Varde

Varde lies beside its namesake river in southwestern Jutland, at a crossing where land routes met waterborne traffic. It is mentioned in written sources in 1107 and had two churches in the early Middle Ages. The royal stronghold of Vardehus served as the seat of the king's official governing the surrounding district.

Early in the fourteenth century the castle was moved to an island in the river near the town. During a peasant uprising in 1439, rebels stormed and destroyed it; the council of the realm retaliated by burning Varde. Christopher of Bavaria granted the town market privileges in 1442, recognizing the trade and crafts that had already long been established there. St James's Church by the market square dates back to the twelfth century.