Ever wondered where Aarhus’s children played pirates long ago? That place is Røverhøj. Today, Røverhøj is mostly gone but its story remains. Røverhøj was the northernmost of Marselisborg Forest’s Bronze Age burial mounds. Back in the 1700s, people called it Øflis Høj. However, the name Røverhøj appeared in the 1800s.
No one knows exactly where the name Røverhøj came from. Perhaps it was from a robbery-murder nearby in 1862. Or maybe the city’s children simply loved playing robbers on the mound. Røverhøj became a popular destination in the 1800s. Not only playing children went there. Aarhus residents came with coffee and lunch. The top of Røverhøj was flattened. Benches were placed there. People enjoyed the view of the bay.
However, Røverhøj’s story took a turn in 1919. The villas at Strandvejen 92 and 94 were allowed to incorporate the land into their gardens. Before the sale, the city council debated preserving Røverhøj. Council member Simonsen wanted to save the large mound. This was mainly because of the big trees on it. Jakob Jensen felt the buyer should do what they wanted with it. Fabrikant Møller agreed. He added that Røverhøj had no historical past. He said children used it as a playground and it was a nuisance to residents.
The city council allowed the new owners to do as they wished. They only had to inform the National Museum before altering it. Marcussen, from number 94, started landscaping and building a garage. He forgot to notify the National Museum first. The destruction of Røverhøj caused outrage. Letters appeared in the Aarhus Stiftstidende newspaper. People contacted the National Museum.
The National Museum refused to protect Røverhøj. It was already damaged. Instead, they sent archaeologist Hans Kjær to excavate it in June. He concluded that Røverhøj was over 20 meters in diameter. It had been surrounded by nearly one-meter-high stones. At the bottom, they found a split oak coffin. This showed the mound dated back to the Early Bronze Age around 1400-1200 BC. The excavation also revealed the burial mound was reused around 800 BC. A new layer of earth was added. There was also a small stone coffin with burned bones.
The Røverhøj case prompted the National Museum to contact the city council. They urged the protection of four intact burial mounds in Marselisborg Forests. Despite support, the city council declined to sign a preservation declaration. H.P. Christensen noted it would be unfortunate to give up land rights in a growing city. The municipality would care for the mounds. They allocated funds for annual maintenance.
Today, the forest’s preserved mounds are protected. This includes the remaining part of Røverhøj. In Kongelunden, you can still sense history from several ancient mounds. Though Røverhøj is mostly gone, its story reminds us of Aarhus’s past.