Last week I went to visit a monastery fair – Æbelholt Klostermarked in Hillerød.
The fair is an old tradition that has its origins in middle ages. In the old days the fair lasted 14 days and during that period people travelled to the monastery to get healed or exchange their goods.
Nowadays it only lasts throughout the weekend but is filled with many interesting activities. It was possible to try some tasty mead, bear, eat some pancakes or sausages. All of this, while being surrounded by songs and music. The atmosphere was lovely!
It was possible to find out some information about the process of making baskets, dyeing materials or learn about different herbs. It was also possible to try it out yourself.
You could watch knight duels and listen to some interesting stories.
Guided tours were available where guides were telling stories about the ruins and the history of the place. The ticket to the festival (80kr) also covered the fee to the museum, where a lot of old skeletons were displayed (as a cemetery was placed near monastery).
It was really easy to get there by bike. It took around 20 minutes from Hillerød station. There was also car parking available but there were a lot of cars around so it was really hard to find a spot.
+ Really nice atmosphere.
+ You could learn more about region, art and old days.
– It was relatively small fair, so don’t have huge expectations. There are other fairs that are much bigger, where you could spend more time.