Ledreborg is a palatial mansion near

Lejre Lejre is a railway town, with a population of 3,127 (1 January 2022),Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

on the Danish island of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

. Today's Baroque building was completed in 1746 by Minister of State

Johan Ludvig Holstein Johan Ludvig Holstein, Lensgreve til Ledreborg (7 September 1694 – 29 January 1763) was a Danish Minister of state from 1735 to 1751. The Danish colony Holsteinsborg on Greenland (now Sisimiut), was named after him. He was the ancestor of the ...

(1694–1763) who commissioned J.C. Krieger to carry out the work.

History and architecture

The first reference to Lejreborg is fairly recent, dating to 1523 when Otto Tinhuus owned the property under the Diocese of Copenhagen. At the time, the estate was called Udlejre and consisted of four or five farms. After the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, in 1545 Lejre became a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

in its own right under the jurisdiction of Copenhagen. In 1663, the statesman Henrik Müller purchased eight farms and five houses in Lejre including Udlejre. He presented the property to his daughter Drude and her husband, statesman Thomas Finke, who built a house called Lejregård. In 1661, Udlejregård was bought by the statesman Henrik Müller who built the first Lejregård manor house. in 1739, Johan Ludvig Holstein bought the property and developed the modest building into one of the country's finest mansions. He commissioned

Johan Cornelius Krieger Johan Cornelius Krieger (1683–1755) was a Danish architect and landscape architect, who from the 1720s served as both the country's chief architect, and head of the royal gardens. Krieger oversaw the construction of Fredensborg Palace and its ...

to extend the building to the east and west. Krieger also added a chapel and a monumental staircase designed by Jacob Fortling. In 1745, Niels Eigtved developed the interior, including the Rokoko banqueting hall, while

Lauritz de Thurah Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah (4 March 1706 – 5 September 1759), was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period. As an architectural writer ...

decorated the inner courtyard with two pavilions and obelisk-shaped lampposts. A gatehouse was also added.

Gardens

Also designed by Krieger from 1742 until the mid-1750s, the terraced Baroque park extends from the mansion down the steep slopes of the Kornerup Valley. In the wooded area to the east, the Dyrehaven was laid out in 1757–1762 with paths leading past sculptures and

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

s in line with the trends of the time. The terraced garden was completely renovated in 2004–2006 with a waterfall and fountain designed by Erik Heide who also included sculptures of Adam and Eve.

Ledreborg today

The mansion can now be rented for meetings or conferences which can be accommodated in the banqueting hall or in the spacious reworked barn. Every August since 1994, the

Danish National Chamber Orchestra The Danish Chamber Orchestra ( da, Danmarks Underholdningsorkester) is a chamber orchestra in Denmark. It was the Danish National Chamber Orchestra from 1939 to 2014, when it was under the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). Since 2015, it has bee ...

has held popular concerts of film music and musicals in Ledreborg Park which enjoys exceptionally good acoustics.

List of owners

* (1536-1559) Christian 3. * (1559-1588) Frederik 2. * (1588-1625) Christian 4. * (1625-1661) Lauritz Jensen * (1661-1663) Henrik Müller * (1663-1677) Thomas Fincke * (1677-1704) Drude Henriksdatter Müller gift Fincke * (1704-1705) Henrik Thomsen Fincke * (1705-1711) Karen Gyldensparre gift Fincke * (1711-1712) Slægten Fincke * (1712-1733) Mette Reedtz gift Lindenov * (1733-1739) Hans Henrik Mandix * (1739-1763)

Johan Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg Johan Ludvig Holstein, Lensgreve til Ledreborg (7 September 1694 – 29 January 1763) was a Danish Minister of state from 1735 to 1751. The Danish colony Holsteinsborg on Greenland (now Sisimiut), was named after him. He was the ancestor of the ...

* (1763-1799) Christian Frederik Holstein * (1799-1853)

Christian Edzard Holstein-Ledreborg Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

* (1853-1895) Christian Edzard Moritz lensgreve Holstein-Ledreborg * (1895-1912) Johan Ludvig Carl Christian Tido Holstein-Ledreborg * (1912-1951) Josef Ignatius Maria lensgreve Holstein-Ledreborg * (1951-1990) Knud Johan Ludvig lensgreve Holstein-Ledreborg * (1990-) Silvia Knudsdatter komtesse Holstein-Ledreborg gift Munro / John Munro

References

Literature

* *

External links

Ledreborg Slot website

Source
{{Authority control Houses completed in 1746 Listed buildings and structures in Lejre Municipality Manor houses in Lejre Municipality Castles in Region Zealand Listed castles and manor houses in Denmark Baroque architecture in Denmark Tourist attractions in Region Zealand