Lekkende is a manor house and estate located 8 km south of

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,857 (1 January 2022) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of '' Maderne'', ''Storeholm'', and ''Lilleholm'' are part ...

Vordingborg Municipality Vordingborg () is a municipality ('' kommune'') in the Sjælland Region, which is on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in south Denmark. It was established in 2007. The municipality covers an area of 621 km2. It ha ...

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 from 1774 to 1993 owned by members of the Raben/Raben-Levetzau family, The main building is from 1838 but was heightened by one storey in 1880.

History

Church and crown land

In the Middle Ages, Lekkende belonged the Bishops of Roskilde. The estate comprised around 240 tenant farms in 1370. During the Reformation, in 1536, Lekkende and all other church land was confiscated by the Crown and alternately placed under the fiefs of Vordingborg and Saltø. Ejler Grubbe, Frederick II's manager on the estate, constructed a number of new buildings in 1585. In 1660, Frederick II granted al of

Vordingborg County Vordingborg () is an old ferry town in Vordingborg Municipality in Denmark with around 18,000 inhabitants. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

to his youngest son, Prince George, for life. After his death in 1708. Lekkende reverted to the Crown along with the rest of Vordingborg County. In the 1710s, Lekkende was included in the new Vordingborg Cavalry District.

Raben-Levetzau family

In 1774, Vordingborg Cavalry District was divided into 12 estates and sold in public auction. Lekkende was acquired by Frederik Raben. He left the estate to his youngest son, Josias Raben-Levetzau. He constructed a new main building. His widow, Siegfriede von Krogh, ceded the estate to their son

Frederik Raben-Levetzau Frederik Raben-Levetzau (1850–1933) was a Danish noble and politician who was the minister of foreign affairs between 1905 and 1908. He was a landowner and had estates in Lolland and South Zealand. Biography Raben-Levetzau was born in Lek ...

in 1899. He was active in politics and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen from 1905 to 1908. In 1931,

ceded Lekkende to his son Johan Otto Raben-Levetzau.

Later history

Lennede was in 2005 acquired by Stig Husted-Andersen via the company Skrumle Landbrug ApS. Husted-Andersen died in 2008. In 2012-13, his three daughters unsuccessfully attempted to sell Lekkende for DKK 1900 million. One of the daughters, Dichte Husted-Andersen, has lived in the main building.

Architecture

The main building from 1838 consisted of two single-story wings which met in three-story "tower" overlooking the garden. The two low wings were heightened to two stories in 1880. The building is yellow with white cornices. The tower is topped by a domed roof surrounded by four

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

List of owners

* ( -1536) Roskilde bispestol * (1536-1670) Kronen * (1670-1708) Prins Jørgen * (1708-1774) Kronen * (1774-1820) Frederik Raben * (1820-1889) Josias Raben-Levetzau * (1889-1899) Siegfriede von Krogh gift Raben-Levetzau * (1899-1931)

* (1931-1992) Johan Otto Valdemar Raben-Levetzau * (1889-1933) Frederik Ivan Josias Raben-Levetzau * (1993-2005) Andreas Hastrup * (2005-2008) Stig Husted-Andersen * (2008- ) Estate of Stig Husted-Andersen

References

{{reflist Manor houses in Vordingborg Municipality Houses completed in 1838 Buildings and structures associated with the Raben family Prince George of Denmark