Holckenhavn Castle is a

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 ...

located next to Holckenhavn Fjord, an arm of the

Great Belt The Great Belt ( da, Storebælt, ) is a strait between the major islands of Zealand (''Sjælland'') and Funen (''Fyn'') in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish Straits. Effectively dividing Denmark in two, the Belt was served by the Great Be ...

, just south of

Nyborg Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 17,525 (2022). It is the easternmost settlement on Funen. By road, it is located 34 km east of Odense, 35 km north of ...

on the east coast of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...

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 current

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

castle was built in the late 16th and early 17th century by three consecutive owners. Previously known both as Ulfeldtsholm and Ellensborg, it received its current name in 1672 when it was acquired by Eiler Holck, who at the same time founded the Barony of Holckenhavn. The estate has been in the possession of his family ever since.

History

Early history

Originally known as Kogsbølle, the estate traces its history back to the late 14th century when it was owned by Anders Jacobsen Ulfeldt. The house remained in the possession of the Ulfeldt family for more than 200 years. The original house was located further inland but shortly after 1580 it was moved to its current position next to a small arm of the

and its name was changed to Ulfeldtsholm.

Ellensborg, 1616–1672

In 1616, Chancellor of the Realm Jakob Ulfeldt sold the family estate to

Ellen Marsvin Ellen Marsvin (1 February 1572 – 11 November 1649) was a Danish noble, landowner and county administrator. She was the mother-in-law of King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway, the mother of Kirsten Munk (1598–1658) and grandmother of Leonora Chr ...

after Ulfeldt acquired

Egeskov Castle Egeskov Castle ( da, 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. The castle structure was er ...

. Marsvin had been widowed for the second time a few years earlier at the age of 39, turned to farming and became one of the largest land owners of her time. She expanded the castle with two more wings and carried out extravagant interior alterations. Ellen Marsvin was the mother of

Kirsten Munk Kirsten Munk (sometimes "Christina Munk"; 6 July 1598 19 April 1658) was a Danish noble, the second spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark, and mother to twelve of his children. Early life and morganatic marriage Kirsten Munk was the daughter o ...

who was married to King

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

until she fell into disfavour due to her infidelity and left the king. When Kirsten Munk died in 1658 the castle was passed on to their daughter Leonora Christina, whose husband, former

Steward of the Realm Steward of the Realm ( Danish: Rigshofmester) was an office at the Royal Danish Court. With the coronation of Eric VII of Denmark it became an important office, taking over the role of the Seneschal (Danish: Drost) as the de facto prime minister of ...

Corfitz Ulfeldt Count Corfits Ulfeldt (10 July 1606 – 20 February 1664) was a Denmark, Danish politician, statesman, and one of the most notorious traitors in Danish history. Early life Ulfeldt was the son of the chancellor Jacob Ulfeldt (1567–1630), ...

had joined forces with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in its invasion of Denmark. For this act of treason the couple was imprisoned at

Hammershus Hammershus is a medieval era fortification at Hammeren on the northern tip of the Danish island of Bornholm. The fortress was partially demolished around 1750 and is now a ruin. It was partially restored around 1900. History Hammershus was Scan ...

fortress on the island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

. After their release in 1661, they took up residence at Ellensborg until they left the country in 1662 and the estate was confiscated.

Holck era

After its confiscation, Ellensborg was left empty for almost a decade but in 1672 it was granted to Eiler Holck, the commandant at

Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and was inscribed on the UNES ...

. He renamed it Holckenhavn and founded the Barony of Holckenhavn (dissolved in 1921). Holckenhavn is still in the possession of the Holck family.

Architecture

Situated on an almost quadratic castle bank, Holckenhavn is a four-winged complex designed in the

style and built over the course of three generations. The north and east wings, as well as the gate wing, were completed by 1585. The large bell tower was added somewhat later. The master builder was probably Domenicus Badiaz. Ellen Marsvin added the west wing in 1631 and a low south-facing gate wing in 1634. She is also responsible for a chapel installed in 1637 richly decorated with wood carvings by Hans Dreier, and a richly decorated knights' hall. The main building was altered in the 18th and 19th century and thoroughly refurbished from 1904 to 1910. The site also includes a barn from 1629 which is the only surviving component of a farm which burned down in 1912.

Holckenhavn Castle today

The main building is rented out as a venue for conferences, private celebrations and other events. The estate covers approximately 900 hectares of which about 380 hectares are forest and about 400 hectares are agricultural land which is leased out. A number of smaller houses and other buildings also belong to the estate and are rented out. The 12-hectare park is open to the public.

Owners

*(1380–1410) Anders Jacobsen Ulfeldt *(1410–1420) Mette Rixdorf née Ulfeldt *(1420–1445) Erik Andersen Ulfeldt *(1445–1490) Anders Eriksen Ulfeldt *(1490–1495) Mette Sverin née Ulfeldt *(1495–1515) Ebbe Andersen Ulfeldt *(1515–1540) Knud Ebbesen Ulfeldt *(1540–1566) Corfitz Knudsen Ulfeldt *(1566–1593) Jacob Corfitzen Ulfeldt *(1593–1616) Jacob Jacobsen Ulfeldt *(1616–1649)

(married name Munk) *(1649–1658) Kirsten Ludvigsdater Munk *(1658) Leonora Christine née Ulfeldt *(1658–1662)

*(1662–1672) The Crown *(1672–1696) Eiler Holck *(1696–1708) Frederik Christian Holck *(1708–1740) Eiler Holck *(1740–1760) Christian Frederik Holck *(1760–1777) Erik Holck *(1777–1781) Iver Holck *(1781–1801) Mogens Frederik Anton Iver Holck *(1801–1830) Frederik Conrad Holck *(1830–1877) Conrad Frederik Erik Holck *(1877–1919) Christian Eiler Holck *(1919–1961) Mogens Conrad Christian Holck *(1961–1972) Mogens Preben Christian-Eiler Howden-Rønnenkamp Holck *(1972–1990) Mogens Eiler Christian Iver Howden-Rønnenkamp Holck *(1990–2007) Christina Howden-Rønnenkamp Holck née Hou Andersen *(2007–present) Christina Hou Holck / Dennis Hou Holck

References

External links

Official website
(in Danish) {{Nyborg Municipality Manor houses in Denmark Castles in Denmark Renaissance architecture in Denmark Castles in the Region of Southern Denmark Listed buildings and structures in Nyborg Municipality