Købelev between garden art and Viking finds

Købelev combines garden art, sacred art and archaeological traces into a diverse destination for anyone who wants to shape their stay around specific cultural and natural experiences.

Japanese garden art in Købelev

Købelevhaven is a botanical Japanese garden at Oddevej 116 in Købelev. The garden features several clearly distinct areas: Prydhaven makes up the largest part of Købelevhaven and is also the oldest part of the garden. In Zenhaven, you can expect a 200 m² Japanese dry garden for meditation, designed according to authentic Japanese principles.

The diversity of plants is also part of Købelevhaven’s character. Around 70 different magnolias grow throughout the garden. For visitors who wish to combine garden forms, plants and quiet contemplation, this creates a distinct theme to explore within Købelev.

Købelevhaven also has a plant shop offering a carefully selected range of interesting perennials, trees and shrubs. For your own food and drinks, there is an area with pavilions, tables and benches in pleasant surroundings. These two offerings complement a visit to the garden with practical options for an individually planned stay.

Church, vicarage and historic details

Købelev Præstegård and Købelev Kirke form a well-preserved cultural environment with intact visual relationships and a garden connection. Access to the church and churchyard is provided through an opening in the church wall. This allows the connection between the two architectural and garden areas to become an immediate part of the visit.

The church has an altarpiece from 1841 featuring an oil painting by C. W. Eckersberg depicting the Last Supper. There is also a Renaissance pulpit from 1593. One of the church pews bears the name of the peasant leader Otto Kuld and the year 1646.

In the tower room and outside the western tower door of Købelev Kirke are several tombstones from the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. The furnishings also include one of the very few surviving Gudme organs. Købelev Kirke was restored in 1883, 1970 and 2016.

Archaeological traces around Købelev

The history of the area also extends beyond the visible buildings. Fragments of silver needles and a mould for making costume buckles were found at the site near Købelev. A rune-inscribed Thor’s hammer was found near Købelev with a metal detector.

The finds from the site near Købelev indicate that Vikings of exceptionally high status lived close to present-day Købelev. For your planning, these archaeological clues can offer an additional perspective: Alongside the gardens and church furnishings, they also bring into focus the historical traces of the people connected with the place.

For further destinations to help you orient yourself in the region, see Fejø, Søllested, Vesterborg Sogn, Dannemare, Sletnæs, Hyldtofte, Sakskøbing and Gloslunde.

For the overarching travel overview: Lolland.