Kragerup, also known as Kragerupgaard, is a manor house and estate located close to

Høng Høng is a town with a population of 4,304 (1 January 2025)Kalundborg Municipality, some 90 kilometres southwest of

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 ...

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 estate has been owned by the Dinesen family since 1801. The main building is now operated as a hotel. It was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1918.

History

Early history

In the Middle Ages, Kragerup was the name of a village with a farm by the same name. The name is first recorded as Krakæthorp in 1327 when it was owned by the nobleman Matheaus Jakobsen Taa. In 1356-1376, Kragerup belonged to Jens Nielsen Neb. After his death, ownership of the estate was spread out on more than one simultaneous owners. At some point, ownership of the estate was transferred to members of the Gyrsting family. Towards the end of the 15th century, Oluf Mortensen Gyrsting had acquired almost full ownership of the estate. After his death in 1490, Kragerup was passed first to Eggert Andersen Ulfeldt (died 1505) and then to

Peder Skram Peder Skram (died 11 July 1581) was a Danish naval officer. Biography Skram was born between 1491 and 1503, on his father's estate at Urup, Denmark, Urup near Horsens in Jutland, Denmark. He participated in military service during the Swedis ...

. In 1533, he sold Kragerup to his new father-in-law, Ove Lunge. Lunge's daughter Forthe was married to Claus Ulfeldt. After Lunge's death, Kragerup was passed to his grandson, Eggert Clausen Ulfedt,. He was succeeded by his son Eggert Ulfeldt. He was married to Elisabeth Galde.

Friis family, c. 1590s1656

Elisabeth Ylfeldt (née Galde) brought Kragerup into her second marriage with Jørgen Friis til Knastrup. Friis' son from a previous marriage, Christen Friis (1581–1639), inherited Kragerup in 1610. He served in the

Kalmar War The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was fought between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' ...

in 1611-1613 and was appointed Chancellor in 1616. In 1621, he constructed a new main building, in a new location. It was a three-winged building situated on an isle in a lake just northwest of the village. Ge also increased the size of the estate by buying up farsm in the surrounding villages. In 1627, Kragerup was awarded the status of a '' birk''. Frius' widow Barbara Wittrup jept the estate after her husband's death. In 1553, it was passed to their son Hans Friis til

Clausholm Clausholm Castle is a large Danish country house located some 12 km southeast of Randers in eastern Jutland. It is one of Denmark's finest Baroque buildings. History The castle's origins appear to go back to the 12th century but it is firs ...

Juul family, 16561705

Hans Friis sold Kragerup in 1656 to Frederik Urne. He was succeeded by his son-in-law,

Ove Juul Ove Iversen Juul (23 October 1615 – 29 May 1686) was a Danish nobleman who served as Vice Governor-general of Norway under Ulrik Fredrik Gyldenløve from 1669 to 1674. Family and youth Ove's father was Iver Juul at Villestrup, Thaarupgaard an ...

, who was later appointed Vice Chancellor. His other holdings included Lundbæk-Pandum, Villestrup, and

Bregentved Bregentved is a manor house located 3 km east of Haslev on the Danish island of Zealand. It has been owned by the Moltke family since the middle of the 18th century. History Early history The first known reference to Bregentved is from 1 ...

. Kragerup was later passed to his son, Christian Juul, who on e year later ceded it to his sister, Mette Marie Juul. The estate Kattrup was also acquired by her. She married the

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

on the estate, Povl Pedersen Lerskov, but he already died in 1692. Mette Marie Juul stayed on the estate another 12 years.

Lerche, Fogh and Bech

In 1705, Kragerup was acquired by Jacob Lerche. He extended the estate with Kragevik (three farms) and Nyrop (four farms). After his death in 1721, Kragerup was sold by auction for 25, 000

Danish rigsdaler The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1875. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively. These currencies were of ...

to regiment quartermaster Andreas Fogh (died 1762). He is created for being the first potato grower on

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

. His other initiatives included a wool factory and the establishment of carp ponds. The estate was later owned by his sons Lars Andreas Dogh, upon whose death, in 1764, it passed to the joint ownership of his brother (Clemens) and three sisters (Christine, Christine and Mette). Mette Andreas Gogh outlived her brother and two sisters. In 1797, she sold Kragerup to Peder Bech. The village of Kragerup disappeared in around 1800 when the farms were moved out on the fielfs.

