Engelsholm Castle, overlooking Engelsholm Lake, is located 14 km west of

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and t ...

in south-western

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

. Originally a manor house which traces its history back to the 15th century, it now houses a

folk high school Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule ...

History

Little is known about Engelsholm's earliest history. The estate was acquired from the crown by Timme Nielsen Rosenkrantz in 1452. It was owned by the Brahe family between 1590 and 1725. Knud Brahe, the brother of famous astronomer

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was ...

, constructed a new main building, in two storeys and with four corner towers, in 1592-93. The identity of the architect remains unclear but it may have been

Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder (c. 1550 – 10 May 1601) was a Flemish-Danish architect and sculptor. He worked on a large number of the most important Danish buildings of his time, although the exact scope of his contributions in many cases rem ...

Hercules von Oberberg Hercules von Oberberg (1517–1602) was a Dutch-Danish Renaissance architect. He was mainly active in the Duchy of Schleswig. Biography In his early years Hercules von Oberberg worked for Johann of Brandenburg-Küstrin but on 17 July 1557 he be ...

. This

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

castle was adapted to the Baroque style for Gerhard de Lichtenberg with the assistance of

Nicolaus Hinrich Rieman Nicolaus Hinrich Rieman (died 1759) was an architect and master builder in Denmark during the 1700s. Rieman's background is not known but he may originally have been from Mecklenburg, Germany. On 25 June 1726 a great fire destroyed large parts ...

. By 1740 it was a white-washed building with a black-glazed tile roof and

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. These bulbous structures taper smoothly to a point. It is a ty ...

s topping the four towers. Engelsholm's most famous former owner is Admiral

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

who owned the estate from 1784 until 1786. Most of the land was sold off in lots in 1931 and the adjacent farm buildings were demolished.

The folk high school

Engelsholm was purchased and turned into a folk high school in 1939, from 1952 run as a self-owning institution. Housing for students and faculty has later been built next to the castle to a design by Jens Malling Pedersen (b. 1920). The school specializes in artistic courses, combining both music and visual arts.

References

External links

Official website
{{Castles in Denmark Castles in Denmark Manor houses in Denmark Listed buildings in Vejle Municipality Baroque architecture in Denmark