Hald, Mid Jutland , Viborg amt

Hald.
Dollerup sogn, Nørlyng herred, Viborg amt.

Hald is Jutland itself, the beautiful magnificent Jutland. Hald's history can be brought back to the 14th century. Several legends have tales about the farm , but they still are legends. The farm is not known until in historical time.

Hald is a typical example of a move from castle bank to castle bank like it has happened to several Danish manors. The farm had during the centuries up to five various building places. The three first buildings are still traceable as banks close to the present main building. The first and oldest is the castle bank a little east of the manor and northwest of Hald sø, Brattingsborg, which is placed upon a high, steep hillside. It is a so-called curia-castrum plan, cut into the hill. It has two square banks, divided by and originally surrounded by up to 20 meter broad, dry moats, which are now rather down-ploughed. The castle bank measures ab. 40 x 40 m and rises 6 meter above the bottom of the moat, while the southeastern bank, with a measure of 40 x 23 m, is lower. No building traces or other cultural relics have been found. According to local tradition was this castle bank established by Valdemar Atterdag during the siege of Niels Bugge's Hald - the bank is also called Valdemarskansen, but this can hardly be true. Brattingsborg origins to the earlier part of the Middle Ages before Niels Bugge's Hald.


Brattingsborg

From the 14th century the manors were built in low places, at rivers, lakes, moors, fens and at the coasts, so the castle by the help of impassable water-filled surroundings could keep away the attackers. The old high-placed castles were often moved down to a small islet in the lake. At such a place is the second Hald, Gammelhald(Old Hald) or Niels Bugge's Hald. It is a round 6-7 high castle bank equipped with banks on the sides towards land. In the meadow, which now surrounds the bank on three sides, is a 10-15 broad moat with a ring-dam in front. In test- excavations were found destroyed foundations of bricked buildings and the rests of a bricked baking oven.


at Niels Bugge's Hald

The knowledge of Hald's history goes back to the beginning of the 14th century. The owner of the farm was probably marsk hr. Ludvig Albertsen Eberstein (+ 1328), whose daughter Margrethe sold her part of the inheritance to her brother Peder Ludvigsen Eberstein, which the king confirmed in 1346. The year before had Peder Ludvigsen pawned his two parts of Hald to Niels Bugge of Nørre Vosborg, and in 1346 he sold farm and estate to him. Niels Bugge was one of the richest and mightiest noblemen in Denmark. He built his strong castle at Hald, which is mentioned in a famous Danish folksong about Niels Bugge's and king Valdemar's feud. Although Niels Bugge owned other farms in Jutland, his name is especially connected to Hald. From here he lead in the 1350s the large rebellion of the mispleased Jutland nobility against Valdemar Atterdag , after the king in vain had tried to bring the nobility on his own side. Niels Bugge was not only the richest nobleman at that time, he was also the most masterful, and he dared to oppose the king. This resulted in king Valdemar's siege of Hald, which is also mentioned in the folk song, where Niels Bugge finally says that he will be able to keep the king away from Hald for nine winters.


at Niels Bugge's Hald

Niels Bugge succeeded in keeping his independence, like he did against grev Gert. The king had to leave without having achieved anything, and at the big danehof (Highest Court-meeting/Denmark's mightiest men) in Nyborg 1354, the reconciliation took place between Valdemar Atterdag and the Danish people, but it did not last for long. The displeasure soon burst into flames. In the end of 1358 Niels Bugge went, granted safe passage, together with two other noblemen to Slagelse (Sjælland) in order to come to an agreement with the king. No reconciliation came off, and already in January 1359 the noblemen went back with no result. When they came to Middelfart (Funen) on their journey home, they were murdered by some fishermen. Was the king responsible?This has always only been a guess, but it is worth to notice that the king solemny disclaimed any guilt. The inhabitants of the houses in Vestergade in Middelfart, where the perpetrators lived, had to pay a yearly tax or blood-money, the so-called Buggespenge, a tax, which was first lifted over 500 years later, in 1874.


at Hald with the tower in the background
photo 1999: Kai Bachmann

In his second marriage to Ingeborg Pedersdatter Vendelbo Niels Bugge had a daughter Lisbeth, who was married to the Mecklenborg knight Gotskalk Skarpenberg, who for a period had been in service by the Swedish king Magnus Smek and was chief at Båhus. He was now the owner of Hald, but sold it soon after to king Valdemar Atterdag. He did not get any payment for it from the king, and first under queen Margrethe's rule the payment came to fru Lisbeth and her son rigsråd Johan Skarpenberg of Gammellund and Højriis. Already in 1377 was Hald pawned to Timme Limbek, from whom queen Margrethe paid it in 1387 with 600 mark silver. In 1393 the queen gave Hald castle and estate to Viborg bishopric on the condition that the buildings were broken down and the material used for building the Viborg-cathedral, furthermore she wanted a yearly mass to be held for her and her parents' souls in the church.

In the 15th and 16th century are no informations if Hald was fortificated. The latest Catholic bishops resided sometimes at Hald, and they had probably a farm-building, where their bailiff lived. But the last Catholic bishop in Viborg, Jørgen Friis, lived at Hald. He moved here in 1529 from Viborg and thereby placed the large estate of the bishopric under Hald Castle. Hans Tausen had begun his reformatory work in Viborg in 1525, and there was a lot of trouble around this, so maybe Jørgen Friis preferred to withdraw to his fortificated farms in the bishopric. He was a great building-master at Hald. He built the still preserved bank at a low foreland in Hald sø, northeast of Niels Bugge's castle, with strong embankments towards land, from where the attacks might come.


Jørgen Friis' Hald

Only a rest of one of the buildings is preserved, namely the circular tower, which is partly built into the western bank; it is built in red monk bricks, and its full diameter is ab. 12 m. The bottom room was probably used as a prison-cellar, above this were at least two storeys, and round about were narrow light-openings. Unfortunately the tower is partly destroyed by a heavy-handed "restoration" in the beginning of the 20th century. At the southeastern corner of the bank were found a couple of bricked rooms and the rests of a secret passage or gate, opening a little above the surface of the lake. The castle was as to fortifications an early example of a consistent use of heavy earthworks as a protection against larger calibre fire-weapons.

The Viborg-bishop built a large and strong castle, and his thoughts were not only about the beyond, but he also claimed his position as one of the great lords of Nørrejylland. The castle was undoubtedly his work. There is also a written source from that time saying that the bishop built a fortificated castle at Hald. In spite of the thick walls and towers it ended sadly for the strong bishop. The reformation came quickly to Viborg, and when the grevefejden broke out, Jørgen Friis had to join Christian III, but this connection to the Lutheranian king was probably not meant honestly. There were several lawsuits against the bishop, and in 1536 he even had to be imprisoned in his own prison tower at Hald.



Jørgen Friis' Hald

Hald became, like many other manors, a royal vasalry after the reformation. All church- and kloster estate were confiscated by the Danish monarchy. Most of it was transferred to the Crown; the nobility had to be content having the estate back, which during time had been given to the church as soul mass gifts; the king got all the bishops' estate, the kloster estate and the bishops' taxes. The economic advantages by leaving the Catholicism and join the Lutheranism probably weighed heavily in this change of belief. Hald became a main vasalry, it was transferred to the Crown's estate in Fjends and Nørlyng herred and upon Mors, later came Rinds and Middelsom herred. The vasals had Hald transferred as an account-vasalry, they got wages for governing, while the other income went to the king. The position of the vasal was like a modern official, he could also be removed on the king's wish.


at Hald sø and inside the tower.

