Spøttrup Castle ( da, Spøttrup Borg) is a well-preserved medieval defensive castle located northwest of Skive in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

, Denmark.

History

The estate was transferred to the

Diocese of Viborg The Diocese of Viborg is a diocese within the Church of Denmark, covering the western part of central Jutland. Viborg Cathedral in the city of Viborg serves as the seat of the diocese's bishop. The diocese has the highest ratio of church member ...

in 1404. It became the property of the Crown in 1536 and was sold to Henrik Below (1540–1606), a nobleman with the Danish court. The oldest section of the building is the south wing, which was constructed c. 1521. The east and north wings followed between 1525 and 1530. The western end of the north wing was destroyed by an incoming tidal wave in 1534. The large arched windows were walled up, leaving only narrow sighting slits. The oldest part of the building is the cellar with

cross vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: L ...

s supported by pillars. The ramparts and the double moat served to defend the castle from cannon fire. Spøttrup Borg Indgang - Spøttrup Burgeingang

Spøttrup Borg Indgang - Spøttrup Burgeingang

After Below acquired the castle, he fitted it out as a stately family home with towers and a ballroom. With 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 ...

, the castle lost its importance as a fort and was uninhabited for an extended period. In 1702, Axel Rosenkrantz acquired the dilapidated property and proceeded to renovate it. On his death in 1724, his son Mogens Rosenkrantz took it over. In 1784, Peder Nissen, a rich farmer from

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,257 (2022). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe covering southwestern Jutland. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It ...

bought the castle, leaving it to his 17-year-old son Nis Nissen when he died four years later. After Nis's death in 1849, the property came into the hands of successive owners, none of whom were able to carry out necessary repairs. Finally, after a fire in 1937, the state decided to acquire the castle and the estate. Restoration work was completed in 1941, leading to the opening of the building as a museum on 15 June 1941.

Open to visitors

The castle museum is open to visitors from mid-April to the end of October.

References

External links

Spøttrup Middelalderborg website
in Danish {{DEFAULTSORT:Spottrup Castle Infrastructure completed in 1530 Listed buildings and structures in Skive Municipality Castles in the Central Denmark Region Listed castles and manor houses in Denmark Tourist attractions in the Central Denmark Region Historic house museums in Denmark