Merløsegaard is a manor house located 9 kilometres north of

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately from Copenhagen. History Ringsted was the site of ''Sjællands Landsting'' (lit. ''Z ...

, close to the village of Store Merløse,

Holbæk Municipality Holbæk Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in northwestern Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Orø, and covers an area of 583 km², and has a total population of 74,490 (2025). Its may ...

, some sixty 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 ...

. Merløsegaard and nearby Bonderup are owned by Den Suhrske Stiftelse. The buildings are now operated as a hotel and event venue.

History

Early history

The estate was established as a manor in 1678 by colonel Lauritz Munk. Merløsegaard was later sold to assessor Eiler Jacobsen Eilert, the owner of neighboring Bonderup. He had previously also been the owner of Tårnborg at

Korsør Korsør is a town in Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg thr ...

from 1692 to 1699.. In 1719, Eilert sold Merløsegaard to Poul Sadolin. After just four years, he sold the estate to district judge Johannes Christiansen who soon thereafter sold it to Johannes Winckler. He was already leasing Skjoldenæsholm. In 1727, Merløsegaard was acquired by count Ferdinand Anton Danneskiold-Laurvig. Merløsegaard was after his death in 1754 passed on to his son Frederik Ludvig Danneskiold-Laurvig.

Neergaard family

In 1763, Danneskiold-Laurvig's heirs sold the estate to War Councillor Peter Johansen Neergaard. He was succeeded on the estate by his youngest son Johan Thomas de Neergaard. His son, Peter Johansen Neergaard, passed it on to his nephew, Tønnes Christian Bruun de Neergaard.

Moltke and Knuth

In 1906, Merløsegaard was sold to Frederik Knuth. He soon thereafter sold the estate to Count

Adam Wilhelm Moltke Adam Wilhelm Moltke, 3rd Count of Bregentved (25 August 178515 February 1864) was a Danish nobleman, landowner, civil servant and politician, who in 1848–1852 was the first Prime Minister of Denmark under the new constitutional monarchy outl ...

of Bregentved. He served as the first

Prime Minister of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark (, , ) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not init ...

in the new

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

from 1848 to 1852.

Suhr family

Johannes Theodorus Suhr, a wealthy merchant from Copenhagen, purchased the estate in 1858. Suhr ceded Merløsegaard and Bonderup to a new family trust, Den Sturhske Stiftels.

Architecture

The current main building was constructed after a fire in 1928. It is a one-storey, white-washed building with a half-hipped

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

clad with red tile. It is set in a park with 300-year old oak trees, mirror pond and rose garden.

Today

Merløsegaard and Bonderup are still owned by Den Suhrske Stiftelse. The two estates have a combined area of 1,310 hectares. Merløsegaard's main building is operated as a seven-room hotel and event venue by a tenant. The hotel is a member of Small Danish Hotels.

List of owners

* (1678- ) Lauritz Munk * ( -1719) Eiler Jacobsen Eilert * (1719-1723) Poul Sadolin * (1723) Johannes Christensen * (1723-1727) Johannes Winckler * (1727-1754) Ferdinand Anton Danneskiold-Laurvig * (1754-1763) Frederik Ludvig Danneskiold-Laurvig * (1763-1772) Peter Johansen Neergaard * (1772-1795) Johan Thomas Petersen de Neergaard * (1795-1796) Peter Johansen Neegaard * (1797-1807) Tønnes Christian Bruun de Neergaard * (1807- ) Frederik Knuth * ( -1858)

* (1858) Johannes Theodorus Suhr * (1858- ) Den Suhrske Stiftelse

References

{{reflist

External links

Merløsegaard Hotel

Source
Manor houses in Holbæk Municipality Hotels in Denmark Buildings and structures of the Neergaard family Buildings and structures of the Suhr family 1678 establishments in Denmark Houses completed in 1928