Up till 1660 a flock of the best noblemen of the kingdom were vasals at Hald. Some only a few years, others for decades. The first vasal was the Holstein Henrik Rantzau of Nienhus and Eskildsmark; he achieved several vasalries, since the king had borrowed money from him. From 1541 till 1544 was Christoffer Stygge Rosenkrantz vasal at Hald, and after him came the famous rigsmarsk Otte Krumpen, who had the vasalry until his death in 1569. In Frederik I's rule Otte Krumpen had an influential position. When the grevefejde broke out, he showed like many other Catholic noblemen an insecure and failing attitude; he joined Christian III and was therefore imprisoned by Copenhagen's citizens together with other rigsråd, i.e. Anders Bille, Oluf Rosenkrantz and Knud Pedersen Gyldenstierne, but after grevens fejde was in 1540 a reconciliation between the new government and the old Catholic noblemen. In 1544 Otte Krumpen achieved Hald as an account vasalry.

Successors at Hald were i.e. Corfitz Viffert 1569-73, the owner of Næs, the present Lindenborg; later Niels Skram and Jørgen Skram of Tjele, Henrik Below, Knud Gyldenstierne, who during the years 1627-29 stayed in Copenhagen under the enemy-invasion in Jutland, when Wallenstein's lansquenets robbed and plundered the Danish manors, churches and cities. It was Europe's wildest hordes of Croatians, Germans and Cossacks, who made their entry into the Danish kingdom, and everything was confusion, noblemen and citizens took flight, many to Norway, while the peasants took cover in forests and moors; money and treasures were buried to hide them from the enemy. Later in the 1600s Christian IV's son with Vibeke Kruse, Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve, became vasal at Hald.


Hald sø seen from Dollerup bakker

The kings have visited Hald from time to time, many letters were issued here by the king. Christian III stayed at Hald for a period in 1558 and Frederik II in 1567, 1578 og 1587. The hunts in the forests of Hald were probably attractive. Frederik II announced his arrival to the vasal and ordered to make good rooms ready for him and the queen and enough food, beer and bread for him and his entourage. During this period a drawbridge led from the land to the castle. There was a bricked house in two storeys with east and west gables, besides was a bath for the royal visitors, a two storey half-timbered house with offfice and two bed chambers, a building, which contained kitchen and servant's hall and the large bricked tower. Upon the opposite land was the vasal's stables , the smitty and a high corn house, and farther away was the farm building, a four winged building with cattle house and barn.


Hald sø near Niels Bugge's Hald

After 1660 Frederik III pawned Hald to the Dutch jews, the brothers Jacob Isak and Samuel de Lima, and in 1664 they got a deed on the farm. The firm de Lima was one of the king's largest creditors , especially in the difficult years around the Swedish war, where the king often had to borrow money from them. The brothers hardly stayed much at Hald. During their old age they had economic trouble and had to sell some of the land. When the last brother died in 1687 and left the farm to his wife Rachel, she had through all her life to fight creditors and reminders . At last she gave it all up and sold in 1703 Hald for ab. 10.000 rigsdaler to generalmajor Gregers Daa.

New times arrived for the old castle. Gregers Daa broke down the old buildings, but let the large tower stand. He built a four-winged main building in one storey in bricks and half-timber upon the high bank down to the lake and established a French garden. But in the Great Nordic War 1710 Gregers Daa was appointed generalmajor in the cavalry. In the battle at Gadebusch 1712 he was wounded and died the same day as the last man of his family. Three days before his wife Jeanne Marie Ruse had died. She had earlier been married to baron Christian Juel-Rysensteen and had in this marriage a son Ove Henrik Juel-Rysensteen, who became the owner of Hald. He sold the farm already in 1717 to amtmand Jens Jørgensen Seerup. After his death in 1736 the owner was his son-in-law landsdommer, justitsråd Enevold Heug, and after his death in 1739 the son, købmand Christen Heug.

In 1745 was Hald sold to baron Vilhelm Gyldenkrone, who was a stiftamtmand of Viborg stift. In 1750 the farm was sold to landsdommer Frederik Skinkel, and now there was again quiet conditions at the old castle, although its owner was an aggresive and difficult gentleman. Skinkel was married to a daughter of the civil regimentsskriver Niels Olsen Molderup, had three children, of whom two died babies, the third was the daughter Charlotte, who was the main character in Steen Steensen Blicher's story "Eneste Barn". (Only child). She fell in love with a young officer Martinus Braëm, but her parents did not approve this relationship and sent her to Aunsbjerg to etatsråd Steen de Steensen, who was a brother-in-law of her father. Blicher met her at Aunsbjerg and heard the sad story of her life. At last she got her officer and as a dowry her father's curse, but her marriage was not happy.


Dollerup kirke

Frederik Skinkel built in 1789 the present main building, the fifth Hald. He probably thought of establishing a private chapel at the farm, but this brought life to a myth that he wanted to make the building a parish church. He was in 1769 allowed to break down Finderup and Dollerup church (this did not happen). After Skinkel's death in 1794 Hald went to the married couple Braëm, who in 1796 had permission to sell the copyhold-estate, but they already sold the reduced property in 1798 to earlier gehejmestatsminister Ove Høegh-Guldberg. He was a skilled farmer, but he was of the opinion that a peasant could only do his work by force; he became a tough master for the peasants at Hald. In his time Skinkel's building was furnished as a main building, but several buildings from Gregers Daa's time were still existing shortly into the 19th century. Two small garden pavillons are still preserved.

After Høegh-Guldberg's death in 1808 his heirs sold Hald to landsdommer Henrik Muhle Hoff. Two years later Hald was sold at auction to Jakob Engerslev Rosbord and C. Tolstrup of Sødal. The State took over Hald in 1847. In 1851 Hald was sold to Frederik Anton M. Krabbe (of Damsgård), and after this Hald was in the ownership of this family until 1918, where it was sold to the Norwegian skibsreder Steen Giebelhausen, and in the following time the farm changed owners, until it in 1937 was bought by godsejer Poul Arkner, who let it repair and modernize and restored the two garden pavillons.


Hald main building and Niels Bugges Kro

In 1943 Hald was sold to direktør M. Mikkelsen, who took over the farm at once, but it attracted attention all over the country that the authorities according to the laws during the war-conditions denied to register the deed. Therefore was the farm resold in 1944 to entreprenør Kristensen, whose father got a deed on it, but after the war the State demanded 1,8 mill kr. from Kristensen because of collaboration; Hald was transferred to the State. An international students' center opened in 1951. Although much have disappeared at Hald during time some have been preserved. Skinkel's pretty old building still stands, and from Gregers Daa's time origins the French garden plan and the four terasses, connected by stairs. In the main building several paintings remind about the earlier owners.

Source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 13, Midtjylland, Hald, af cand. mag. Elin Bach, 1966.


photo 1999, 2006, 2010: grethe bachmann

Nørre Vosborg, West Jutland, Ringkøbing amt.

Among many permanent castles built in West Jutland during the Middle Ages was Vosborg, one of the castles with the oldest history. It was originally built southwest of the present farm and close to the place where Storåen (river) runs out into Nissum Fjord. The name Vosborg is from Old Norse óss = mouth of å. Oseborg/Osborg with a first letter pronunciation: w = wosborg.

The castle Oseborg was situated north of the river, the farm buildings were south, and between was a valuable salmon-farm. The outlets of the river have moved longer to the north and the castle bank lies  by a rest of the earlier river: Gammelå. (Old river). The legend tells about a castle at the bank, which the mighty Niels Bugge of Hald let build by an English building master. Niels Bugge inherited the place from his father Bugge Nielsen of Hegnet. At the castle bank are vaguely traceable foundations, maybe from a very large four-winged building with a tower.

Niels Bugge was murdered in Middelfart in 1359. His widow Ingeborg Pedersdatter Vendelbo survived him for many years and has probably owned Vosborg for a period, possibly until 1388, where she held administration of hr. Niels' estate. From his numerous estates the manors Vosborg, Støvringgård and Lundholm (a main farm at Skagen which was destroyed by sand) went to his daughter Eline (Ellen), who was married to marsk hr. Christiern Vendelbo, the owner of many Jutland farms. All his daughters (sons of him are not known) were married to men from the finest families in the country, the daughter Ingeborg of Vosborg to the widower Predbjørn Podebusk of Egholm at Sjælland, a son of Valdemar Atterdag's og dronning Margrethe's faithful man. Vosborg stayed in this family for some years.


