Egeskov Castle
Egeskov Castle | |
---|---|
Egeskov Slot | |
General information | |
Type | Water castle |
Country | Denmark |
Completed | 1554 |
Egeskov Castle (Danish: Egeskov Slot) is located near Kværndrup, in the south of the island of Funen, Denmark. The castle is Europe's best preserved Renaissance water castle.
History
Egeskov was first mentioned in 1405.[1] The castle structure was erected by Frands Brockenhuus in 1554.[2][3]
Due to the troubles caused by the civil war known as the
The estate has belonged to the Bille-Brahe family since 1784, when they acquired it from descendants of the Brockenhuus family. In 1882 it was inherited by the counts Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, who still own it.
Castle architecture
Outside, the castle is a Late Gothic building. Inside the original elements already show Renaissance design.
The castle consists of two long buildings connected by a thick double wall, allowing defenders to abandon one house and continue fighting from the other.
The architecture includes depressed and round-arched windows, round-arched blank arcading within the
Castle contents
Contents of the castle include a massive iron chest from at least as early as the 16th century, which derived from Hvedholm Castle, a property earlier owned by the Egeskov estate about twenty kilometers to the west.
Numerous oil paintings are found within the castle including a large painting in the great hall on the first floor of Niels Juel, who defeated the Swedish force in the Battle of Køge Bay in the year 1677.
Gardens and lands
Other buildings belonging to Egeskov include Ladegården, a
The land surrounding the castle also includes a number of playgrounds and children's play structures.
The estate includes an additional eight square kilometres; 2.5 square kilometres (0.97 sq mi) is forest, with the rest being farmland. In 1986, a full-sized replica of the castle was built in
. This was constructed with the permission of the Egeskov's owners at the time, Count Claus and Countess Louisa Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille.Museums
Egeskov is home to the following museums.
- A vintage automobile collection
- A vintage motorcycle collection
- A collection describing the history of agriculture
- A collection of flying vehicles
- A collection of Falckand other emergency vehicles
Most of the castle is open to the public, except for the areas used by Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille. The museum of agriculture and the horse wagon collection is located in the building Ladegård mentioned previously.
Three large modern buildings are occupied by the vintage
.List of owners
From | To | Owner |
---|---|---|
c. 1405 | Lydike and Jørgen Skinkel | |
c. 1470 | Johan Sinkel | |
1516 | Otto and Poul Skinkel | |
1518 | 1533 | Laurids Skinkel |
1533 | 1536 | Hilleborg Pedersdatter Bille and her daughters Anne, Hilleborg and Rigborg |
1536 | 1545 | Anne, Hilleborg and Rigborg |
1545 | 1569 | Frands Brockenhuus |
1569 | 1604 | Laurids Brockenhuus |
1604 | 1615 | Laurids Brockenhuus's heirs |
1615 | 1615 | Hans Pogwish |
1616 | 1630 | Jacob Ulfeldt |
1630 | 1640 | The children of Jacob Ulfeldt |
1640 | 1648 | Laurids Ulfeldt |
1648 | 1656 | Oluf Parsberg |
1656 | 1666 | Otto Krag |
1666 | 1688 | Anna Rosenkrantz |
1688 | 1713 | Niels Krag the Elder |
1713 | 1722 | The widow of Niels Krag |
1722 | 1740 | Niels Krag the Younger |
1740 | 1784 | Sofie Juel |
1784 | 1789 | Henrik Bille-Brahe |
1789 | 1810 | Car. Agnese Raben |
1810 | 1857 | Preben Bille-Brahe |
1857 | 1871 | Fr. Siegfried Bille-Brahe |
1871 | 1882 | Frantz Preben Bille-Brahe |
1882 | 1912 | Jul. Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille |
1912 | 1919 | C. Jessy Bille-Brahe |
1919 | 1946 | Fr. Pr. Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille |
1946 | 1985 | Gregers and Nonni Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille |
1985 | 1994 | Claus and Louisa Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille |
1994 — | Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille |
Gallery
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Exterior view
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Exterior view
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Exterior view
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Exterior view
See also
References
- ^ "Egeskov". Den Store Danske (in Danish). Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Egeskovs historie" (in Danish). Egeskov. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Funen." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 30 July 2006
- ^ Verner Rasmussen, Egeskov, prepared for the Egeskov Estate, 2003 reprinting
- ^ C.M. Hogan, Design of Egeskov Castle, Lumina Technologies, Santa Rosa. July 22, 2005
- ^ "Castle". Egeskov. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "All Gardens". Egeskov. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
Literature
- Lassen, Erik; Espen-Hansen, Inge (1982) [1963]. Egeskov: The History of the Estate : the Architecture of the Building : Egeskov Park and Gardens. Egeskov.
External links
- Official homepage of Egeskov Castle
- The glass building that serves as the entrance area of Egeskov Castle was constructed by Drivadan.