Nordbys klokketårn - Nordby, Denmark
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Klabautermanden
N 55° 57.911 E 010° 33.105
32U E 596861 N 6203291
Beautiful belltower in deep yellow in the middle of Nordby, Samsø. One of the islands special tourist attactions. Read on to know more about this special treat of cultural heritage.
Waymark Code: WM12M32
Location: Denmark
Date Posted: 06/13/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member rjmcdonough1
Views: 5

Dansk: For at forklare, hvorfor der midt i Nordby står et dybgult tårn på en forhøjning af kampesten, skal vi starte med at tage en tur fra Mårup til Nordby. Små to kilometer fra midten af Nordby kan du på venstre side se den flotte middelalderkirke tårne sig op. Og det er kirken, eller rettelig kirkeklokkerne, der gemmer på fortællingen om dét, der i dag er et af Samsøs mest kendte vartegn.

De forsvundne landsbyer
Da Nordby Kirke blev anlagt i starten af 1200-tallet, var der foruden Nordby og Mårup to landsbyer mere i området, nemlig Glistrup og Søby. Disse to landsbyer findes ikke længere. Måske brændte de ned. Måske blev de lagt øde af epidemier. Måske blev de simpelthen forladt. Man ved det ikke med sikkerhed. Under alle omstændigheder valgte man helt logisk at bygge kirken midt mellem de fire landsbyer.

Klokken, som findes i kirkens tårn, bruges i forbindelse med alle kirkelige handlinger. Men Nordbys beboere kan have svært ved at høre klokken, særligt når det er østenvind. Derfor etablerede man allerede i 1600-tallet en simpel klokkestabel på det torv, der på nordsamsk hedder “galli’en” eller galgepladsen. Her stod indtil 1820 den gabestok, hvori forbrydere blev udstillet til skam og skændsel. Med klokkestablen på plads kunne sognebørnene få besked på, at nu var det tid til gudstjeneste.

Ding, ding, dyret er slagtet!
I 1857 byggede man så det tårn, der står i dag. Initiativet blev taget af provst Frants V.S. Jacobsen fra Nordby. Provsten var ikke uden arkitektoniske evner og tegnede selv byggeskitsen med inspiration fra et tårn, han havde set på en rejse i Belgien. De 253 rigsdaler, 3 mark og 2 skilling, det kostede at bygge tårnet, kom dels fra sognets husmænd og håndværkere, dels fra konsul Jacobsen og Grev Danneskiold.

Klokketårnet er både festligt og farvestrålende, men har også kendetegn fra middelalderlig arkitektur. Tårnet prydes af rødkalkede bånd og en blåmalet hovedgesims med rødmalede sparrenkopper. I tårnets øverste halvdel er fire rundbuede gennembrydninger, der åbner ind til tårnets midte, hvor klokken er ophængt.

Klokken ringede solen op og ned, til gudstjeneste og andre kirkelige handlinger eller i tilfælde af brand, som var en stor trussel mod landsbyens mange stråtækte huse og gårde. Man kunne endog betale sig til ringning i særlige tilfælde, f.eks. ved slagtning af dyr og efterfølgende salg af kød.

Ringelauget
Indtil 2011 var det graveren ved Nordby Kirke, der sørgede for, der blev ringet med klokken, men i dag varetages ringningen af et frivilligt Ringelau, stiftet af borgere i Nordby. Ringelauget ringer ikke længere til gudstjeneste, men nøjes med at hive i tovet til solopgang og solnedgang fra påske til efterårsferie samt lørdage og søndage resten af året. I julen bliver der dog ringet hver dag.

Kilde: Visit Samsø

English: To explain why there is a deep yellow tower in the middle of Nordby on an elevation of boulders, we must start by taking a trip from Mårup to Nordby. Just two kilometers from the center of Nordby you can see on the left the beautiful medieval church towers. And it is the church, or rightly the church bells, that hide the tale of what is today one of Samsø's most famous landmarks.

The vanished villages
When Nordby Church was built in the beginning of the 13th century, in addition to Nordby and Mårup, there were two more villages in the area, namely Glistrup and Søby. These two villages no longer exist. Maybe they burned down. Maybe they were left devastated by epidemics. Maybe they were simply abandoned. You don't know for sure. In any case, it was perfectly logical to build the church in the middle of the four villages.

The bell, which is found in the church tower, is used in connection with all ecclesiastical acts. But Nordby's residents may find it hard to hear the bell, especially when it's east wind. Therefore, as early as the 1600s, a simple bell stack was established in the square, which in northern Sami is called the "Galli" or the gallows. Here, until 1820, stood the yawn in which criminals were exhibited for shame and disgrace. With the bell stack in place, parishioners could be told that it was now time for worship.

Thing, ding, the animal is slaughtered!
In 1857 they built the tower that stands today. The initiative was taken by provst Frants V.S. Jacobsen from Nordby. The stone was not without architectural ability and even drew the building sketch with inspiration from a tower he had seen on a journey in Belgium. The 253 national valleys, 3 fields and 2 shillings, it cost to build the tower, came partly from the parishioners and craftsmen, and partly from Consul Jacobsen and Count Danneskiold.

The bell tower is both festive and colorful, but also has features of medieval architecture. The tower is adorned with red-washed strips and a blue-painted main mantle with red-painted spruce cups. In the top half of the tower are four rounded openings that open into the center of the tower where the bell is hung.

The bell rang the sun up and down, for worship and other ecclesiastical acts or in case of fire, which was a major threat to the village's many thatched houses and courtyards. You could even pay for ringing in special cases, e.g. by slaughter of animals and subsequent sale of meat.
Address of Tower:
Nordby Hovedgade 36
Nordby, Samsø Samsø
8305


Still Operational: yes

Number of bells in tower?: 1

Relevant website?: [Web Link]

Rate tower:

Tours or visits allowed in tower?: No

Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.
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FamilieFrohne visited Nordbys klokketårn - Nordby, Denmark 07/20/2021 FamilieFrohne visited it