Valdemar's Castle (Danish: Valdemars Slot) is a manor house situated on the island of

Tåsinge Tåsinge () is a Danish island immediately south of Funen, opposite and facing Svendborg, divided from Funen by Svendborgsund.See detailed Denmark roadmap in References section. The island covers an area of circa . It is part of the South Funen ...

near

Svendborg Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,616 (1 January 2025), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

History

Valdemar's Castle was commissioned by

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 and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

(1588–1648) and built between 1639 and 1644 under the plans designed by architect Hans van Steenwinckel d.y. (1587–1639). It was not a fortification, but rather a large

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 ...

. King Christian was well known for his interest in building. Tåsinge, the island where Christian planned to have Valdermar's Slot built, belonged to his mother in law

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 Ch ...

. He intended the new mansion should become the home of his son Valdemar Christian (1622–1656) whose mother was Kirstine Munk. Valdemar Christian never occupied the manor but was killed during a battle in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in 1656. In 1678, the naval hero, Admiral

Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish naval officer. He served as supreme commander of the Dano-Norwegian Navy during the late 17th century and oversaw development of the Danish-Norwegian Navy. Background Niels Juel was born ...

(1629–1697) was given title to the castle and the land on

after his victory over

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in the

Battle of Køge The Battle of Køge was fought on 29 August 1807 between British troops besieging Copenhagen and Danish militia raised on Sjælland as part of the Gunboat War. It ended in British victory and is also known as 'Træskoslaget' or 'the Clogs Batt ...

. The estate was transferred to him as payment for the Swedish ships captured in the battle.

Previous ownership

The previous owner, Baron Niels Krabbe Iuel-Brockdorff, who is 10th generation of the Juel family, took over his childhood home from his father in 1971 and lived in the castle with his wife and family until his death on January 20, 2017. Valdemar's Slot has been open to the public since 1974. The mansion is open from May to October and on public holidays. It features a large chapel, a toy museum, the Iuel-Brockdorff family's big game trophy collection and a local maritime museum. As it stands close by the shore, many visitors make the trip from Svendborg using the veteran ferry Helge.

Gallery

Image:Svendborg valdermars slot.jpg, Gate Image:Svendborg valdermars slot 2.jpg, Tea pavilion Image:Valdermars slot garden.jpg, Garden behind church Image:Valdemars Slot.jpg, Drawing from 1872

Panoramas

References

External links

Valdemars Slot Official homepage
{{Castles in Denmark Palaces in Denmark Castles in Denmark Castles in the Region of Southern Denmark Museums in the Region of Southern Denmark Historic house museums in Denmark Hunting museums Maritime museums in Denmark Buildings and structures of the Brockdorff family Tourist attractions in Svendborg Municipality