Egholm, Lejre Municipality facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Egholm |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Trehøjevej 45 4070 Kirke Hyllinge |
| Country | Denmark |
| Coordinates | 55°45′58.42″N 11°43′44.67″E / 55.7662278°N 11.7290750°E |
| Completed | 1812 (main building) |
Egholm is a beautiful manor house and a large estate located in Denmark. You can find it on the Hornsherred Peninsula, between the towns of Kirke Hyllinge and Skibby. It's about 60 kilometers (around 37 miles) west of Copenhagen, the capital city.
The main building of Egholm was built in 1824. It has a Neoclassical style, which means it looks like old Greek and Roman buildings. Several parts of the estate are protected buildings. These include the main house, a gatehouse from 1870, a barn from 1880, a stable from about 1890, and an old horse mill. Today, another building on the estate is home to the Egholm Museum, which displays a collection of arms. The entire Egholm estate covers a huge area of 770 hectares (about 1900 acres) of land.
Contents
Egholm's Long History
Egholm has a very old past, going all the way back to the 1200s. You can still see parts of an old Romanesque castle there. People believe it was built for Jacob Nielsen, who was a count and a grandson of a Danish king.
Early Days: From the 1300s to 1640
Egholm was first written about in 1405. At that time, it belonged to a person named Predbjørn Podebusk. Over the next many years, the estate was passed down or sold within different noble families. Sometimes, only a part of Egholm would change hands.
For example, in 1419, Predbjørn Podebusk gave the estate to his nephew, Henning Podebusk. Later, it was owned by the Hak family. After them, the Krafse family owned Egholm for about a hundred years.
New Owners and Big Changes: 1640 to 1804
In 1640, the estate was sold to Holger Rosenkrantz. He was known as 'The Wealthy' because he was one of the richest noblemen in Denmark. When he passed away in 1647, his son, Oluf Rosenkrantz, took over Egholm.
Oluf Rosenkrantz made the estate much bigger by buying many more farms. He even created a new manor house from part of Egholm, which he called Krabbesholm. In 1671, he was given the special title of Friherre. Egholm also became its own independent legal area, called a birk, that same year.
Later, Oluf Rosenkrantz had some disagreements with the king. He had to give his estates to his daughters and sons-in-law. Egholm went to Mogens Skeel. However, Oluf Rosenkrantz and his wife continued to live at Egholm until they died in 1685.
Mogens Skeel then sold Egholm to his brother, Otte Skeel, who also added more land to the estate. After Otte Skeel, Egholm was passed on to his daughter and son-in-law. Since they had no children, Egholm was later given to Iver Rosenkrantz, who already owned several other large estates.
Iver Rosenkrantz died in 1745. His wife, Charlotte Amalie Skeel, then owned Egholm until her death in 1763. Their son, Christian Rosenkrantz, made the estate even larger. He owned several other big properties too. He wanted to create a special family trust with his estates. Egholm was later sold to Marcus Gøye Rosenkrantz. He then sold it again very quickly to Christian Conrad Sophus Danneskiold-Samsøe and Lars Lassen. Lars Lassen became the sole owner in 1806 but sold it just three years later.
The Haffner Family Era: 1812 to 1920
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In 1812, Johan Wolfgang Haffner bought Egholm. He decided that the estate should become a special family trust for the Haffner family. His son, Wolfgang Haffner, made this happen in 1831.
Wolfgang Haffner also built the new main house that you see today. He expanded the forests on the estate and sold the tenant farms to the farmers who worked on them.
After Wolfgang Haffner died in 1887, his eldest daughter, Amalie Haffner, inherited the family trust. When she passed away in 1902, her younger sister, Ebba Wilhelmine Haffner, became the owner. Her son, Erik Alfred Wolfgang Haffner Piper, a Swedish count, was the next owner.
Egholm Today: From 1920 to Now
In 1919, a new law in Denmark changed how family trusts worked. Because of this law, the Egholm family trust was ended in 1920. The main building and its park were separated from the farm buildings, which were sold to the manager. The main building itself was sold to Axel Kaufmann. He later sold it to baroness Henny Caroline Wedell-Neergaard.
In 1988, Ole Falck bought the main building. He is a great-great-grandson of Sophus Falck, who started the famous Falck emergency services company. Ole Falck later bought back the old farm buildings and most of the land that used to belong to the estate.
Egholm's Design and Buildings
The main building of Egholm is designed in the Neoclassical style. It is surrounded by moats, which are like ditches filled with water. It's a simple, two-story building painted white. Towards the garden, it has a rounded section that sticks out. The windows and doors have nice sandstone frames. The roof is a hip roof with black, shiny tiles.
Many of Egholm's buildings are protected because they are historically important. These include the main building from 1824, the gatehouse from 1870, a barn from 1880, a stable from around 1890, and an old horse mill. They were all added to the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1998.
Exploring the Egholm Estate
The entire Egholm estate covers 570 hectares (about 1400 acres). It includes Egholm Skov, which is a forest. Other buildings like Egholm Skovgård and Egholm Møllegård are also nearby. Inside the forest, you can find two ancient burial mounds from the Bronze Age. Some of the buildings on the estate are now used as an equestrian center, where people can ride horses.
Discover the Egholm Arms Museum
The Egholm Museum opened in 2012. It showcases Ole Falck's amazing and large collection of firearms and related items.
The museum begins with displays about Danish and German soldiers and equipment from the occupation of Denmark during World War II. After that, you can see exhibitions about British, Russian, and American troops from the same war. This part of the museum finishes with a display about the Danish resistance movement, who fought against the occupation.
The next part of the museum takes you to the Wild West! Here, you can see a real stagecoach, a stuffed bison, old weapons, and other items from that time. There's also a big collection of hunting weapons and gear, including a display of a poacher's home and different tools used for illegal hunting.
The museum also has a collection of very old weapons, some dating back to the 1600s. You can also find some very unique items, like a flag from a famous bunker in Berlin, a special revolver, and even gas masks designed for horses!
See also
- Krabbesholm
