recently restored. It has a romanic style tower. I particularly appreciated the garden on the right side of the church, surrounded by the former monastery buildings. Beautiful red roses grow in a gorgeous setting.

The view enjoyed from the Borgertarnet is an exciting experience. Ribe seen from above seems cut off definitely from the flat marshlands that surround it. The sight reaches the North Sea at the horizon. Beware of the last steps that are very steep.

Ribe's Cathedral is stunning. What strikes at a first blink is its setting in the middle of the Torvet, actually surrounded by it. Its powerful and etherogeneous structure is consequence of three art periods: the romanic one (see the facade), the gothic (clear in the squared tower) and the late gothic. The inside is beautiful and there is plenty of light coming through the windows. What surprised me were the frescoes on the apse: they were painted in the eighties by Pedersen and create a contrast with the old atmosphere of the church.

Visiting this street is important in terms of understanding Ribe. The town started as an inland port and was founded roughly in 700, and for many years was used as a port, until around the 1600s or so, when apparently the river had sanded up. The narrow width of the river and the declining need to have a port inland may have also contributed to its demise.

The wharf is lined with 17th century homes, many of which were built after the great fire of 1580.

Some of the old cranes used to haul merchandise have been left in tact.

Another building with interesting history, the Town Hall was built for commerce around 1500, later was a residence, and was converted into a Town Hall in 1709. The building functions as a town hall--I did not get a chance to visit inside because it was February and visiting hours were short, but even without going inside you could feel its impact on the architectural landscape.

Just about every street in Ribe is well-preserved and the half-timbered homes and brightly-painted doors are in abundance. Few homes were built after the 1700s within the town center area. The narrow streets lined with one-story homes have an intimate feel, so much that you feel guilty being a tourist because people's windows are merely 3 to 6 feet away when you take a picture. It makes you feel a bit sorry for the residents, some of whom are probably thinking of selling of their homes to antique dealers and kitsch merchants. But , what the hell, go on then, and sneak a few photos in.

Begun in 1150 the Cathedral in Ribe, as you can gather from the photo, is an amalgamation of clashing building styles, making for an eclectic-looking building consisting of two towers. The tower to the left is a stone spire, built in the 1200s, and the tower to the right is made of brick and built in 1333, which replaced what was a second stone tower.

Climbing the tower you get a great view of the surrounding countryside. Looking around throughout Ribe, in certain directions the medieval town ends right where farmland begins with nothing "modern" in between, making for a unique view.