Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Ronald Reagan and George Bush of USA, and the Soviet astronauts, Beljajev and Leonov share with actor Raymond Burr, Danny Kaye and Richard Chamberlain an unforgettable experience.
Along with hundreds of others, known and unknown, from many countries, they have been members of the Christian The Fourth's Guild in Aalborg.
Some have called this Guild Denmark's greatest tourist attraction. Every visitor has the possibility of seeing the Guild in action and a select group achieve membership.
The beginning in 1942
Christian The Fourth's Guild has preserved traditions that are almost 400 years old and is the meeting place of the representatives of many countries who visit Aalborg each year in an official capacity. The story of this unusual group starts in 1942.
Denmark was occupied by German troops and the wine cellar with its medieval vaulted ceiling soon became a popular meeting place. It did not suit the regular customers that one of the few places where beer and local wine could still be bought should be "conquered".
After the war
A group of "optimistic citizens" joined with the landlord of the place to form a club, open only to members. Neither the foreign soldiers, nor their local collaborators, were allowed to become members. This club was named "Christian The Fourth's Guild" in recognition of the monarch who reigned when Jens Bang built the house in 1623-24. The king's monogram C IV was stamped into every new member's identity card. To gain admission, this card had to be shown and a doorman rejected all who could not show the C IV sign. After the Liberation it was intended that the Guild should be disbanded but the city council asked that the traditions be continued. In this way a method was created of welcoming selected visitors to the city and of rewarding citizens who had done something special for their city.
The ceremony
The Guild's inaugural ceremony takes place around the large, old, oak table where the Guild Master and the cloaked members supervise the traditional ceremony. But before the inauguration, there is a procession around the house. With left hand on the right shoulder of the person in front, the Guild probationers follow the Guild minstrel through winding ways, secret passages and staircases into the ancient building. For the city of Aalborg, Christian The Fourth's Guild is a three-star attraction and for many members from all over the world it represents an experience that no other place can offer.