Gudum Monastery and Klostermølle
In the village of Gudum (God's Home), a medieval traffic and spiritual hub, you can find today the remains of 2 monastaries and the renovated water mill Klostermølle as well as a contemporary community engagement that, among other things, is associated with the mill restoration and the newly established "Kløverstier".
A nunnery in Gudum
Gudum Monastery was a nunnery under the Benedictine order. Only a few written sources have survived from the monastery, whose history in the Middle Ages is very little known. However, it is likely that the monastery was founded around the year 1200, like the majority of Benedictine nunneries in medieval Denmark. The monastery is first mentioned in written sources in 1268. And the sources show that the monastery has had large land holdings throughout the ages. We also know that the monastery was originally located in the deep meltwater valley that cuts through the northern part of the parish from west to east. An inscription in Gudum Parish Church also tells us that the monastery was moved from the valley up onto the plateau to the parish church in 1492, which was raised after the move and became part of the monastery complex that lay north of it. In the masonry of Gudum Church, there are still many traces of its connection with the monastery buildings, but apart from that, no visible traces of Gudum Monastery, which was closed down after the Reformation in 1536, have survived today.
The Lost Monastery
The Archaeological Department at Holstebro Museum has designated Gudum Parish as a special focus area under the title “The Divine Gudum”. This is partly due to the place name Gudum (God’s Home), and partly to the many fine remains and finds from ancient times in the area, which undoubtedly had a special religious status in the Iron Age and Viking Age. It is assumed that the monastery was subjected to extensive destruction caused by flooding in 1484. A medieval monastery consists of many buildings - often spread over a large area, so it is likely that Gudum Monastery occupied a large part of the valley at this location. In order to find out how extensive the monastery was and where the monastery courtyard itself with the monastery church and the nuns’ enclosed area was located, Kiel University carried out a magnetometer and georadar survey of the central part of the valley in October 2012. This showed a 40x60 meter building complex that clearly formed the foundations for 3-4 houses built together, which closed around an open courtyard. Future excavations will show whether this is the site of the oldest Gudum Monastery.
Klostermølle
The history of the watermill dates back to the 15th century, when the prioress of Gudum Monastery wanted to build one to grind fodder and bread grains and to roll groats. The original monastery mill was washed away during a severe thaw in 1829 and was later rebuilt 40 meters to the north on slightly firmer ground in 1835. The building itself is an angular building with a mill and a tavern, as a visit to the mill could easily drag on. The current owners, the Tovborg family, can trace their family's connection to the mill back to 1854. They have had the mill buildings renovated through, among other things, voluntary help, re-established the mill pond in 2014 and raised money for a new waterwheel and mills under, among other things, Realdania's project "Underværker", which pays tribute to the efforts of local enthusiasts.
Relations to the geopark
Klostermølle, 2 monasteries and Gudumstad are a symbiotic part of the ice age landscape. The "Clover Trails", which were established in 2015 through voluntary efforts and money from the "Outdoor Council", tell both about the formation of the ice age landscape and the associated cultural history and are thus an important element of the Geopark. Gudum Parish Association regularly arranges tours with a focus on the ice age landscape.