Ledreborg is a palatial mansion near Lejre, to the southwest of Roskilde on the Danish island of Zealand. Today's

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

building was completed in 1746 by Minister of State Johan Ludvig Holstein (1694–1763) who commissioned

J.C. 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 g ...

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 The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main cathedral of ...

. At the time, the estate was called Udlejre and consisted of four or five farms. After the Reformation, in 1545 Lejre became a fief 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 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 Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754) was a Denmark, Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. H ...

developed the interior, including the

Rokoko Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

banqueting hall, while Lauritz de Thurah 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 obelisks 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 has held popular concerts of film music and musicals in Ledreborg Park which enjoys exceptionally good acoustics.

List of owners

* (1536-1559)

Christian 3. 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'' (Χρι ...

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