2_1_ScanMag_79_August_2015_Text.qxp_Scan Magazine 1 06/08/2015 16:46 Page 66
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Top Experiences in Denmark: Festivals and Culture
Photo: Hanne Nielsen Photo: Hartmann Schmidt
Photo: Hanne Nielsen
Photo: Hanne Nielsen
Photo: Hartmann Schmidt
Photo: Hartmann Schmidt
Fancy a trip to the Middle Ages? The European Medieval Festival takes place in Horsens, a Danish city known for its cultural events and cosy feel. Each year in August the former state prison opens its gates to a Medieval marketplace where the past unfolds in front of your eyes, enthralling all your senses in the process. Are you ready to witness a reallife knight tournament? By Caroline Edwards
The European Medieval Festival in Horsens combines storytelling and educational experiences with fun festivities, evoking a sense of travelling back in time. Packed with stalls selling both food and handicraft from the past, music and theatre, craftsmen and knightly riders, this is a festival with authenticity at its core. “The Medieval Festival is a big attraction for families with children. Dressed up as princesses and knights they come here to immerse themselves in a fairytale-like event,” says Iben Høgh Grøftehauge, who is project coordinator for the festival. With a medieval school teaching Latin and crafts-
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manship, puppet shows, animal pens and men and women dressed in medieval costumes, it’s no wonder the young visitors are so thrilled. Who wouldn’t be? Imagine witnessing swordsmen fight, bowmen shoot and musicians playing ancient tunes. It is a magical illusion, starting from the minute you arrive and ending with the sun’s disappearance. “The evenings at the festival are the most unique. With no electric lights, the area is lit up by the flames from the torches, and when you pass by the food market the stalls will have small candles, you can even see a few campfires,” explains Grøftehauge,
stressing that modern items are a rare sight on the festival grounds, making it all the more authentic. “You won’t find any forks here nor will you see plastic cups and plates. Many food stalls serve dishes on cauliflower leaves or wooden boards, maintaining the medieval illusion,” reveals Grøftehauge. So if you wish to step into a fun time machine, bring your family along for days boasting fun activities, from medieval games to squire training to performances. Experience what a medieval market might have been like, with its travelling troubadours and busy squares, during two fun-filled days in Horsens.
The festival takes place at FÆNGSLET 28 – 29 August, open daily till 11pm. Free entry. For more information, please visit: www.middelalderfestival.dk