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 usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
located near
Holbæk
Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Danish island of
Zealand
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
. It traces its history to before 1288.
History
Knabstrup is one of the oldest manor houses in Denmark. It is first mentioned in 1288 when it was confiscated from Niels Henriksen, a member of the Hvide dynasty, for his participation in the murder of Eric V in 1286.
Nothing is known about the earliest building but in 1460 Iver Axelsen Thott, who then owned the property, began constructing a complex similar to Lilø Manor in
Scania
Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
which he also owned.
The estate was acquired by Frederik Nielsen Parsberg after a fire had destroyed the main building in 1620 and he decided to rebuild it approximately 700 m from the location of the old site.
In 1776, the estate was sold on
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...
and acquired by Christian Ditlev Lunn, a theologian who had turned to farming. After his death in 1812, the property was taken over by his son, Willars Knudsen Lunn, but slowly fell into a state of disrepair. It was finally decided to build a new main building, a project which was carried out by his son, Carl Frederik August, who had taken over management of the estate in 1846.
The project also included a brickyard and an oven was constructed from 1856 to 1859.
The new main building was designed by
Vilhelm Dahlerup
Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup (4 August 1836 – 24 January 1907) was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings ...
, then a young, unknown architect but later a prominent figure in Danish architecture. Construction took place from 1861 to 1862.
Buildings
Knabstrup is a three-winged building in
Historicist
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...
style. The east wing of the old building was incorporated in the new house but redesigned to fit the two other wings. Building materials were re-used as far as possible, and the main wing has
Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
doors in from the old manor house. The widow seat ''Dorotheaslyst'' was built from 1799 to 1802 by Philip Lange, the son of
Philip de Lange
Philip de Lange (c. 1705 – 17 September 1766) was a leading Dutch-Danish architect who designed many different types of building in various styles including Dutch Baroque and Rococo.
Early life and family
Philip de Lange was probably born ...