Nørre Vosborg before restoration


Nørre Vosborg after restoration 2008

A letter is by accident preserved from 1407, where a Danzig-captain in Low German complains that he had stranded "vor deme slote Oseborgh in Jutlande in ghebede heren Prittberns van Potbusch", whom he partly had to give some cloth as salvage money, partly sell some cloth at a moderate price, which he else had to bring to queen Margrethe. It is understandable that the captain was displeased, but the treatment of shipwrecked people was generally very ruthless, so it seems that Predbjørn Podebusk was rather humane compared to others. He still lived in 1425, very old. His widow, who lived 34 years later, possibly owned Vosborg long after his death. Then it came to the son Claus Podebusk, who died in the middle of the 1470s. He had several children with his first wife Jytte Evertsdatter Moltke. The son Predbjørn became the owner of Vosborg during a couple of generations.

Hr. Predbjørn Podebusk, who already is mentioned of "Osborg" in 1477, which he owned until his death in 1541, became - partly by inheritance, partly by marriage, first to Vibeke Rosenkrantz of Bidstrup (+ 1506), then to Anne Gyldenstierne of Aagaard og Bregentved, who was a widow after hr. Oluf Krognos of Krapperup - one of the richest men of his time. Via his family connections and his riches and possibly also because he was a clever man, he played an important role during his long life, but he was very repulsive, brutal and obstinate, quarrelsome and self-willed. He early became a member of rigsrådet, he had many large vasalries, i.e. Riberhus, by which his wealth was increased. He joined, when the reformation-rebellion started, the Catholic party.


before the restoration


after the restoration

When Niels Bugge according to legend had built his magnificent castle , he was foretold that someone in a blue cape would come from the west and break down the castle and the tower. The person in the blue cape was Vesterhavet (North Sea). This prophecy came true in 1532 when a great storm broke all barriers and caused terrible havocs in West Jutland. In a king's letter at Christmas time the king described the great storm and all the damage.

Since the old Vosborg was so close to the fjord and in a low terrain, it is probable that it was damaged badly. The owners might have thought that now was the time to be in more safe surroundings. A new castle was built about one kilometer to the northeast. There are possibly nothing left from those buildings, but the earth works and moats around farm and park suppossedly origin from that time. It is obvious that the great plan was not a common fortification. Undoubtedly was the outer bank mostly a dam/dike, which had to secure the castle against a new storm like in 1532, but to the east, where the attackers had firm ground under their feet, the plan worked as a fortification.


before the restoration


after the restoration

The old quarrelsome Predbjørn Podebusk died in 1541, but first 7 years later was held administration of estate after him, and Vosborg came to his son-in-law Knud Gyldenstierne, the Catholic bishop of Fyns Stift, who after having been forced to give up his crocier had married Predbjørn's daughter Jytte, who was a widow after Niels Brock of Estrup (+ 1534), together with her sister's son Gregers Holgersen Ulfstand, whose mother Anne Predbjørnsdatter Podebusk had died after only one year's happy marriage to rigsråd Holger Ulfstand of Skabersø (+ 1542).

In 1551 the two owners shared farm and estate. Thus arose two farms, the original farm got later the name Nørre Vosborg, while the new farm was named Sønder Vosborg after its placement to the south. It was originally built upon the place, where the old destroyed castle had been or maybe at the place of the farm-buildings south of the old outlets of Storåen (river). Sønder Vosborg was at Christmas time 1593 exposed to a new storm, and after this it was moved to the northeast and existed as a manor until 1799, when a company of manor-slaughters killed it completely. The estate now exists as a smaller proprietær-gård (farm.)


at café and restaurant before restoration

The cosy café has now been moved and changed....


into a cafeteria........

Among Nørre Vosborg's many wellknown owners was Knud Gyldenstierne -one of the most prominent. He was very important to Vosborg, also by in 1550 to buy Oluf Munk of Tvis Kloster's estate in Ulfborg parish, among which was the present Skærum Møllegård at Storå (river), which was a large estate. He transferred it to his main farm, which thus was considerably increased. He also became the owner of Skærum chapel, which he a few years later was told sharply by the king to break down since it had become known that it was used for "idolatry and other bad habits". The tradition says that materials from here was used for building the eastern wing of Nørre Vosborg.

Knud Gyldenstierne's son Predbjørn became in 1560 Nørre Vosborg's owner. He was like most of his predecessors a man who played an important role in his time and from 1596 a member of rigsrådet. After the death of his first wife Birgitte Rosensparre he married in 1589 Mette Hardenberg, who a few years later was afflicted by a serious disease, which created a great stir at that time, because people meant that "the evil spirit" persecuted her. He "has beaten her and allured her when she has mentioned God, so that her body is one bloody flesh " it was said and he pricked in her shinbones, "so they are still in cracks and wounds", but finally she got rid of the evil spirit and was "pretty, healthy and felt fit". These troubles did not afflict her at Vosborg.

Predbjørn Gyldenstierne was buried below a magnificent epitaph in Ulfborg church in 1616 beside his first wife, and 13 years later fru Mette was buried here too. She had spent her last years on her paternal farm Skovsbo at Fyn (Funen). Their son Knud Gyldenstierne, who was oppressed by debt, had already in 1626 sold Nørre Vosborg to his brother-in-law Jens Juel of Åbjerg. It was the first time in 300 years the farm changed owner in this way. The new owner belonged to a respected family and was also a man in high positions. He was like his predecessors a member of rigsrådet, but also vice regent in Norway for some years. After having bought Nørre Vosborg it seems that he regarded it his real home. After his early death in 1634 his widow Ide Hansdatter Lange - who also owned (1638) Aabjerg, Udstrup and Stenumgård - lived there until 1649, when she was killed in an accident.This couple had no sons, and their sons-in-law shared their estates.



The chancellor in Norway,the later assessor in statskollegiet and højesteret, gehejmeråd Ove Bielke of Østråt became the owner of Nørre Vosborg. He had been married to a daughter Maren Juel, who died in 1644 after having given him a daughter Ide Sophie, who later was married to Knud Gjedde of Vadskærgård, who sometimes is written to Nørre Vosborg, but since Ide Sophie died long before her father without leaving any children, the relationship by marriage ended and the farm came at Ove Bielke's death in 1674 to the daughter Maren from his second marriage to Regitze Gjedde. Maren was in 1671 married to amtmand in Trondheim Joachim Frederik Vind of Gundestrup in Skåne, who in April 1687, a few months before his death, sold Nørre Vosborg by contract for only 10.000 rigsdaler to oberst Herman Frans von Schwanewede of Sønder Vosborg.

Schwanewede had distinguished himself several times in the Skånske Krig, which gave him a reputation as a magician and a quick advancement. He was not a peaceable man, he quarrelled with God and everyone. Buying Nørre Vosborg brought him into a long-winded process and he was always in a quarrel with the other landowners by Nissum Fjord. There were many tales about him, one told that he at his death in 1697 hardly escaped the claws of the devil, but that one of the parish priests came to his rescue. His wife fru Christence Dyre survived him till 1705, and the married couple was buried in the Gyldenstierne-chapel in Ulfborg church. Their heirs kept Sønder Vosborg for a time, but put in 1706 Nørre Vosborg at an auction. It was bought by the rich Christen de Linde's son-in-law Niels Leth, who was enobled two years later, mostly because he had got married into a new nobility family.



the park is known for its 1001 rhododendron

Leth's widow fru Maren de Linde kept the farm from her husband's death in 1711 until 1745, where she sold it to her son Henrik Johan de Leth. She was in straitened circumstances in the last years of her life, and it seems that her son was not much better off, even though he was a skilled farmer, who in many ways tried to improve the property. Since he was very strict to his peasants and according to tradition a bully towards them, he was later told to be a ghost in many stories. He died in 1754, the year before his mother, and three years later in 1757 his widow Sophie Kirstine de Linde,who was his cousin, sold farm and estate to her son Christen Linde de Leth, but was like her mother-in-law living at the farm until her death 30 years later.

