The Midgard Well (6)

In 1349 and 1350, the Black Death raged in Denmark and probably also in Vejle. The areas affected lost between a third and a quarter of their population.

The fire in 1524 is the first fire in Vejle that we have information about. It originated in May 1524 and effected “the largest and best part” of the city. We do not know how the fire originated. The citizens at the time assumed that it had originated in Engelbert's barn. Here some careless stable boys should have come to light some straw with a burning candle. We do not know where Engelbert lived, but after the fire, he was accused of playing dice games all night. Gambling was strongly condemned and therefore people believed that the fire was God's punishment.

At the outbreak of the plague, about 500 people died in Vejle. Many of the dead were also wealthy citizens, and the survivors could not manage to pay all the taxes to the king without them. Therefore, King Frederik the 2nd exempted Vejle from taxes for the next two years.

The fire in 1595 started in Vejle Watermill and spread to Fiskergade and Søndergade, which burned down completely.

During the Imperial War (1625-29), Vejle was occupied by the soldiers of the great army commander Wallenstein. Many of Vejle's rich citizens hid their valuables by digging them down or throwing them into wells, knowing that the soldiers would plunder the city. Many people also fled the city or lost everything they owned. Merchant Simon Munk, for example, lost all his possessions, 330 pigs, 6 horses and 22 cattle. 600 soldiers were accommodated in Vejle and they fortified both Sct. Nicolai Church and The City Hall. Many of the buildings in Vejle were used as building materials for fortifications. The occupation was harsh for the citizens of Vejle, who were to house the soldiers. For example, Johan Matsen and his wife were beaten by their housed soldiers.

During the Torstensson feud (1643-45), Vejle was occupied by Swedish soldiers. Vejle was still affected by the occupation from 1627 to 1629 and again many of Vejle's citizens dug down their precious things and fled the city. The soldiers nevertheless plundered and ravaged the city and they were described as tyrants and barbarians who tormented, abused and exploited the population. When the war was over, Vejle was destroyed.

To make it harder for enemies to occupy Denmark, it was decided in 1646 to dismantle Vejle. In the previous wars, Denmark had been taken over via Jutland and therefore Jutland and Funen had to be fortified better, so the enemy could not make their way to Zealand. According to the plan, a fortress town was to be built in Jutland, close to the transition to Funen. The town's population was to come from Vejle, which in turn was to be closed down. But Vejle escaped with the horror, as the plans were changed. Instead, the villages of Ullerup, Hannerup and Hyby were closed down.

Vejle was occupied by Swedish troops during the Karl Gustav Wars (1657-58 and 1658-60). We do not know much about the occupation, but it was hard on Vejle. The citizens were to house the soldiers and deliver food to the Swedish commander. He wanted expensive foods like peppers, nutmegs and almonds. When the city was free again, most of the houses in Søndergade, Torvegade and Nørregade had burned down. The other houses were so ruined that no one could live in them.

Vejle's low location and encirclement of the many streams means that the city has often been flooded. Floods could destroy the houses, furniture and crops that the citizens had and it was therefore a serious matter.

The fire in 1786 began in Nørregade and is one of the largest and most serious ones that has hit Vejle. All of Nørregade burned down and many citizens lost everything they owned.

During the First Schleswig War (1848-50), Vejle was occupied by Prussian soldiers. The citizens were to house the 5,000-6,000 soldiers who came to the city, which was both mentally and physically hard. During the occupation, the chosen County Governor William Stockfleth wrote to his wife that “Residents will soon lack all ability to pay. God grant, it must soon come to an end, for you do not believe what we suffer, less by the immense losses, than by the heavy pressure that rests on our minds.”

During the Second Schleswig War (1864), Vejle was occupied by Prussian and Austrian soldiers. The soldiers erected tombs and ramparts to fortify the city, but they did not do the work themselves. Instead, in the middle of the night, they picked up citizens from Vejle's catchment area who were set to do the work. Vejle was occupied for about 8 months.