Dinesen family

In 1801, Kragerup was acquired by Jens Kraft Dinesen, who had sold Gyldenholm to Christopher Schøller Bülow the previous year. He constructed a new main wing in 1802. Dinesen was succeeded by his son Anders Didrich Dinesen. He was married to Sophie Jacobine de Neergaard, a daughter of Johan Michael de Neergaard. She managed the estate with great skill after his death but died at the age of 47 in 1857. Their son Jens Kraft Jacob Sophus Dinesen then inherited the estate. He married his younger brother's widow, Alvilde Dinesen, in 1880. Her son by her first husband, also called Jens Kraft Dinesen, inherited Kragerup in 1910. After his death in 1916 Kragerup was passed on to his son Wilhelm Dinesen.

Architecture

The main building is a three-winged, two-storey complex with white-washed walls and a

half-hipped A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides ...

red tile roof. The main wing to the west stands on a rise slightly above the two side wings. It is 15 bays wide and has a central risalit topped by a rounded pediment.

Interior

An octagonal table for board games executed in granite for Eggert Ylfeldt in 1577 has survived to the present day. It was used for

alquerque Alquerque (also known as al-qirkat from ) is a Abstract strategy game, strategy board game that is thought to have originated in the Middle East. It is considered to be the parent of draughts (US: checkers) and Fanorona and the diagonals of its ...

. It features his and his wife's coats of arms. The table was installed in a small, thatched pavillion in the garen.

Johann Gottfried Burman Becker Johann Gottfried Burman Becker (26 April 1802 – 6 October 1880) was a Danish pharmacist, historical writer and collector and illustrator. Early life Becker was born in Copenhagen, the son of court pharmacist Gottfried Becker (1767–1845) and ...

when he visited Kragerup. A carved cupboard from the 17th century has also survived. It is now located in the hall.

List of owners

* (1327- ) Matheus Jakobsen Taa * (1356-1376) Jens Nielsen Neb * ( - ) Henrik Jensen Neb * ( - ) Jens Genvæther * (1382- ) Hartvig Bryske * ( - ) Birgitte Bryske * ( - ) Herman v. Hahn * ( - ) Christen Rud * ( - ) Ulf Limbek * ( - ) Jens Poulsen * ( - ) Eskil Gøye * ( - ) Claus Bryske * ( - ) Navne Jensen Gyrsting * (1445- ) Morten Jensen Gyrsting * (1460- ) Folmer Mortensen Gyrsting * (1468-1496) Oluf Mortensen Gyrsting * (1481- ) Jørgen Rud * (1505- ) Eggert Andersen Ulfeldt * ( -1533)

* (1533- ) Ove Lunge * ( - ) Claus Eggertsen Ulfeldt * ( -1583) Eggert Ulfeldt * (1583- ) Elisabeth Galde, married 1) Ulfeldt, 2) Friis * ( -1610) Jørgen Friis * (1610-1639) Christen Friis * (1639-1653) Barbara Wittrup, married Friis * (1653-1656) Hans Friis * (1656-1658) Frederik Urne * (1658-1686) Ove Juul * (1686-1687) Christian Juul * (1687- ) Mette Marie Juul, married Lerskov * ( -1692) Poul Pedersen Lerskov * (1692-1705) Mette Marie Juul, married Lerskov * (1705-1721) Jacob Lerche * (1721-1762) Andreas Fogh * (1762-1774) Lars Fogh * (1774-1794) Clemens Fogh * (1774- ) Marie Fogh * (1774- ) Mette Fogh * (1794-1797) Christine Fogh * (1797-1801) Peder Bech * (1801-1827) Jens Kraft Dinesen * (1827-1840) Anders Didrich Dinesen * (1840-1857) Sophie Jacobine de Neergaard, married Dinesen * (1857-1910) Jens Kraft Jacob Sophus Dinesen * (1910-1916) Jens Kraft Dinesen * (1916-1932) Wilhelm Dinesen * (1932-1939) Ida Dinesen * (1939-1963) Jørgen Dinesen * (1963-1996) Erik S. Dinesen * (1996- ) Birgitte Dinesen

References

{{Kalundborg Municipality Manor houses in Kalundborg Municipality Listed castles and manor houses in Denmark Buildings and structures of the Ulfeldt family Buildings and structures of the Lerche family Buildings and structures in Denmark of the Dinesen family