Fuglsang is a 19th-century

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

now operated by

Det Classenske Fideicommis Det Classenske Fideicommis (literally "The Classen Fideicommiss") is a Danish charitable foundation. By testament in 1789 and his codicil of March 23, 1792, the industrialist Major General Johan Frederik Classen left behind his wealth and possessi ...

as a cultural centre as an active agricultural estate at

Toreby Toreby is a village in Guldborgsund Municipality on the Danish island of Lolland. It is located west of Nykøbing Falster and east of Sakskøbing. It had a population of 611 as of 1 January 2022. The main road through the town is known as Toreb ...

on the island of

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...

, in southeastern

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The estate was owned by members of the de Neergaard family from 1819 to 1947. The main building serves as a venue for classical concerts and other cultural activities. The cultural centre also includes

Fuglsang Art Museum Fuglsang Art Museum ( da, Fuglsang Kunstmuseum) is an art museum set in rural surroundings in Guldborgsund Municipality on the island of Lolland in Denmark. It is part of the Fuglsang Cultural Centre. The museum features Danish art with an empha ...

, located in a purpose-built building designed by British architect

Tony Fretton Tony Fretton (born 17 January 1945) is a British architect known for his residential and public gallery buildings, as well as other British and international design work. He graduated from the Architectural Association (AA) and worked for vario ...

History

Early history

The history of the estate can be tracked back to 1368. The original fortified castle was located a few hundred metres further north, where remains can still be seen. The location at the edge of marshland where Flintinge Stream mouths in the Guldborgsund Strait, close to the only

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

in the area, has made it of strategic importance in the area. In the 16th century, Fuglsang was moved to its current location on a larger islet, surrounded by broad

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

s. This building was demolished in 1849 and replaced by a Neoclassical main building. The park, still seen today, was also founded at this event. Rolf Viggo de Neergaard took over the property from his parents in 1866, but due to fungal attacks on the timber, the only 26-year-old building had to be demolished. The current building was built from 1868-69 to the design of his cousin architect J. G. Zinn who has also designed several buildings at the

Holmen Naval Base Naval Station Holmen ( da, Flådestation Holmen) is one of several naval stations of the Royal Danish Navy, supplementing the two Danish naval bases in Frederikshavn and Korsør. Founded in the late 17th century, it is also a visitor attracti ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Artist's retreat

Carl Nielsen family at Fuglsang, Lolland

In 1885, de Neergaard married his cousin

Bodil Neergaard Ellen Bodil Neergaard née Hartmann (10 February 1867 – 18 May 1959) was a Danish philanthropist and patron of the arts. She is remembered for her many philanthropic activities as well as for her life in Fuglsang Manor on the island of Lolland ...

, and together they opened the house to a large number of visiting artists and particularly musicians. Both the Norwegian composer

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

and the Danish composer

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he ...

were frequent visitors to the house and close friends of the couple. Upon her husband's death in 1915, Bodil Neergaard managed the large estate alone, and organized the social and church life of the household. In 1947, she bequested the estate to a trust, providing that her home and garden should be made a retreat upon her death. After her death in 1959, Refugiet Fuglsang was founded in 1962 and served as a retreat for artists and other people of note until it had to close in 1995. The following year a local musical society was founded, arranging 9 annual concerts. Since 1997, the Storstrøm Chamber Ensemble has been based at Fuglsang. In January 2008,

opened in a purpose-built building close to the Fuglsang main building.

Interior

The music room is very large and known for its exceptional acoustics. Next to it, the Agnethe Room (Danish: Agnethestuen), features a fresco representing a scene from the Danish folk tale Agnethe and the Merman. The painting was created by the painter Axel Viggo Wørmer. Wørmer has also created the

Pompeian Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

decorations in the Fuglsang's library. The library is the former billiard room. The billiard table is now located in the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

's summer residence

Marienborg Marienborg, a mid 18th-century country house perched on a small hilltop on the northern shore of Bagsværd Lake, Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, north of downtown Copenhagen, has served as the official residence of Denmark's prime minister since ...

Today

Today Fuglsang serves as a venue for concerts and other cultural activities. The Fuglsang/Priorskov Estate has 1,731

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s of land. It is managed as an active agricultural estate by a trust.

List of owners

* (1403) Laurids Nielsen Kabel * (1423-1440) Axel Andersen Mule * ( -1446) Mette Jensdatter Due * (1446-1457) Maribo Kloster * (1457-1477) Oluf Andersen Gøye * (1477- ) Cecilie Pedersdatter, gift 1) Gøye, 2) Venstermand * (1480-1492) Johan Venstermand * (1477-1507) Sophie Olufsdatter Gøye, gift Venstermand * (1494-1506) Henning Venstermand * (1509-1510) Erik Clausen Neb * ( - ) Birgitte Clausdatter Daa, gift Bølle * ( -1539)

Mads Eriksen Bølle Mads Eriksen Bølle (died 1539) was a Denmark, Danish privy councillor, landowner and fiefholder. He was during the Count's Feud in opposition to Christian III of Denmark, Christian III and the introduction of Protestantism but was after the Refo ...

* (1539- ) Dorte Madsdatter Bølle, gift Rud * ( -1554) Knud Jørgensen Rud * (1554-1577) Erik Knudsen Rud * (1577-1592) Peder Eriksen Rud * (1577-1611) Knud Eriksen Rud * (1577-1630) Corfitz Eriksen Rud * (1630) Helvig Corfitzdatter Rud, gift Krabbe * (1630-1645) Gregers Krabbe * (1645) Vibeke Gregersdatter Krabbe, gift Daa * (1645-1661) Christen Daa * (1661-1685) Queen Sophie Amalie * (1685-1726) The Crown * (1726-1726) Christian Carl Gabel * (1726-1757) Abraham Lehn * (1757-1759) Catharina Margaretha Wallmoden née Lehn * (1759-1793) Christopher Georg von Wallmoden * (1793-1819) Friedrich von Wallmoden * (1819-1835) Peter Johansen Neergaard * (1835-1849) Johan Ferdinand Petersen Neergaard * (1849-1866) Charlotte Louise Elisabeth Neergaard * (1866-1915) Viggo Johansen Neergaard * (1915-1947)

Ellen Bodil Neergaard Ellen Bodil Neergaard née Hartmann (10 February 1867 – 18 May 1959) was a Danish philanthropist and patron of the arts. She is remembered for her many philanthropic activities as well as for her life in Fuglsang Manor on the island of Lolland ...

, née Hartmann * (1947–present)

Image gallery

Image:Fuglsang Manor.jpg, Entrance Image:Fuglsang interior 01.jpg, Interior Image:Fuglsang interior 02.jpg, Interior

References

{{Coord, 54.7219, N, 11.7977, E, source:kolossus-dawiki, display=title Music venues in Denmark Historicist architecture in Denmark Houses completed in 1869 Listed buildings and structures in Guldborgsund Municipality Manor houses in Guldborgsund Municipality Buildings and structures associated with the Bølle family Buildings and structures associated with the Daa family Buildings and structures associated with the Neergaard family 1869 establishments in Denmark