We are building a new trebuchet!
At the Medieval Center, we are passionate about providing our guests with an immersive and exciting experience. We’re currently working on a new project for the 2023 season: Building a new trebuchet!
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The trebuchet is a medieval siege engine that was used to launch projectiles over walls and fortifications. Our trebuchet will be a fun and educational way for our visitors to learn about this fascinating piece of history. We invite you to come to experience our world-class new trebuchet in 2023!
About the project
The Medieval Center is an archaeological open-air museum dedicated to the preservation and promotion of ancient technologies and crafts.
With this project, we explore how such crafts still survive in our modern world, and how they were developed by our ancestors.
On this page, you can learn more about this exciting project and how it can change the way we think about the past!
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The countdown has started!
The first official shot of the new trebuchet at the Medieval Center will be on midsummer's eve, or St. John's evening, the 23rd of June 2023.
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Get ready to take part in this amazing experience and make sure you don't miss it! Mark the date on your calendar and join us for this exciting new experience!
UPDATES
Thursday 9 March 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #1
There's a huge amount of craftsmanship and woodwork that goes into building a trebuchet. It’s not every carpenter that can build one. It requires a great deal of experience in historical craftsmanship and traditional building methods. These kinds of craftsmen don't just grow on trees (pun not intended!), but when you find the right one, you gain an incredible amount of knowledge and insight into a very fascinating craft.
We are lucky enough to have the right man for the job right here in Sundby, quite close to us: carpenter, conservation craftsman and mill builder Christoffer Palle. Together with his team of apprentices and journeymen, he has taken on the slightly unusual task we have set him on.
Fun fact: the original trebuchet built in 1989 was also built by a millwright, Bjarne Frølich Petersen. The tradition is also kept alive here.
At the Medieval Center, we love good, traditional craftsmanship and have always worked to communicate the old historical crafts. Therefore, it is a delight to see how C. Palle and his staff approach the task with great interest and knowledge.
That is living cultural history.
The team at C.Palle consists of master carpenter Christoffer Palle, Oliver Neven, Anders Østerholm and Jeppe Toft Jachobsen and of course the workshop’s dog Coco!
Thursday 16 March 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #2
The woodwork of the new trebuchet is well underway, and we're excited to show you a bit more of the construction in this video!
One of the things we are quite proud of in this project is that we are using local wood, felled in forests here on Lolland-Falster, to build the trebuchet. The oak trees used for the frame and the ballast box are from Torrig on Lolland and the spruce tree used for the arm was felled in Hamborgskov just behind the Medieval Center, about 1 km from where the trebuchet will be placed.
We can't wait for it to be ready to shoot! Remember to follow us on our social media channels and check our website to be updated on the latest news about the project!
Thursday 23 March 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #3
Blacksmithing is an old craft that has been around for centuries and is still practised today. A professional blacksmith can create high-quality functional pieces and tools by manipulating metal with a variety of tools and techniques.
Most of the metal work done more than 30 years ago for the first trebuchet at the Medieval Center is being reused/recycled for the new trebuchet, and Ben, our blacksmith, has his hands busy at the moment. New parts are also needed to be made from scratch, so the forge is lit and the hammer is singing.
At the wood workshop, different chisels are also in constant use, and over there they even have some custom-made and very sharp chisels for specialized work… such as building a medieval trebuchet.
Remember to mark a cross in your calendar! The trebuchet will make its first official shoot on midsummer’s eve, Friday the 23rd of June 2023!
Thursday 30 March 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #4
This week we want to show you how the work is going in the workshop. Enjoy the time-lapse video of the woodwork.
Thursday 6 April 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #5
Spring is finally here, and this week we are happy to share some more photos of the work in progress on our new trebuchet. Things are going wildly fast! Next week you can expect more news and a surprise…
Thursday 13 April 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #6
The trebuchet has arrived!
In the past 2 weeks, Christopher Palle and his team, together with our staff, have been hard at work at the Medieval Center, mounting the new trebuchet in its place. But! There's still a lot of work to be done before it's fully finished and ready to shoot.
Nonetheless, it's great to see the frame in place and once again feel the massive presence of the two big medieval siege machines. We continue to work on it and will follow the process closely and keep you updated all the way through.
Thursday 13 April 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #6
Exciting news awaits! Not only do we have a brand new trebuchet at the Medieval Center, but we also have some updates about its older and even more massive sister. Keep reading to find out more!
Our new trebuchet is now firmly in place and coated with tar to protect it from the elements. Our skilled joiner and blacksmith, Ben, has been hard at work adding the finishing touches. He's built a rail for the projectiles, forged and installed the trigger, and added all the intricate details that make this medieval weapon such a marvel. With all these improvements, the new trebuchet will soon be ready for test shots. And, we're pleased to announce that it may be ready for public use even sooner than originally planned, before the midsummer's eve festivities.
But that's not all the exciting news we have for you. Our older and even more impressive trebuchet will soon be undergoing some much-needed repairs. Currently, it's hovering about 30 centimeters off the ground as a new foundation is built beneath it. Some wooden parts will be repaired and replaced to ensure that both trebuchets are fully functional and ready to wow visitors to the Medieval Center for years to come.
We can't wait for you to come and see these magnificent machines in action.
Thursday 25 May 2023
Trebuchet Thursday #6
"Intense Focus Unleashed" - Witness out trebuchet masters in action!
Our new trebuchet has been shooting daily for some days now. This is the testing phase, as the final adjustments are meticulously fine-tuned, in order to have everything ready for Skt. Hans Aften/Midsummer’s Eve big event.
Mark your calendars for a night that will set the sky ablaze! On Skt. Hans Aften, we invite you to witness an extraordinary event where our trebuchets take center stage. But there’s more on the program: 2 extraordinary knight’s tournaments, guided tours, a medieval town full of life, and of course, the traditional bonfire.
Monday 26 June 2023
The day has finally arrived!
On June 23, 2023, the Medieval Center proudly showcased once again two fully functional trebuchets. As part of the special and traditional commemoration of Skt. Hans aften, both trebuchets launched fiery projectiles, much to the amusement of our guests and the delight of the trebuchet masters.
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