Eriksholm Castle is a

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 usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

located at the foot of the

Isefjord Ise Fjord () is a deeply branched arm of the sea into the Danish island Zealand. From its relatively narrow entrance from the Kattegat at Hundested and Rørvig, branches of Ise Fjord stretch 35 km inland and divide the northern part of Zea ...

inlet, 6 km south-east of

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. The history of the estate dates back to 1400 but today's house was built in 1788 to a Neoclassical design by

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff Caspar Frederik (Friedrich) Harsdorff (26 May 1735 – 24 May 1799), also known as C.F. Harsdorff, was a Danish neoclassical architect considered to have been the leading Danish architect in the late 18th century. Early life and training ...

, the leading Danish architect of the time. It was listed in the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1918.

History

Vinderup Manor

The estate traces its history back to 1400 when it was owned by Peder Jensen and known as Vinderup. It was crown land from 1536 to 1556 and again from 1573 to 1585. In 1556-1567, Vinderup belonged to Chancellor Johan Friis. On his death, it passed to his sister Karen Friis. She was married to Bjørn Andersen Bjørn. In 1573, Bjørn ceded it to the Crown in exchange for Vitskøl kloster (renamed Bjørnholm=.

Vasspyd, Pax and Juel, 1600–1752

In the year 1600 it was acquired by Erik Madsen Vasspyd who constructed a new main building and named it Eriksholm. In 1682, the estate was acquired by Admiral Niels Iuel in exchange for Sæbygaard. He owned it until his death in 1697 and after that it remained in the possession of his descendants until 1752,

Seidelin Family, 1752–1824

The new owner was Hans Diderik de Brinck-Seidelin, the owner of nearby Hagestedgaard and Holbæk Ladegård. He created a ''stamhus'' (family trust) from his estates and was raised to the peerage under the name Brinck-Seidelin in 1753. His son, who was also named Hans Diderik de Brinck-Seidelin and inherited Eriksholm in 1778, commissioned the architect

to design a new main building which was completed in 1788. Eriksholm Gods

Brinck-Seidelin was hit by the financially difficult times for the large landowners and Eriksholm was in 1824 sold in public auction to Prime Minister Frederik Julius Falkenskiold Kaas (1758–1827).

Later history

In 1878, Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (1817–1889) bought Eriksholm and immediately passed it on to his son, later Minister of Foreign Affairs William Ahlefeldt-Laurvig. The estate has been in the possession of the Ahlefeldt-Laurvig family ever since.

Architecture

Designed in the Neoclassical style, Eriksholm is built in white-washed brick and consists of three wings under a black-glazed tile roof. The semicircular buildings which connect the main wings to the lower and short lateral wings are typical of the contemporary English Palladianism. The window frames and portals are made of sandstone from

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

Eriksholm today

The estate covers 335 hectares of farmland and 331 hectares of forest (1995). The main building is rented out for weddings, meetings and other events.

List of owners

* ( – ) Peder Jensen * (1400– ) Forskellige ejere * ( –1556) The Crown * (1556– ) Johan Friis * ( –1573) Bjørn Andersen Bjørn * (1573–1583) Kronen * (1583–1600) Mads Eriksen Vasspyd * (1600–1615) Erik Madsen Vasspyd * (1615–1625) Karen Christoffersdatter Pax, gift Vasspyd * (1625–1650) Christoffer Mogensen Pax * (1650–1682) Holger Christoffersen Pax * (1682–1697)

Niels Juel Niels Juel (8 May 1629 – 8 April 1697) was a Danish naval officer. He served as supreme commander of the Dano-Norwegian Navy during the late 17th century and oversaw development of the Danish-Norwegian Navy. Background Niels Juel was born ...

* (1697–1702) Margrethe Ulfeldt, gift Juel * (1702–1731) Gregers Juel * (1731–1752) Peder Gregersen Juel * (1752–1778) Hans Diderik de Brinck-Seidelin * (1778–1824) Hans Diderik Hansen de Brinck-Seidelin * (1824–1825) Frederik Julius Falkenskiold Kaas * (1825–1849) Hans Caspar Jacobsen * (1849–1857) Christine Frederikke Petronelle Hansen, gift Jacobsen * (1857–1872) Christian Frederik von Holstein * (1872–1878) Engelbrethine Marie, gift von Holstein * (1878) Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig * (1878–1923) Carl William Ahlefeldt Laurvig * (1923–1936) Elisabeth Danneskiold-Samsøe, gift Ahlefeldt-Laurvig * (1936–1972) Kai Frederik Sophus Ahlefeldt-Laurvig * (1959–1972) Kai Frederik Sophus Ahlefeldt-Laurvig * (1972–2014) Christian William Ahlefeldt-Laurvig * (2014– ) JulRas Aps

References

External links

Official website
{{Denmark castles and manor houses Manor houses in Holbæk Municipality Caspar Frederik Harsdorff buildings Neoclassical architecture in Denmark Houses completed in 1788 Listed buildings and structures in Holbæk Municipality 1788 establishments in Denmark Buildings and structures of the Ahlefeldt family