The new owner became in 1761 landsdommer in Nørrejylland, later byfoged in Holstebro and herredsfoged in the two neighbour-districts, in 1774 he became justitsråd. He lived a merry life at Nørre Vosborg, which did not help much on the modest conditions. He died in 1778 by falling off his horse on his way from Holstebro to Nørre Vosborg. The next year was the farm on auction and bought by a relative Christen Linde Friedenreich of Sønder Vosborg, who was a simple man, who lived in peace and understanding with his peasants and took care of his farms and bullocks, of which he in good years had 5-600 in the stable - and about 60-100 at Nørre Vosborg.
Linde Friedenreich was not married, and shortly after his death in 1786 his estates were on auction and sold for a little more than 170.000 rigsdaler. Nørre and Sønder Vosborg were bought by two brothers købmand Peder Tang in Ringkøbing and kancelliråd Søren Tang of Tim. It must have been a great day for the brothers, when they took Niels Bugge's old farm in possession, since they were the sons of a copyholder from the estate.

Nørre Vosborg was very dilapidated and Peter Tang had enough to do bringing the neglected farm back on its feet. The farm building burnt down in lightning in 1647 and was very ramschackled. He built if again in 1788 from the ground. In 1790 he built at the eastern entrance a monumental, pilaster-decorated gate tower. He gave Nørre Vosborg ab. 1797 to his only child, the son Niels Kiær Tang, a fine and friendly personality, who was a judicial candidate. He became landvæsenskommissær and kammerråd. He died already in 1814 and his widow Marie Cathrine Meinert (+ 1855) married two years later amtsprovst dr. theol. Conrad Daniel Koefoed in Ribe, who then became the owner of the farm. He died as bishop in 1831.




In 1824 Koefoed sold the farm and estate to his three stepsons, of which the two eldest, the priest Peter Tang and later justitiarius Christian Noe Tang, two years later sold their part to the youngest Andreas Evald Meinert Tang, who owned it for many years. He improved and embellished it and collected all the legends in its history - and he made by his hospitality the farm a center of the district. He bought parcels and other estate which had been sold from the farm and also bought most of the sold copyhold farms. Nørre Vosborg was complete again in 1834. He was probably the first in the area, who started to drain (1856) with pipes from his own tile works, and he was among the first, who had the courage to plant a plantation that close to the North Sea. He made more changes at Nørre Vosborg, and in 1868 the south wing was extended to the east so it was in line with the east wing. Thus the castle yard had got its present look. At the entrance to the farm buildings Tang built in 1853 for his eldest brother, the priest Peter Tang (+1876) a villa in style like the east wing of the manor and named it Vosborglille, later used as a dower house.

After his death in 1868 his widow Marie Elise, née Fenger (+ 1885) lived at the farm for some years after having sold a large part of the estate. She transferred Nørre Vosborg in 1878 together with Skærum Mølle, Nørre Tang and the rest of the estate to her son-in-law bryggeriejer Henrik Stampe Valeur, who in his short ownership established the large plantation northeast of the farm down to Storå (river). Since his early death in 1880 Nørre Vosborg belonged to his widow, etatsrådens oldest daughter fru Christine Lorentze Tang Valeur, who in her long life faithfully held on to the paternal traditions and protected the rich memories of the farm and the family. In 1923 she gave Nørre Vosborg to two sister's children, skoleinspektør frøken Anna Tang Barfod and her brother Peter Niels Andreas Tang Barfod. At the end of 1931 the brother became the sole owner and moved into Vosborglille.

In 1946 it looked as though Nørre Vosborg's time as a manor was out. Godsejer Tang Barfod sold it to a couple of property-dealers who wanted to outparcel the old manor. Some areas had already been sold, when overretssagfører Janus Frederik Krarup, owner of Nordfeld, intervened on behalf of the family, since he as a great-grandchild of Niels Kiær Tang, suddenly arrived as a buyer. The old family estate was saved, the main part of the culture-historical valuable inventory, the old furniture, family portraits etc. were allowed to stay in their old place. Krarup worked until his death untiringly to consolidate the neglected estate ; after a fire in 1949 the southern farm wing and the dilapidated castle was restored in 1954-60. After Janus Krarup's death Nørre Vosborg was owned by his widow fru Margrethe Krarup.

Source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 13, Nørre Vosborg, by arkivar, cand mag. S. Nygård.

Nørre Vosborg was recently restored with finish in 2008.

Nørre Vosborg today:

photo 2006/2008: grethe bachmann

Tjele, Mid Jutland, Viborg amt.

Tjele, ab. 12 km northeast of Viborg
Tjele sogn, Sønderlyng herred, Viborg amt.

Tjele was a village main farm, which history can be brought back to queen Margrethe's rule. At that time lived in Tjele parish two lords, the brothers Niels and Jep Eskildsen of the family Basse from Tjele, whose coat of arms was a half billy goat in a silver field. Niels owned a small main farm Tjeleris (in the present Rise) and after his death his widow Maren Iversdatter and her second husband Jens Gundesen (Lange) conveyed 6 April 1392 at Viborg landsting to rural dean Johannes and the canons in Viborg all their property in Sønder- and Nørlyng herreder (districts), namely the main farm (curia nostra principalis) Thyelriies with an additional farm, four farms in Tjele village, Vore mill, and farms in Vammen, Vorning and Hammershøj.

The Basse-family still had a connection to Tjele parish - in the existing village Tjele lived Jep Eskildsen on his family farm, which was the origin of the present manor. Jep Eskildsen's son Eskild Jepsen is mentioned in 1418, when he negotiated with Skt. Marie Kloster in Viborg about estate in Tjele. He was married to Else Svendsdatter Udsen, who after his death married Mogens Jensen Løvenbalk, known as the killer of Jens Jensen Brock. Hereby came the family Løvenbalk - who traces their origin back to an illegitimate son of Christoffer II - to Tjele. Mogens Løvenbalk was present in Viborg at the issue of Christoffer of Bayerns coronation charter in 1440, but was probably killed in the peasant rebellion in 1441 - he was dead in 1450, when fru Else gave estate to Mariager Kloster and her son of first marriage hr. Christiern Eskildsen confirms the gift letter. He was the last man of the family Basse, when he died childless as a monk of the Order of St. John in Viborg after 1478.

Tjele was inherited by hr. Christiern's half brother Laurids Mogensen Løvenbalk, who died in 1500, but whose three children Jørgen, Mogens and Maren probably all inherited Tjele. They were all three making a friendly exchange of property in 1529 with Viborg Chapter. They got compensation for transferred farms, a farm Thielriis in Tjele parish, three farms of which one was desolate in Tjele village, a desolate mill-place named Vore mølle etc. The Løvenbalk-family achieved the same estate which Jens Gundesen had given to the Chapter in 1392. The old main farm was now a common copyhold farm, and the mill had been given up. But the importance of the new main farm grew evidently the Løvenbalk-period.



The old stone house in the castle yard "Søndre Tjele" must be dated to the beginning of the 16th century and is probably the work of Jørgen and Mogens Lauridsen. It has not been surrounded by moats and is built in two storeys above a barrel-vaulted cellar. The meter-thick walls are built in field-stones with a cover of large monk bricks. It was burnt by the peasants in the Clements-feud, but the thick walls defied the fire. There were several additions, among others towers, but most of it have been removed again. In the second storey is the great hall where are traces of frescoes in cubic and rhombre patterns in black,grey and white like is known from the medieval Nyborg castle. From a later rebuild are traces from frescoe-painted wall-decorations.

