Tersløsegaard is a manor house located close to Dianalund,
Sorø Municipality
Sorø Municipality is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 29,331 (2015). The main town and the site ...
some 60 kilometres southwest of
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 ...
,
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
...
. It was owned by
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...
from 1745 to 1756. He left it to
Sorø Academy
Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...
and it has now been converted into a self-owning foundation and contains a Holberg exhibition. The main building was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places by the
Danish Heritage Agency
The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces ( da, Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) is an agency under the aegis of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The agency carries out the cultural policies of the Danish government within the visual and performing arts, ...
on in 1918.
History
Early history
Tersløsegaard traces its history back to the 13th century. The first known owner was Anders Knudsen Grosøn. He was married to
Esbern Snare
Esbern Snare, also known as Esbern the Resolute, (1127–1204) was a '' høvding'', or chieftain, royal chancellor and crusader. His family were members of the powerful Hvide clan. In 1192, during the Crusades and after the fall of Jerusalem, he ...
's daughter. It was acquired by Jens Grubbe in 1305 and was then owned by his descendants for more than a hundred years. The last member of the Grubbe family to own Tersløsegaard was Niels Grubbe. He had no sons and the estate was therefore passed on to his son-in-law Anders Jensen Passow. Members of the Passow family owned Tersløsegaard with few interruptions until the beginning of the 16th century when it came into the possession of the Bishopric of Roskilde. It was after the Reformation confiscated by the Crown and then granted to
Mads Eriksen Bølle
Mads Eriksen Bølle (died 1539) was a Danish privy councillor, landowner and fiefholder. He was during the Count's Feud in opposition to Christian III and the introduction of Protestantism but was after the Reformation nonetheless allowed to kee ...
who had assisted
Christian II
Christian II (1 July 1481 – 25 January 1559) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union who reigned as King of Denmark and Norway, from 1513 until 1523, and Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was concurrently Duke ...
in the defence of
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 ...
. Both he and his daughter are buried in Terskøse Church. Tersløsegaard remained in the Bølle family until 1604. The next owner was Steen Brahe, a brother of the astronomer
Tyge Brahe
Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was k ...
. He was a member of the Privy Council for 32 years and held
Kalundborg Castle
Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...
purchased Tersløsegaard with churches and tenant farms in 1745. He had already previously acquired Brobygaard at
Slagelse
Slagelse () is a town on Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Kalundborg and 14 km ...
. He was involved in the efforts to reopen
Sorø Academy
Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...
. Being both unmarried childless, he agreed to leave his estates, library and most of his fortune to the academy. The agreement with the king included that Holberg earned the title of
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
of Holberg. This meant that he would be free of taxes from any income from his estatestime. The new Sorø Academy was inaugurated on 26 July 1949.
He spent his summers on the estate and commented: "I enjoy watching the crops grow and being harvested and to watch the cows walk in procession to their gathering places in the morning and evening". He lost almost all his cattle in a single week when cattle disease hit Denmark in the middle of the century. Many landowners immediately purchased new cattle and lost then again in the next outbreak but Holberg replaced them with sheep and horses.
Holberg died in 1756. Holberg's casket, a work of
Johannes Wiedewelt
Johannes Wiedewelt (1 July 1731 – 17 December 1802), Danish neoclassical sculptor. He became a court sculptor, introducing neoclassical ideals to Denmark in the form of palace decorations, garden sculptures and artifacts and, especially, mem ...
, can be seen in Sorø Monastery Church. His will determined that a few of the rooms should be made available to a "good widow". In 1816, Sorø Academy sold most of the land off in lots. Most of the parcels were acquired by the owner of nearby Kammersgave.
Later history
The main building fell into despair and was in 1861 sold in auction. The buyer was G. F. R. Grüner, a former student at the academy. He was joined by three other former students in his effort to preserve the estate and the widow's residence. They was granted royal approval of "Four former Soranian Alumni's Preservation of Holberg's Widow Seat at Terskøsegaard" in 1862. The estate was managed by a board consisting of the count of
Frijsenborg
Frijsenborg is a manor house and estate near Hammel, northwest of Aarhus in Jutland, Denmark. The first manor on the site known as Jernit was built by Valdemar Parberg in 1583. After the statesman Mogens Friis acquired the property in 1672, the m ...
