Søllerød is a suburban district of Rudersdal Municipality in the northern outskirts of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

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 ...

. The original village, one of the oldest in the area, is perched on Søllerød Hill on the south side of Søllerød Lake. It merged with the neighbouring village of Øverød to the north and the modern district of Holte to the southwest in the middle of the 20th century and now forms part of the Greater Copenhagen area. Most of the local landmarks are concentrated in a well-preserved village environment centred on the old

village pond A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and on Søllerødvej (Søllerød Road). They include the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Søllerød Church, with a scenic cemetery, the famous Søllerød Inn, now a one-star Michelin restaurant, the old country house Mothsgården, now a local history museum, and a number of other 18th and 19th-century landmarks.

History

Frederik Christian Kiærskou - Søllerød Sø 1850

The name Søllerød, originally ''Sylueruth'' (1321–23), is derived from the male name ''Sylfa'' and ''-rød'', meaning clearing (''rydning''). Søllerød Church was built on the top of Søllerød Hill in about 1175, showing that a village was already present at the site at that time. The extensive parish reached all the way from Furesø Lake in the west to the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width ...

coast in the east. Søllerød Inn was opened by the pastor of Søllerød Church after he had obtained a license from the king in 1677. Due to its proximity to Copenhagen, Søllerød, together with other localities in the area, became a popular location for well-to-do citizens from Copenhagen to acquire a country estate. The four largest properties in the village were Søllerødgård, Fogedgården, Carlsminde and Mothsgården. Søllerød - The well 1

The villagers originally got their water supply from Søllerød Lake or for superior quality from Suhm's Spring in Øverød. Søllerødgaard had its own well from 1740 and a well was dug at the rectory in 1848, catering also to the school, which was located between the church and the rectory. In 1867, the owners of Søllerødgaard, Fogedgården, Carlsminde and Mothsgården constructed a new public water well next to the village pond. Søllerød's first waterworks opened on Fogedgårdens's land to the east of the village in 1907. The village gradually developed into a suburban area and grew together with Nærum to the east. Vangebo School opened in 1958 to a design by Henning Larsen. Søllerød Municipality existed until 2007 when it was merged with

Birkerød Municipality Birkerød () is a town in Rudersdal Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is surrounded by several lakes and small woodlands. Birkerød station is located on the Nordbanen, Hillerød radial of the S-train suburban networ ...

to form Rudersdal Municipality.

Landmarks

Søllerød Church stands on the top of Søllerød Hill. The Medieval church was a small flat-roofed structure built in chalk ashlar from

Stevns Klint Stevns Klint, known as the Cliffs of Stevns in English, is a white chalk cliff located some southeast of Store Heddinge on the Danish island of Zealand. Stretching along the coast, it is of geological importance as one of the best exposed C ...

. It was later expanded with a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

to the east and a

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

to the north. The tower was built in 1450. The church was expanded with two cross arms in the 18th century. The smaller one, attached to the porch, is known as ''Københavnerlogen'', a name that dates from the time when the church was often frequented by visitors from Copenhagen on Sundays. Søllerød Præstegård 4

Søllerød Rectory is located next to the church. The thatched, half-timbered complex consists of a main wing, barns and stables. Søllerød Sognegård was designed by Inger and Johannes Exner and completed in 1993. Søllerød Inn, one of the best restaurants in Denmark, was established in the 1980s. It has maintained a star in the Michelin Gude since 2001. Mothsgården was from the 1680s until 1711 owned by Mathias Moth, who was Minister of Interior Affairs and the brother of Christian V's official mistress. The building now houses a local history museum operated by Rudersdal Municipality.

Another house with royal associations is Søllerødgaard, now known as Søllerød Slot. It was originally built by Frederik Danneskiold-Samsøe, a grandson of Christian V, between 1740 and 1743. Over the following decades, the property changed hands several times. Later residents included

Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark ( da, Frederik; 11 October 1753 – 7 December 1805) was heir presumptive to the thrones of Denmark and Norway. He was the only surviving son of King Frederick V by his second wife, Juliana Maria of Braunsc ...

. The original house was replaced by a more modest one in 1784. The current house is from 1915. The property features a section of the original rough iron fence from the Odd Fellows Mansion in

Bredgade Bredgade ( lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major str ...

, Copenhagen, which was dismantled when the house was expanded and converted into a concert venue in 1884. Carlsminde 1

Carlsminde (Søllerødvej 30) is a

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

-style mansion from 1751. It now houses the headquarters of the Venstre Party. The building was listed in 1918. Fogedgården (Søllerødvej 38) and Ilufshøj (Søllerødvej 40) are also listed.

Notable people

* The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 was composed by

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

in Søllerød in 1868 *

Oluf Hartmann Oluf Hartmann (16 February 1879 – 16 January 1910) was a Danish painter. Trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, he showed his works at important exhibitions in the 1900s. Career Hartmann was born in the house Carls ...

(1879–1819), a Danish painter *

Muggur Guðmundur Pétursson Thorsteinsson (5 September 1891, Bíldudalur – 27 July 1924, Søllerød), better known as Muggur, was an Icelandic painter, graphic artist, author and film actor. Biography Muggur was born in Bíldudalur, Iceland. His fa ...

(1891 – 1924 in Søllerød) an Icelandic painter, graphic artist, author and film actor *

Kirsten Walther Kirsten Walther (31 August 1933 – 19 February 1987) was a Danish actress. She appeared in more than 50 films and television shows between 1956 and 1983. She is well known for her role in the films of the Olsen Gang and died unexpectedly a ...

(1933 – 1987 in Søllerød), actress IMDb Database
retrieved 20 April 2020 *

Peter Thorup Peter Eiberg Thorup (14 December 1948 – 3 August 2007) was a Danish guitarist, singer, composer and record producer. He was one of the most important blues musicians in Denmark, and he was known outside his own country, when in the late 196 ...

(1948–2007), a Danish guitarist, singer, composer and record producer

Sport

* Otto Larsen (1893–1969) a Danish amateur football player *

Henning Petersen Henning Petersen (born 3 September 1939) is a former Danish cyclist. Petersen was born in Copenhagen and his profession was a driver. His sporting career began with 1.C.C. Copenhagen. He competed in the team time trial at the 1964 Summer Olymp ...

(born 1939) a former Danish cyclist, competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics * Jacob Larsen (born 1988) a Danish rower, team silver medallist at the 2016 Summer Olympics *

Anne-Marie Rindom Anne-Marie Rindom (born 14 June 1991 in Søllerød) is a Danish sailor. She competed in the Laser Radial class event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she placed 13th. She won the 2015 Women's Laser Radial World Championship. At the 2016 S ...

(born 1991), sailor, bronze medallist at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Literature

* Stilling, Niels Peter:
Søllerød Kirke
'. Søllerød Menighedsråd og Rudersdal Museer. 2011

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sollerod Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark Copenhagen metropolitan area Rudersdal Municipality