Jørgen Lauridsen is mentioned the last time in 1531, and hr. Mogens, the Scottish woman Genete Cragengelt's husband, had died in 1536, when Maren and her husband Erik Skram (Fasti) of Hastrup (Nørvang herred ) took Tjele into possession, and Genete and her two children had to leave. Not until eighteen years later, in 1554, the son Knud Mogensen took legal action against Erik Skram on the king's judicial Thing; he presented four sealed letters, which he had fetched in Scotland as a proof that Genete was hr. Mogen's wedded wife. From these letters emerged that hr. Mogens, when he in 1525 was in Scotland - sent out by Frederik I to oppose Christiern II's agents -had met a lady of nobility, a relative of count William of Montrose. On the 31st of August 1525 in the morning he and Genete went to St. Ninians church at Leith, where they contracted lawful marriage according to the customs of Scotland - and then they went to Robert Barton's house, where wedding festivities were held together with the "most outstanding people and chiefs" - and after this they lived together as husband and wife in Scotland.

But then Erik Skram presented two letters from some the Danish knights' men; they told that they came often to Tjele, but they had never seen hr. Mogens treating Genete different from a slegfredkvinde(mistress). She sat at the table down by his men and never had dinner with him. Erik Skram also told that hr. Mogens in a gift-letter gave this same woman all his gold, silver etc, of 20 or 30 thousand gyldens' value, but that Genete and her children had not acknowledged inheritance and debts, which they had to do according to law, if they wanted some inheritance. He said that she in 1536 had come to an agreement with him about, what she had to inherit after hr. Mogens - and finally he pointed out that Knud Mogensen had neglected to seek inheritance in time, latest when he came of age. Knud Mogensen then presented a letter from the parish priest
hr. Jens Lauridsen, who witnessed that hr. Mogens twice had sworn to him that Genete was his wife for God and the world.



Knud Mogensen had to give up his fight to achieve his paternal farm - in 1571 he came to an agreement with his relatives - but he still fought for his mother's honour, and he won when the University of Copenhagen in 1568 - a year after Genete Cragengelt's death - acknowledged the proofs of his parents' marriage. He achieved the right to use the Løvenbalk's coat of arms , and he bought Loverstrup and Kjellerup, but died after 1598 as the last of his family.

Erik Skram (+ 1568) of Hastrup belonged to the family Fasti, who had a cleaved six-stepped storm-ladder in their coat of arms and a half blackamoor in their helmet. His father had taken the name Skram after his mother. He was in 1529 married to Maren Lauridsdatter (Løvenbalk), he was landsdommer (High Court judge) in Nørrejylland 1536-58 and vasal at Holstebrogård 1546-58. He probably repaired and rebuilt the stonehouse at Tjele after the fire and built a 17 bay long two-storey half-timbered wing, which was later extended with three brick-built bays. In the southern gable of the south wing is a room called The Scottish Womans Room. Erik Skram was buried in Tjele church, where behind the altar is a pretty headstone with life-size portraits of him and his wife.

Jørgen Skram Fasti 1534-92 is the one from the former owners who has mostly marked Tjele, he built the main house and he increased the estate. He served as courtier by the imprisoned Christiern II at Kalundborg and by the king's son Frederik and in the government of important vasalries (Båhus 1568-71, Dronningborg etc. 1573-85, Hald etc. 1585-92) and the road was prepared for a title as rigsråd (1579). He was often sent to Norway on the king's behalf for legal proceedings , and he was in 1584-87 High Court judge in Viborg. He was the founder of the large main estate Tjele, since he both extended the main farm, but also exchanged property and bought farms close to Tjele, in Foulum, Ørum, Lundum and Vammen; it was necessary to have servants nearby for the management of the extended main farm. He extended Tjele church, which in the 15th century had got a tower in monk bricks. He achieved the material in 1573 by - with the king's permission - to break down the tower and two northern chapels of Skt. Hans Kloster-church in Viborg. Above Tjeles gate entrance is a tablet with an inscription and the coat of arms of Skram Fasti and Daa.


At Tjele Langsø

Jørgen Skram could not leave Tjele to a son. In his marriage to fru Hilleborg Clausdatter Daa were born two children, but they died infants, they are pictured together with their parents at the portrait stone in Tjele church. His sister fru Anne Skram inherited farm and estate, but she was childless in her marriage to Christen Munk of Gjessinggård, and Tjele went after her death in 1612 to her brother's daughter Maren Skram, who was a widow after Jacob Hardenberg, and after her death in 1623 Tjele went to her sister's son Claus Below of Spøttrup's widow fru Karen Hansdatter Lange. Fru Karen Erik Lauridsen Grubbe of Gammelgård gave in 1636 deed on Tjele main farm with its additional mill, Gammelbylunden, Flaruphede, the houses in the fields and the peasant estate, which mainly was situated in Tjele, Ørum and Lindum parishes and forest for 130 svins olden.(measure: enough mast for 130 pigs).

Erik Grubbe was the only son of Laurids Grubbe of Gammelgård in Ryde at Lolland. When 17 years old he went with a steward and a friend on a journey abroad, which was obligatory for sons of lords of the manor; his main goal was Leipzig and Leyden. After this he was at court for a couple of years - and married Maren Juul the same year he bought the farm. Maren was a daughter of Iver Juul of Willestrup. They lived for a couple of years at Tjele, but then Erik Grubbe became vasal at Århusgård, and they had to move to Havreballegård (now Marselisborg). In Århus he got the byname the evil vasal. People thought that he was the working force behind a chase of bishop Morten Madsen's wife Kirsten Johansdatter and her son-in-law. He lost his wife in 1647 and was in 1649, after the bishop's wife was cleared , moved as vasal to Lund at Mors, where he stayed for two years. From 1651 till his death in 1692 he lived at Tjele without taking part in public life.

Erik Grubbe was a rich man, but he was known to be close-fisted. He was the only son and sole heir to a good Lolland-farm and probably increased his fortune as a vasal. He gave his daughters large dowries and bought much estate for Tjele. But in spite of his wealth the riches could crumble away under a leader, who might be marked by the miser's desire to save money on the wrong places, and the condition in Jutland was bad after the Swedish wars. Besides were also the tragic family relations, known from the Danish poets: Holberg, Blicher, H.C.Andersen and I.P. Jacobsen. After his wife's death he lived together with the peasant girl Anne Jensdatter; this was not a good example for the two motherless girls who grew up at Tjele in the 1650s.



Both girls were married early, the oldest Anne Marie to rigens kansler Just Høg's highly intelligent, but degenerated Stygge Høg; the youngest, Maren or as she was later called Marie, married the king's son Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve. Both marriages were very unhappy and had to be dissolved. Anne Marie was later married to Jørgen Arenfelt of Rugård, known as a "witch-hunter", while Marie after her divorce drifted around in Europe, till she in two years had spent almost all her maternal inheritance of 12.000 daler. When she came home she almost had no clothes to wear. Erik Grubbe received his lost daughter; she promised to improve, but lived worse than before. In 1673 she was married to Palle Dyre, and Erik Grubbe said in a complaint to the king that he helped her to get married. The married couple lived at Trinderup and was given this farm and a farm Nørbæk for their support.

After twelve year at Trinderup Palle Dyre and Marie moved at New Year's time 1685 to Tjele. Erik Grubbe was now eighty years and was persuaded to let his son-in-law have Tjele as a lessee. An examination of the buildings before the transfer showed that everything was in a bad state, also the main building. If Erik Grubbe hoped to achieve a peaceful old age, he was disappointed. There was a bitter feud about the inheritance between the two son-in-laws, and there were problems between the two households at the farm, but everything was pale beside the great scandal, when Marie was unfaithfull to her husband with the coachman Søren Sørensen Møller. A process came up, which sent a sharp light on both Marie's affair and the not very cosy life at the farm. The conviction in 1691 was divorce. Marie Grubbe followed Søren Møller, and after several years of wandering about they settled in Borrehuset in Åstrup sogn on the island Falster by Grønsund, where they had a speakeasy. In 1711 Søren ,when drunk, killed a captain and was sentenced to prison at Bremerholm. While the case was on, Ludvig Holberg visited Borrehuset. Holberg wrote in one of his epistles that Marie Grubbe told him that her marriage to Søren was much happier than her first marriage although he treated her badly. She died in 1718, about 80 years old.



