Svanholm is a country estate and former manor west 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 a ...

, Denmark. In 1978 an association of over 100 persons bought the estate to create Denmark's largest

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious ...

. The Svanholm

collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...

grows its own food and was one of the pioneers of

organic farming Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...

in Denmark. As of January 2006, membership consisted of 70 adults and 35 children aged 0 to 80, jointly owning around of farmland, park, and woodlands. The name comes from ''svan'' meaning "

swan Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Som ...

" and ''holm'' meaning "islet"; ie. Svanholm means "Swan-isle".

Geography

The Svanholm estate is place within the north regions of the village of

Skibby Skibby is a town , with a population of 3,120 (1 January 2022),Roskilde Fjord Roskilde Fjord is the fjord north of Roskilde, Denmark. It is a long branch of the Isefjord. Cities The cities Frederiksværk, Frederikssund, Jægerspris, Jyllinge and Roskilde (including Himmelev), (home to the famous Roskilde Festival), all ...

and Ise Fjord on the north coast 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 ...

. It consists of a main building (the former

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 ...

) plus 12 other dwellings and utility buildings nearby or elsewhere on the grounds.

History

The earliest mention of Svanholm in historical documents is in 1346. Its owner at the time was the

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

Niels Knudsen Manderup. The building was completely renovated and extended in 1744.

Open to visitors

The community offers guided tours throughout the year on Sundays from 11 a.m. or upon request

References

External links

*
The Svanholm Collective's website in English

Intentional Communities directory entry
{{Denmark castles and manor houses Houses in Frederikssund Municipality Utopian communities Rural community development Ecovillages Houses completed in 1744 Listed castles and manor houses in Denmark Listed buildings and structures in Frederikssund Municipality 1744 establishments in Denmark

Geography

History

Open to visitors

See also

References

External links