THE GOOSE TOWER
Climb the 36 metres to the top of the Goose Tower in Vordingborg at the Danish Castle Centre.
At the foot of the iconic Goose Tower lies the Danish Castle Centre. As you ascend the 36-metre-high tower, you follow a story that reaches towards the sky – a journey back to the Middle Ages.
Once, nine towers of the same size as the Goose Tower rose proudly above the castle.
Today, only the Goose Tower remains from the once-mighty castle of Vordingborg, from which King Valdemar Atterdag ruled the Danish kingdom.
At the top, you are rewarded with a stunning view over Vordingborg – a place to imagine what it was like to stand as a medieval king, gazing out across your realm.
THE GOLDEN GOOSE AT THE TOP
Have you ever wondered why it is called the Goose Tower – and what the golden goose stands for?
In 1367, King Valdemar Atterdag was threatened with war by no fewer than 77 German Hanseatic cities. But he remained unfazed. In fact, as a bold insult to his enemies, he placed a golden goose atop the newly built tower, declaring that he feared them no more than 77 squawking geese.
The golden goose seen today is not the original. That one was taken by King Eric of Pomerania when he fled Denmark with the royal treasury.
The current goose measures nearly a metre in all directions. It was created in 1871 and, a century later, gilded with an impressive two kilos of gold.