When the old man at Tjele died in 1692, the other son-in-law was now the heir, but since he had a large debt, he had to sell Tjele and Vingegård in 1698 to ritmester Gert Didrik von Levetzow of Gaaslund. He got a bad reputation as "the evil lord", and his sarcophagus was a part of the legend. He let set up a magnifique sarcophagus in black marble and alabaster and place an epitaph on the northern wall of Tjele church. Both works were made by Frederik IV's and Christian VI's court sculptor, Johan Frederik Ehbisch, who was the master of the stucco-loft in the great hall at Rosenborg castle and of several works in Fredensborg slotskirke. The sight of these gaudily sculptures, especially in a church, did wake the imagination of the parishioners and made them invent stories about nightly drinking bouts in the coffin and about the mermaid-sculptures that supported it.

In 1737 Tjele and Vingegård were bought by generalmajor Christian Ditlev Lüttichau, whose father Hans Helmuth Lüttichau belonged to and old noble family from Sachsen; he immigrated from Mecklenborg in Christian V's rule. He had taken part in Ludvig XIV's wars. He abducted from a Belgian kloster a Spanish nun, who became his wife. The descendants of this fantastic couple settled at the Jutland manor, which is now owned by the eigth generation. Christian Ditlev Lüttichau (1696-1767) established 15. november 1759 the entailed estate Tjele, and it was decided that the widow could enjoy the estate, until the eldest son was 30 years. The eldest son, konferensråd, kammerherre Hans Helmuth Lüttichau (1740-1801) was in 1763 married to Johanne Marie Charlotte v. Brockdorff and left the estate to his eldest son, kammerjunker Christian Ditlev Lüttichau (1766-1809), after whose early death his widow Ida, née von Bülow, took it over. Their son Hans Helmuth Lüttichau (1804-57) left Copenhagen in order to manage Tjele, and his friends wondered, why he would give up his safe income as a premierløjtnant instead of a not so safe income as the owner of an entailed estate. The times were difficult for him and his clever wife Idalia, née Dirckinck-Holmfeld; they lived very modest in small rooms in the first floor, and in the evening they lit tallow candles which she and her maids had done.


Tjele Langsø

The next generation, kammerherre Christian Ditlev Lüttichau (1832-1915) became the most important man of the family. After having done legal and agricultural-economic studies, he took over the lead in 1857 at his father's death, and in 1862, when he was 30 years, he took over the entailed estate. On 10th of July 1860 he married his cousin Malvina Jessen, a daughter of overførster Jessen in Randers. He improved the work of the main farms and equipped them with modern buildings, he was a co-founder of Hedeselskabet in 1866 and took part in its activity and planted at the same time large areas at Tjele. His working-areas grew gradually and quietly, and it spread from the estate to the whole neighbourhood. At his death it was said that there was hardly a public field in the area where Lüttichau had not taken part. He finally came to rigsdagen, ( Danish government) , he became minister and was in the lead of many large concerns. He was finansminister (minister of finance) in the ministery Reedtz-Thott. In 1897 he retreated from politics and returned to Tjele. His son has told that he learned to ride on his father's old red horse - it stopped automatically by every house and every human.

The eldest son Hans Helmuth Lüttichau took over the entailed estate in 1911 (1868-1921). He had since 1893 owned Viskum; he replaced in 1908 his father as chairman of Hedeselskabet and had in 1909-10 been a folketingsmand. (member of the Danish Folketing). He was later a president in landhusholdningsselskabet (agricultural household society) and had many positions of trust. In 1921 he suddenly died in the middle of his working day. His wife Fanny Lüttichau, née Fønss, died a few months later. The entailed estate was now taken over by the eldest son, kammerherre Christian Ditlev Lüttichau (1895-1963), married to Vibeke v. Brockdorff. 29. April 1930 the entailed estate became a free estate, and there was some outparcelling, especially from Vingegård.

Kammerherre Christian Ditlev Lüttichau had like his father several positions of trust, he was from 1931 chairman of Hedeselskabet and from 1933 president of Det kgl. danske landhusholdningsselskab. (The royal Danish agricultural household society). He was killed by an accidental shot in 1963 . His son, Hans Helmuth Lüttichau took over Tjele gods. Thorough restorations have been made during the latest owners' time of the historic main building.

Source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 13, Tjele, af bibliotekar, cand.mag. Ejler Haugsted, 1966.

Note from: Danmarks slotte og herregårde, Niels Peter Stilling, Politikens forlag 1998:
Tjele is one of Denmark's national treasures. The main building is one of the eldest manor-buildings in the country. Marie Grubbe, the landowner's daughter from Tjele, has immortalized the old manor. Holberg, Blicher, H.C. Andersen and I.P. Jacobsen has told the story of Marie Grubbe's life. The civil Lüttichau-family has owned Tjele since 1737. Until 1996 was Tjele open to the public, but today is the public access limited to the exclusive restaurant, named "Marie Grubbe".


photo Tjele: grethe bachmann

Fævejle, Djursland, Randers amt

Fævejle, ab. 12 km west of Grenå
Lyngby parish, Djurs Sønder herred, Randers amt

Fævejle is mentioned for the first time in written sources during the rule of Erik of Pommern; in 1429 the two væbners (= esquire) Jens Laursen and Henrik Blik gave a deed on a desolate building place in "Fæuedæl" to hr. Otte Nielsen (Rosenkrantz )of Hevringholm, a deed which their wives had inherited from Andreas Eysen. In 1469 a priest Jep Tordsen lived in "Fæwedell". Or else is known nothing from Fævejle except that the farm with its parish church Lyngby before the reformation belonged to Århus Chapter.

The last abbot in Øm Kloster, hr. Jens Simonsen, was - when the kloster was abandoned in 1560 - given Rosmos (Rosmus) parish and had the vicarage, Rugård and a third farm in Rosmos parish, but in 1579 the Crown exchanged this estate, and in order to indemnify hr. Jens they let the priest in Lyngby Albøge change parish with him - so hr. Jens was given Fævejle as a vicarage. However he died the same year. Århus chapter then exchanged in 1580 Fævejle to the Crown which already the following year exchanged it to Iver Juel of Lykkesholm. In 1618 Fævejle was owned by Helvig Rantzau who died the same year in childbirth; she was a daughter of Frantz Rantzau who was killed at Skellinge hede, and she was married to Palle Rosenkrantz of Krenkerup.


In 1621 the farm belonged to fru Kirsten Sandberg, a daughter of Tyge Sandberg of Vedø and married to Gert Bryske of Margård. Fævejle was then owned by her aunt Sophie Jørgensdatter Rostrup, who was married to her paternal uncle Mads Sandberg. When he died in 1632, the farm was given to jomfru (miss) Abel Bryske, Gert Bryske and Kirsten Sandberg's daughter. After her it came back to her mother Kirsten, who died in 1647, since from her estate Fævejle was the following year conveyed to rigsråd hr. Frederik Reedtz of Tygestrup. When he died in 1659, the farm went via inheritance to his son Jørgen Reedtz of Vedø, who was amtmand (prefect) of Tryggevælde Amt and ambassador in Spain, and his son-in-law Erik Hardenberg Gyldenstierne. The two owners sold in 1664 the farm to ex-secretary in the German Kancelli Matheus Rudolphus Reinfranck.

