Broholm is an estate and manor house in the parish of

Gudme Gudme is a town in central Denmark with a population of 925 (1 January 2024),BY3: popul ...

, some northeast of Svendborg, on the Danish island of

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

. The private estate has 591 ha, 168 ha being arable, 395 ha being

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

and 28 ha in

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s. There are ten rental properties on the estate as well as an equestrian center with outdoor and indoor riding arenas. Denmark's biggest gold hoard from the

Migration Period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

was found at Broholm.

History

1326 Year 1326 (Roman numerals, MCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events January – March * January 21 – The foundation of Oriel College, Oxford, Oriel College (or King's College), the University ...

the estate was owned by Absalon Jonsen Ulfeldt. From

1641 Events January–March * January 4 – The stratovolcano Mount Parker (Philippines), Mount Parker in the Philippines has a major eruption. * January 14 – Battle of Malacca (1641), The Battle of Malacca concludes with the D ...

, it was inherited by the Skeel and Sehested families for whom it was the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

from 1759 to 1930. The main wing with its round tower was built for Otte Skeel in 1644. In

1839 Events January–March * January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre. * January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years. * January 9 – ...

, it was renovated in the

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

style by Gustav Friedrich Hetsch. The corner tower was added in 1895 and the south wing in 1905. Substantial renovation and adaptation work was carried out in the 1920s and the 1950s. Part of the premises has now been converted into a hotel. There is also a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

of antiquities on the estate.

Archaeological finds

One of the archaeological open-air themes recorded is of an antiquary of a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

built with flint axes. N.F.B. Sehested, a nobleman of Danish descent, collected flint axes between 1878 and 1881. With these archaeological finds he built a log cabin by using them as tools by handling and sharing them. The cabin was completed in 1887. This cabin was made initially in the Broholm estate where it has been restored. The Museum of North Antiquities is part of the manor and it has 10,000 antiquaries collected by Sehested, then (1881), owner of the manor. These antiquaries are a collection from an area of around the manor house. These finds are dated to the

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

and

Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

ages. In addition, some gold ornaments were also found on the estate. Excavations revealed the Broholm gold hoard with an approximate weight of 4.15 kg. Deemed to be the biggest gold hoard of the country from the

, items include golden

bracteate A bracteate (from the Latin ''bractea'', a thin piece of metal) is a flat, thin, single-sided gold medal worn as jewelry that was produced in Northern Europe predominantly during the Migration Period of the Germanic Iron Age (including the Ven ...

s, as well as necklaces and pieces worn on the arm.

Broholm dog

The estate is also famous for breeding of Broholmer dogs, of the St. Bernard Dog class of dogs with short hair with links to the pedigree of German

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

. These dogs are reported to be a common sight in the

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

neighborhood. It is a national breed and the Copenhagen Kennel Club was charged with breeding them and establishing their pedigree. The Danish dog is also reported to be closely related to the

English Mastiff The English Mastiff, or simply the Mastiff, is a British list of dog breeds, breed of very large dog of mastiff type. It is likely descended from the ancient Alaunt and Pugnaces Britanniae, with a significant input from the Alpine Mastiff in th ...

. The better specimens are bred in the Broholm estate and hence given the name Broholmer Dogs

References

External links

Official website
{{Denmark castles and manor houses Buildings and structures completed in 1644 Castles and manor houses on Funen Museums in the Region of Southern Denmark Hotels in Denmark 1644 establishments in Denmark Tourist attractions in Svendborg Municipality