Vedbygård is a former

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

located within the village of

Ruds Vedby Ruds Vedby, in Sorø Municipality, is a small town located on the railway between Tølløse and Høng in West Zealand, eastern Denmark. Ruds Vedby is located 18 km north of Slagelse, 8 km west of Dianalund and 20 km north-west of Sorø. As of 1 ...

, north-east of

Høng Høng is a town with a population of 4,304 (1 January 2025)Sorø Municipality Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality on the island of Zealand in east Denmark with a population of 8,433 (2025).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 oldest parts of the house date from the 15th century and are in the Late Gothic style.

History

Early history

The first known reference to Vedbygård is from the early 14th century. Early owners include Queen

Margaret I of Denmark Margaret I (; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for ...

, and after a period of private ownership it once again came under the Crown in 1369.

The Ruds of Ruds Vedby

In 1429, Jørgen Mikkelsen Rud acquired Vedbygård from the king in exchange for

Skjoldenæsholm Skjoldenæsholm Castle (Danish language, Danish: ) is a manor house located 11 kilometres north-east of Ringsted, Denmark, standing on the west side of one of the many lakes which dominate the area. The Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical main ...

. He died the same year, leaving the estate to his son, Mikkel Jørgensen Rud, who was knighted by King

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, probably in connection with his coronation at

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,367 (2025). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It is now part of the enlarged E ...

in 1443, and served as his vassal () at

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),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 ...

1458–1462. The main building was severely damaged during the

Count's Feud The Count's Feud (), sometimes referred to as the Count's War, was a Danish war of succession occurring from 1534 to 1536, which gave rise to the Reformation in Denmark. In the broader international context, it was a part of the European wars of ...

but was rebuilt in 1540. Vedbygård was owned by the Rud family until 1671.

The von Barner family

In 1700, Vedbygård came on the hands of the von Barner family when the owner, Lene Grubbe, married Friederich August von Barner who had emigrated to Denmark from Germany. In 1738, after the death of her second husband, Lene Grubbe sold Vedbygård to her nephew Joachim Hartwig Johann von Barner whom she owed money. Born in

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

, he had come to Denmark as a young man and been promoted through the ranks in the

Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods ...

. In 1746, he became prefect (''Stiftamtmand'') over

Christiansand Kristiansand is a city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation of the mun ...

in Norway, and in 1751 prefect (''Amtmand'') over

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),Dragsholm Castle Dragsholm Castle () is a historic building in Zealand, Denmark. For about 800 years there has been a building on the islet by the “drag”. From the original palace over the medieval castle to the current baroque style, Dragsholm Castle has had ...

, Sæbygård and

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 30,903 (1 January 2025).Peder Madsen,

Bishop of Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a Lutheranism, Lutheran diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein, Reformation of Denm ...

. They bequested their property to

Diakonissestiftelsen () is a large site in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark, owned by the Danish Deaconess Community and used for various social and healthcare-related activities, including a home for the elderly and training of nurses. History ...

in Copenhagen, providing that it be converted into a recovery home. It opened in 1917.

Architecture

Vedbygård is a three-winged complex, still surrounded by moats and retaining much of the character of the Rud family's fortified manor house, in spite of numerous alterations and expansions over the centuries. The north and south wings are in the Late Gothic style, with crow-stepped gables, and date from their reconstruction of the house in the years after the Count's Feud. Both wings have attics with

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of Age of Gunpowder, gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a sp ...

. The oldest part, the short south wing, integrates surviving elements of the older building which date back to the second half of the 15th century. A comprehensive restoration carried out between 1896 and 1901 by F.C.C. Hansen and

Hans Jørgen Holm Hans Jørgen Holm (9 May 1835 – 22 July 1916) was a Danish architect. A pupil of Johan Daniel Herholdt, he became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and a leading Danish proponent of the National Romantic style. Biograp ...

recreated two of the original windows and a pointed-arched doorway. Two shallow-arched blindings in the outer wall of the upper floor were no doubt doorways opening to a now gone gallery. Larger windows and the arched gateway through the wing's ground floor were introduced in 1751. A small romantic pavilion with exposed timber framing, projecting from the east gable, is an addition from 1898 by Hans Jørgen Holm. The north wing is slightly younger and has decorative blindings and irregularly placed, original windows. Its interior contains lime murals and frescos of scenes from the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

, dating from the 16th century. The somewhat lower west wing was built in the 1750s, replacing a defensive wall and a tower, although only the south gable remain from that day, featuring the original windows and

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s, in

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

, and the

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

typical of their time. The rest dates from a reconstruction in 1850 and the renovation later in the century.

Ruds Vedby Church

Ruds Vedby Church belonged to the property until 1966. Originally a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church, it was first built in the 12th century in the

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

style although little remains from that day. The

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

was completed during

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

times, the nave was extended to the east, a tower was built to the west,

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

es were added both on the north and south sides, and a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

was built at the east gable. The tower features the Rud coat of arms. In 1769, a

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

-style funeral chapel for the Barner family was built on the north side in 1768. Their tombs have later been transferred to a crypt beneath the chapel.

Today

The estate became the site of a convalescent home from 1917 and affiliated with the Deaconess Foundation () in Copenhagen. In 2015, the estate was sold to private ownership.

List of owners

* (1346– ) Jacob Begere * ( –1429) Kronen * (1429) Jørgen Rud * (1429–1460) Mikkel Rud * (1460–1470) Otte Rud * (1460–1505) Jørgen Rud * (1505–1511) Otto Rud * (1511–1554) Knud Rud * (1554–1571) Jørgen Rud * (1571–1620) Knud Rud * (1620–1640) Jørgen Grubbe * (1640–1671) Lene Rud, married Grubbe * (1671– ) Sivert Jørgensen Grubbe * ( – ) Hille Bülow, married 1) Grubbe, 2) Lützow * ( –1696) Jørgen Mathias Frederik Lützow * (1696– ) Hille Bülow, married 1) Grubbe, 2) Lützow * ( –1700) Lene Kirstine Grubbe, married 1) von Barner, 2) Barnevitz * (1700–1712) Friederich August von Barner * (1712– ) Lene Kirstine Grubbe married 1) von Barner 2) Barnevitz * ( –1736) Carl Friederich von Barnevitz * (1736–1738) The estate of Carl Friederich von Barnevitz * (1738–1768) Joachim Hartwig Johan Barner * (1768–1775) Helmuth Gotthardt von Barner * (1775–1811) Hartvig Gottfried von Barner * (1811–1818) Conradine Johanne Ericha von Barner * (1818–1844) Peder Sigvard Neergaard * (1844–1853) Olaus Olavius Meldahl * (1853–1854) Frederik Vilhelm Schytte * (1854–1861) Heinrich Gerner Gamst * (1861–1871) Hans Christian Lund * (1871–1892) Pauline Friis, married Lund * (1892–1911) Peder Madsen * (1911–1917) Charlotte Storck, married Madsen * (1917–2018) *(2018–) Dan Svenningsen ()

References

External links

Official website

chronology

of the Danish branch of the von Barner family {{DEFAULTSORT:Vedbygard Manor houses in Sorø Municipality Listed castles and manor houses in Denmark Listed buildings and structures in Sorø Municipality