Via his marriage to Karen Rasmusdatter Helkand, a widow after the Icelandic merchant Mikkel Nansen, mayor Hans Nansen's son, Reinfranck achieved considerable means, which gave him the opportunity to buy much spread estate in Djurs Sønder herred. In her first marriage Karen Nansen had the daughters Karen, who in 1670 married Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld, and Sophie, who in 1672 married amtmand of Kalø amt, etatsråd Christian Gersdorff. When only 12 years of age the only child of Reinfranck's marriage Lisbeth Margrethe was in 1663 " "in the presence of many distinguished people" betrothed to a son of king Frederik III's highly trusted kansler Theodor Lente, secretary in the German kanselli Christian Lente, a young careerist, who only had entered into this match in expectation of Griffenfeld's patronage and a rich dowry. After the rigskanslers (Griffenfeld's) downfall in 1676 Lente broke ruthless the betrothal in spite of Reinfranck's and his stepson Christian Gersdorff's protest. The case was still not finished in 1679, but was given up when Reinfranck died. The repudiated bride, who was now the heir of Fævejle, married in 1685 the priest of the parish church, Frederik Thomsen Lyngbye.


In 1681 she sold Fævejle to Iver Juul Høg who the same year from Bjørnholm, Lykkesholm and Fævejle founded the barony Høgholm, which after his widow fru Helle Trolle's death in 1722 went to grev Christian Danneskiold-Samsøe (+ 1728). His son, grev Frederik Christian Danneskiold-Samsøe transferred in 1753 the barony to overhofmarskal ( =Lord Chamberlain) grev Adam Gottlob Moltke, who abandoned and sold it the next year.

Fævejle belonged under Høgholm until 1802, when generalløjtnant Frederik Sehested's widow Pauline Fabritius-Tengnagel in an auction sold the farm to lesee Knud Høyer. After his death in 1821 Fævejle was bought in an auction by P.J.Møller, the later owner of Constantinsborg, and he conveyed it to the owners of Lykkesholm P.Achton and Peter Mørk Mønsted, who the same year shared the two estates, and Mønsted then got Fævejle. After his death in 1864 his widow handed over the farm to the son N.J.A. Mønsted for 39.000 rigsbankdaler. He built the present main building, a red-brick villa in one storey. In 1918 the son Peter Mørk Mønsted took over Fævejle, which he in 1945 transferred to his son Ivar Brorson Mønsted. Today Fævejle is a common agriculture farm. The old half-timbered farm-buldings still exist.

Source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 14, Djursland, Fævejle by dr. phil. Louis Bobé, 1967.


photo March 2009: grethe bachmann

Kalø, East Jutland, Randers amt

Kalø, ab. 20 km northeast of Århus
Bregnet sogn, Øster Lisbjerg herred, Randers amt.

After the rebellion of the Jutland peasants and their refusal to pay taxes king Erik Menved let build three new castles to avoid any repetition, Bygholm at Horsens, Borgvold at Viborg and the castle at Kalø. This castle was built upon the highest point of the island and consisted, according to usual customs, of a square tower and a castle yard, surrounded by a ring-wall. Those forced castles were hated, and in the coronation charter, which Christoffer II had to sign in 1320 in Viborg it was decided that the forced castles had to be broken down, while the older castles like Riberhus, Koldinghus and Skanderborg were still allowed to exist. The National Museum made some examinations at Kalø in 1941-42, and they showed that Erik Menved's castle really had been broken down not long after it was built. From his time are only the cellar walls under the large tower and probably the rest of the eastern ring wall, which ends in a circular corner tower. King Christoffer hardly made the rebuild of the main tower, the rest of the castle plan must be ascribed to king Valdemar Atterdag.

According to the examinations it seems that castle nr. 2 was built not many decadees after the first, there is no document about the date, but after the treaty, which in 1340 was finished in Lybæk between king Valdemar and hertug Valdemar about the first mentioned's taking over the Danish Crown, king Valdemar had to take over at once Ålborghus with Vendsyssel and Himmerland as a dowry with the hertug's sister, Helvig; after this he could one by one redeem the four castles Kalø, Horsens, Kolding and Ribe, each with a fourth of the rest of Nørrejylland (Nørrejylland is not the same as North Jutland, it is the area around the Randers district). The castle at Kalø, which is mentioned as one of the main castles in Nørrejylland, was by grev Gert pawned to Claus Limbek, a son of a lord of the manor from Angel, whio was the greve's sub-chief of Nørrejylland.



In 1343 the king redeemed the Kalø-area, but hr. Claus Limbæk stayed as a pledgee at the castle for many years and was in 1344 by king Valdemar appointed drost, the highest office of the kingdom. He was the king's highly trusted advisor and assistant, but he was also one of the leaders of the Jutlanders' rebellion. He was nr. 1 among the lords at Kalø, where he still lived in 1348. Valdemar Atterdag had alternate chiefs (vasals ) at Kalø, after he had redeemed it, but in the end of his rule he had to give it as a pawn for a loan from the Århus-bishop Bo Mogensen. The income of the vasalry went for some years into the pockets of the bishop, until queen Margrethe in 1407 redeemed it. Bishop Bo and the Chapter had to ensure that "the island Kalføe and the walled castle and fortification, which stand upon this, belong to the Danish kingdom" and that the bishopric had no claims anymore.

Among the vasals were among others hr. Otte Nielsen (Rosenkrantz) of Bjørnholm (+ 1477), who was the mightiest man in the district; he was for many years rigens hofmester (kingdom's master at court). Erik Eriksen Banner (+ 1554) had in 1514 castle and vasalry given by Christiern II in person, while he around Easter stayed at Kalø. When the king deceitfully in 1518 had taken 6 Swedes hostage (who had been a security for his own person in a meeting with the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Younger) and brought them as a pawn to Denmark, he entrusted one of the hostages, the very young Gustav Eriksson Vasa to Erik Banner, who treated him well and allowed him in return for a promise and handshake to walk freely near Kalø, but his longing for Sweden made the young man forget his promise; he saw his chance to get away about one year after he came to Kalø; he put on peasant-clothes , joined some cattle-drovers and came in September 1519 to Lybæk, where several merchant-families took friendly care of him and fixed that the council denied to hand him over to Erik Banner, who a few weeks later caught up with him, but had to go back to Kalø empty-handed. Chr. II did not punish his vasal, but demanded him to pay a large sum of 1.600 gylden, which he had provided as security; a receipt has been kept of an instalment of 1.300 mark which the king received "for the Swedish prisoner, who got away."




Erik Banner became one of the leaders of the Lutheranian party in the rigsråd. He won together with Johan Rantzau a victory over skipper Clement in the Grevefejden and had an important place among Chr. III's councsiliors - and was from 1541 rigens marsk (military chief of the kingdom); but he did not seek for larger or more important vasalries and kept Kalø with the five sub-districts (herreder)Mols, Nørre and Sønder herred, Sønderhald and Øster Lisbjerg as tax-vasalries until his death in 1554. In the next generation a brilliant man Jørgen Rosenkrantz - who was the founder of Rosenholm - became regent while Chr. IV was underage. He was a vasal for a long time, from 1563 until his death in 1596. He kept Kalø, maybe because it lies close to Rosenholm and Skaføgård.

Jørgen Skeel, ancestor of the Skeels at Gammel Estrup, was the owner of Sostrup and Ulstrup and rigsmarsk by Chr. IV from 1627. He had Kalø vasalry from 1607-27. During his time at Kalø a judicial murder took place. The priest in Vejlby, Søren Quist, was sentenced and executed for a murder he had not committed. A conspiracy of his enemies, whose main instigator was a sub-bailiff at at Kalø, succeeded in forcing some Vejlby-peasants to give witness and take an oath on fabricated stories. The court of justice assumed that the sworn testimonies were true and sentenced the priest to death. During the period of the next vasal kansler Christen Thomesen (Sehested)(1629-40) , the learned Holger Rosenkrantz' son-in-law, the truth came out and the case was taken up again. The priest's innocence was established and the main instigators of the conspiracy were punished. The two last vasals at Kalø were Christen Thomesens brother's in-law, first Gunde Rosenkrantz 1648-60, then Erik Rosenkrantz of Rosenholm, who had to give up the vasalry caused by the change of the Danish government in 1660.




