Schackenborg Castle (, ) is a

château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

located in Møgeltønder Parish,

Southern Jutland Southern Jutland (; ) is the region south of the Kongeå in Jutland, Denmark and north of the Eider (river) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The region north of the Kongeå is called . Both territories had their own ting assemblies in the Mi ...

. From 1993 until 2014, it was the private residence of

Prince Joachim of Denmark Prince Joachim of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (; Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian; born 7 June 1969) is a member of the Danish royal family. The younger son of Queen Margrethe II, he is fifth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, ...

, the second son of Queen

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until Abdication of Margrethe II, her abdication on 14 January 2024. Ha ...

History

Originally called Møgeltønderhus (Møgeltønder House), the former stronghold on the site was the property of the Roman Catholic bishops of Ribe. It served as protection against the

Frisians The Frisians () are an ethnic group indigenous to the German Bight, coastal regions of the Netherlands, north-western Germany and southern Denmark. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland an ...

in the south, and guarded the waterway that joined Vidå to

Tønder Tønder (; ) is a town in the Region of Southern Denmark. With a population of 7,477 (as of 1 January 2025), it is the main town and the administrative seat of the Tønder Municipality. History The first mention of Tønder might have been in th ...

. During the

Reformation in Denmark The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, the mansion was confiscated from the Church by the Danish crown. Count Hans von Schack, a

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

nobleman and soldier, was given Møgeltønderhus as a token of King

Frederick III of Denmark Frederick III (; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bishop) of the ...

's gratitude for his military achievements in the

Northern Wars "Northern Wars" is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern Europe, northern and northeastern Europe from the 16th to the 18th century, primarily between the territorial rivals of the Swedish Empire, Tsardom of Russia, Poland–Lithuani ...

. Schack demolished most of the mansion in 1661 due to its bad condition, building the more impressive,

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style "Schackenborg Castle". In 1680, a street was laid out from the manor house, leading toward the local church. For eleven generations, the castle belonged to the von Schack family before reverting to the

Danish Royal Family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch of Denmark. While some members of the Danish royal family hold the title of ''Prince(ss) of Denmark'', descendants of Margrethe II additionally bear the title '' Count(ess) of Monpe ...

again in 1978.

Prince Joachim residency

In 1993, Schackenborg and the extensive estate were transferred to Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II. In 1995, it was announced that Prince Joachim and then- Princess Alexandra would finally be moving into the residence. For their wedding, a national collection was made, known as the "Nation's Gift". Several million

Danish kroner The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; currency sign, sign: kr.; ISO 4217, code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common ...

were raised. Prince Joachim announced that the money would be spent on a restoration programme for the castle. The castle and the surrounding park are not open to the general public; however, guided tours of the gardens are sometimes available during the summer. Since 2014, it has been owned by a foundation and not by any member of the royal family.

References

{{Castles in Denmark Houses completed in the 17th century Castles in Denmark Castles in the Region of Southern Denmark Listed buildings and structures in Tønder Municipality Tourist attractions in Tønder Municipality

History

Prince Joachim residency

See also

References