Czarens Hus – The Tsar House – NYKØBINGFALSTER.COM

Named after the Russian Tsar Peter the Great who visited Nykøbing Falster in July 1716, The Tsar’s House is the towns’s landmark.

The half-timbered house was built in the 1690′. Some archaeological researches suggested the place was already used in the 1200 to house merchants and servants. The first known owner was Ivar Rosenfeldt, who started the guest house in 1697, and was also the postmaster of Nykøbing. Actually, as the post was not delivered to the city, people came to collect it in this house.

In the beginning of the 18th century, Denmark’s King Frederik IV was allied with the Russian Tsar Peter the Great, and offered him to use his fleet in order to invade Scania, under the Great Nordic War. On his way to Copenhagen, where the fleet was at anchor, Peter the Great stopped at Nykøbing. According to the legend, he preferred to eat at the inn, rather than stay at the Castle in the company of the royal family… Some even say he also slept there, although there is no proof.

The inn, who is told to be the oldest in Denmark, added then a wooden plaque to commemorate the auspicious visitor, an item that is still visible today in the restaurant. Nowadays, the Tsar’s House is listed, and is owned by Lolland-Falster’s Museum.

Until recently, the restaurant was open and it was a must see for all visitors. Unfortunately, it closed permanently in September 2018… What a shame ! The restaurant was managed by Nelli Hjorth and Alen Music, but after a rough year, Lolland-Falster’s Museum, who owns the building, chose to terminate their agreement and asked them to leave. Luckily for me, I had the chance to eat there three times. One for a coffee, and twice for very memorable Sunday brunches. You can imagine how wonderful it was to eat in such a legendary place…