For more than three hundred years the royal castle at Kalø was domicile for vasals, and during that period history tells nothing about any war-events. The castle and its crew were means of power in the vasal's hands in order to fight troublemakers and criminals and to protect the inhabitants in the five districts( herreder). The castle was a place from where peace went out. The money for its maintenance and the support for its residents went to the Crown from farm and estate. Upon the island was a farm-building and another up behind the eastern forest - and gradually many peasants in Bregnet and the neighbouring parishes became copyholders for the castle.

The straight paved road out to the castle, named Vasen, was probably laid out in the 14th century. There is a document with information that it was repaired by Jørgen Rosenkrantz, so it is earlier than his period as a vasal (1563-96). In the middle of Vasen was a bridge which could be broken off. There were several road blocks on the way out to the castle; at the third break the drawbridge led across the dry moat to the castle-gate, which was built just on the other side of the moat ( a large piece of wall work have been found from a gate tower). The fourth break was the main gate, and behind it was the castle yard where a potential attacker was facing a difficult tastk, conquering the tower, where the defenders behind thick walls could defend themselves from narrow arrow slits.



In 1660 the castle was much dilapidated. It was also outdated as a fortification, and since it after 1660 was not a vasalry anymore its days were numbered. In 1661 Frederik III gav his son Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve Kalø castle with farm-buildings and estate, which meant most farms and houses in Bregnet and Thorsager parish and several in Egens, Agri, Dråby and Vistoft and the two churches in Bregnet and Thorsager with their taxes. This large estate was transferred to Thorsager birk (judicial). Ulrik Frederik had just got married to Marie Grubbe. In 1670 he handed over farm and estate to the Crown after having achieved his main work as a viceregent in Norway. In 1672 he was one of Chr. V's leading ministers and had begun building his palace in Copenhagen (the present Charlottenborg) The king gave him Kalø's buildings and material "which was very ruined and disrepaired." Everything usable was now sailed to Copenhagen. What was left were only rests of tower walls and small remains of ringwalls and fruerstuen. (the ladie's room). The castle became an overgrown and mouldering ruin.



The Crown kept Kalø ladegård and the large estate for twenty years. In 1690 grev Conrad Reventlow of Clausholm bought in an exchange the farm-buildings and the part of the estate in Bregnet and Thorsager parish. He had judicial rights and a right to buy back the churches in Thorsager and Bregnet. Conrad Reventlow, who became storkansler under Frederik IV and was the father of queen Anna Sophie, had in 1684 bought Løjstrup in Laurbjerg parish and Frisenvold in Ørum parish and in 1686 bought Clausholm in Voldum parish, which became the main residence in the large estate.

In 1703 he handed over Frisenvold, Løjstrup and Kalø to his daughter-in-law Benedicte Margrethe (née Brockdorff)(+ 1739), who very young was a widow after Jørgen Skeel of Gammel Estrup and in 1700 was married to grev Christian Ditlev Reventlow (1671-1738). He was an officer, diplomat and official; he became a general in Austrian service, in 1709 he was as a Danish general leader of the failed attempt to win back Skåne; later he became overpresident in Altona and overjægermester( title at court). While he used his power in the State service his wife ruled despotical, but with great skill, the many and large estates the married couple owned: grevskaberne Christianssæde and Reventlow (Sandbjerg), baroniet Brahetrolleborg, the entailed estate Krenkerup, Tølløse and Sehested ( in Sønderjylland) besides three Jutland manors, of which they in 1731 founded the entailed estate Frisenvold . This couple did not need a classy residence at Kalø, but it is probable, that the energetic lady planned the building of the up-to-date halftimbered farm buildings. The large old barn north of the present country road has kept the mark from the 18th century and reminds about the now burnt barn at Møllerup.



Wormwood on the stony beach behind Kalø.

In 1798 Kalø and estate was by fyrst (German prince) Christian Heinrich August Hardenberg Reventlow (son of the Preussian statskansler and German prince Carl August Hardenberg and Juliane Frederikke Christiane Reventlow) handed over to birkedommer (judicial rights), kammerråd Morten Friederich Leemeyer at Kalø and Erik Christian Müller at Møllerup. The purchase price was 217.000 rigsdaler. The deed was in 1803 issued to Leemeyer only. After his death his widow Mette Leemeyer, née Brendstrup, had difficult times at Kalø and in 1823 she sold farm and estate to the German senator Martin Johan Jenisch (1760-1827) from Hamborg, who bought it for 80.000 rigsbankdaler silver. Kalø did not become his or his family's home, but a part of a widespread concern. Kalø hovedgård and estate was driven by Danish employees, but the family from Germany often visited their Jutland manor and showed much interest in the great enterprise and the many people connected to it.

It was a great advantage for Kalø that the new owner was a rich man, who could improve the buildings and equip the peasants with livestock and tools. In 1848 the villeinage was abolished and the main farm was from this year driven with the assistance of paid people. In the 1870s both churches of the estate ( Bregnet og Thorsager) were restored. Bregnet church was in danger of being broken down, but was saved and secured. In 1881 was Kalø taken over via inheritance by Martin Johan Rücker, who took the name Jenisch. He became baron and ekscellence in 1906 , he was a diplomat and was appointed ambassedeur in Rome.



In 1883 was established a modern diary at Kalø hovedgård, and in 1890 was built a large stable for the large stock of Angler-cattle. In 1898 the baron built Kalø Jagthus (Hunting lodge) south of the garden, from where is a beautiful view across the fields, framed by the forests, Kaløvig (the bay) and the castle island with the ruin. During the difficult years after WWI the baron thought about selling Kalø, but instead he decided to rebuild and modernize the large agrigulture- and forest enterprise. As an inspector of the estate he chose in 1924 the young landowner, later hofjægermester Folmer Lüttichau of Rohden, who had been a lesee at Kalø 1918-20. When the baron died a half year after the new inspector's beginning in September 1924, the executors of the estate took the lead and kept it until September 1933, when it was transferred to the son Wilhelm Rücker von Jenisch.

Like his parents he protected the beautiful and historic values he was responsible of. He supported in many ways the National Museum's work at the castle island and gave the public access to both the ruin and the forests. In the end of the 1930s he proposed a grandiose offer about Nature preservation of the beautiful landscapes from Kaløvig up to Rønde and Kalø hovedgård and to the castle island, 300 tdr. land ( 1 tdr = 1.363 acres). The condition of the proposal was that a road project, which had been confirmed by Randers amt, where a road should lead from Følle through Hestehaven and down to the Ebeltoft-road at the beach, must not be carried through. When the Nature Conservancy Board in an instalment of 3. January 1939 had decided that this road project must not be carried through, the baron's offer was brought to life according to the Nature Conservancy Law of 1937. By protecting this magnificent East Jutland landscape baron Jenisch has got an unusually beautiful memory. He also expressed his interest in hiking by giving land to a youth hostel, which is placed east of Rønde with a view across the listed terrain.

In WWII Jenisch, being a German officer, had to go to war and died in Greece 13. July 1941. Shortly after his death his workers and employees raised a memorial stone as an expression of their gratitude. According to his will his youngest brother Johan Christan von Jenisch became the owner of Kalø, but after the end of the war Kalø was confiscated as German property by the Danish State. After this 440 tdr. land of the estate was being outparcelled and sold, partly for establishing Kalø agricultural school, partly for establishing State-smallholdings and additional land. In 1948 Kalø estate was rented to Jagtfonden, the idea was to use the estate for 1) vildtbiologiske forsøg (biological research with game) 2) breeding game 3) hunting school and at the same time continue the farming and foresting.


Source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 14, Djursland, af bibliotekar, cand.mag. Ejler Haugsted.


photo Kalø 2003/2006/2007/2008/2009: grethe bachmann