, the barons of Lehn and
Juellinge
Juellinge, prior to 1672 known as Valbygaard, is a manor house located on the Stevns Peninsula, Stevns Municipality, some 50 kilometres south of Copenhagen, Denmark. The Baroque-style main building and two buildings from the beginning of the 19th ...
and the owner of Tersløse. After G. F. R. Grüner's death in 1890 Tersløsegaard once again fell into neglect and the remaining land was sold off.
The Soranian Society of former students at Sorø Academy established a fubnd-raising committee. It acquired Terskøsegaard in 1905 and completed a comprehensive refurbishment of the building in 1916. It was subsequently turned into a self-owning institution.
Architecture
Tersløsegaard is a three-winged complex with a half hipped red tile roof. It is built with timber framing but has been rendered white. The oldest part of the building is from 1832. It was lengthened and expanded with the two side wings in the second half of the century. The cellar is from the Middle Ages. It was thoroughly restored by
Martin Nyrop
Martin Nyrop (11 November 1849 18 May 1921) was a Danish architect.
Early life and education
Nyrop was born on 11 November 1849 at Holmsland, Ringkøbing, the son of parish priest Christopher Nyrop (1805–1879) and Helene Ahlmann (1807–1874). ...
iafter the committee had acquired the building in 1905. The building was also refurbished in 1930 and 2012.
The building was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places by the
Danish Heritage Agency
The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces ( da, Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) is an agency under the aegis of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The agency carries out the cultural policies of the Danish government within the visual and performing arts, ...
on 23 December1982.
Garden
The garden was redesigned by
Carl Theodor Sørensen
Søren Carl Theodor Marius Sørensen (24 July 1893 in Altona, Hamburg, Germany – 12 September 1979 in Copenhagen, Denmark) was a Danish landscape architect who is considered to be one of the greatest landscape architects of the 20th century. ...
Mads Eriksen Bølle
Mads Eriksen Bølle (died 1539) was a Danish privy councillor, landowner and fiefholder. He was during the Count's Feud in opposition to Christian III and the introduction of Protestantism but was after the Reformation nonetheless allowed to kee ...
Otte Steensen Brahe
Otte Steensen Brahe (12 April 1578 – 5 July 1651), also known as Otto Brahe, was a Danish landowner and money lender. He owned Næsbyholm, Bavelse and Tersløsegaard on Zealand.
Early life and education
Otto Brahe was born on 12 April 1578 at ...
* (1651-1668) Henrik Ottesen Lindenov
* (1668-1683)
Henrik Bjelke
Henrik Bjelke (13 January 1615 – 16 March 1683) was a Norwegian military officer who served as Admiral of the Realm of Denmark-Norway from 1662 to 1679. He was in command of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy from 1657 to 1679.
Early life and ...
* (1683-1720)
Poul Klingenberg
Poul is a Danish masculine given name. It is the Danish cognate of the name Paul. Poul may refer to:
People
* Poul Andersen (1922–2006), Danish printer
*Poul Anderson (1926–2001), American writer
*Poul Erik Andreasen (born 1949), Danish foot ...
* (1720-1737) Alexander Thielemann Heespen
* (1737-1743) Frederikke Klingenberg, gift Heespen
* (1743-1745) Johannes Christensen
* (1745-1754)
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian dual monarchy. He was influenced by Humanism, ...
* (1754-1861)
Sorø Academy
Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...
* (1861-1890) J. G. R. Grüner
* (1890-1905) G. F.R. Grüner
* (1905-1917) Tersløsekomite (Soransk Samfund)
* (1917–present) Den Holbergske Stiftelse Tersløsegaar* d
Brorupgaard
Brorupgaard is a manor house and estate situated close to Slagelse in Denmark. It was owned by Ludvig Holberg from 1740 until 1754. The current main building was constructed by August Willads Bech in 1856 and the estate has remained in the hands ...