Roskilde Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the burial church of Danish monarchs since the fifteenth century. The building itself is one of the earliest examples of Gothic brick architecture in northern Europe, begun in the 1170s — a notable achievement given that Denmark had to import the concept of building in brick from northern Germany.
The interior is a gallery of royal funerary art. Over forty kings and queens are buried here, each chapel a different statement from a different era: Renaissance marble, Baroque bronze, neoclassical restraint, and the occasional Victorian excess. The twin spires visible from the train are nineteenth-century additions — Romanesque tops replaced by neo-Gothic points during a restoration campaign. Free guided tours run in summer; the cathedral is open daily and worth more than a quick pass-through.