Maltesholm Castle ( sv, Maltesholms slott) is 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 held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

located at Sönnarslöv in

Kristianstad Municipality Kristianstad Municipality (''Kristianstads kommun'') is a municipality in Scania County in southernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Kristianstad. The present municipality was created in three steps during the last nationwide local go ...

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne ...

, Sweden.

History

The history of the estate goes back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and it was owned by the Brahe family during the Danish rule of Scania. The castle was originally constructed between 1635 and 1638 by the high constable of

Kristianstad Kristianstad (, ; older spelling from Danish ''Christianstad'') is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 40,145 inhabitants in 2016. During the last 15 years, it has gone from a garrison town to a devel ...

, Malte Juel, (ca 1460–1507). Typical for its time, the castle was a Renaissance manor built in brick with three floors, a staircase tower with an elaborate spire, two

crow-stepped gable A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in ...

s and surrounded by a large moat. During the life of Malte Ramel (1684–1752) the domains were greatly expanded. Malte Ramel was one of the richest men in Scania of the time, holding tile to the estates at Löberöd, Västerstad, Hviderup and Sireköpinge as well as Maltesholm. His son Hans Ramel (1724-1799) began reconstructing the castle according to the style of the late 18th century. It was completed in 1780 in the style of Swedish classical palace; the only remains of the Renaissance castle are the moat and the year "1680" marked on the facade. Hans Ramel also constructed a long stone road leading up to the Mansion through the undulating landscape. The road had to be even and it took almost 50 years to complete. In 1800 the castle passed to Axel Gabriel De la Gardie (1772-1838), governor of Kristianstad County, who was married to Christina Gustava Ramel (1783-1819) and remained in the

De la Gardie The De la Gardie family (also de la Gardie) is the name of a distinguished Swedish noble family of French origin. History The family's social status in France is uncertain; the founder, Ponce d'Escouperie, son of a tradesman, came to Sweden as a m ...

family ownership for over 100 years. In 1933, the estate passed by inheritance to the baronial family Palmstierna. The estate has been passed down for generations and is now the private residence of the Baron Palmstierna.

Gardens

In the renaissance garden stands a douglas fir which measures tall and is over 200 years old. There is also a

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...

by the classical Swedish architect

Carl Hårleman Baron Carl Hårleman (27 August 1700 – 9 February 1753) was a Swedish architect. Biography Hårleman was born in Stockholm, son of the garden architect and head of the royal parks and gardens Johan Hårleman, who had been ennobled in 1698. ...

(1700–1753). The beautiful garden is open to the public.

Östra Sönnarslöv Church

A few kilometers southeast of the estate is Östra Sönnarslöv Church (''Östra Sönnarslövs kyrka'') of Degeberga-Everöd parish in the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chu ...

. The oldest parts of the church date from the 12th century. It is decorated with frescoes commonly attributed to Nils Håkansson (''Vittskövlemästaren'') and were made during the latter part of the 15th century, probably in the 1460s. Ramel crypt contains three stone

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

with the ashes of Malte Ramel and both his wives.

References

Other sources

Maltesholms slott
Castles in Skåne County Gardens in Sweden {{Sweden-castle-stub