Marienlyst Castle
Encyclopedia
Marienlyst Castle, Danish Marienlyst Slot, is a palacial residence located in Helsingør, Denmark
. It was named after King
Frederik V of Denmark's second wife, Juliana Maria
the queen consort
of Denmark and Norway
. The building formerly served as a royal pavilion
of Kronborg Castle
and was mostly used as a venue for pleasure and hunting. It was also used by the director-general
of the Øresund Customs House, Colonel
Adam Gottlob von Krogh
and his wife Magdalene, between 1796 and 1847.
Hans van Steenwinckel
, the royal architect
, designed and built the original pavilion and parterre
garden in 1587, for King Frederick II of Denmark
. The royal estate was then purchased in 1758 by Count
Adam Gottlob Moltke
, who completely changed the original pavilion and garden with the help of French
architect
Nicolas-Henri Jardin
between 1759 and 1763. The additions led to its present day architectural structure
and façade
. Jardin also redesigned the original parterre gardens, changing them to a larger, more modern garden à la française
design, with symmetrical hedge
s, avenues, fountains and mirror ponds. Within the castle wall boundaries, these elegant garden grounds remain to a large extent intact, but outside, much of the garden has been lost, including the most renowned romantic landscape garden in Denmark, designed by Johan Ludvig Mansa
in the 1790s. This was mostly due to the sale of much of the original property by the Helsingør municipality which had purchased the entire Marienlyst estate at auction
in 1851. One of the lot purchasers was J.S. Nathanson, who in 1859 built Hotel Marienlyst, the first luxury hotel in Helsingør, named after the castle.
Between 1919 and 1921, local Helsingør gardener Gudmund Nyeland Brandt
, removed the last remnants of the romantic gardens, replacing them with an 18th century garden design to match the castle's classical architecture
. For the most part it is these gardens visitors will see today. They have been part of Helsingør Municipality Museums since 1930.
there was a chapel
dedicated to Saint Anne in the area, which probably belonged to the St. Anna Guild in Helsingør. In 1438 the chapel was given to a community of Franciscan
friars which had been founded in 1419, who then converted the chapel into a monastery
dedicated to Saint Anne
. Nothing remains of the monastery except the street name, Sankt Anna Gade in Helsingør. The monastery was confiscated by the crown during the Reformation of 1536
. The former monastery was probably part of the royal property on the grounds, called Lundegaard, where an old stone house is known to have existed in 1576.
created Kronborg Castle, the castle immortalized in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet
. It was built like a strong fortress for guarding Øresund and ensuring payment of sound dues
which were enforced by the immediate firing of all cannons on any ship
that refused to pay. It was very effective and collected two thirds of crown revenues. By the late Renaissance
, tastes had changed and Kronborg's high walls and bastions made it impossible to have a grand renaissance garden
. An old monastery north of the yard was therefore chosen as the new location and named Lundhave after the royal estate.
In 1587, Hans van Steenwinckel
the royal architect
built a parterre
garden and a pavilion
for King Frederick II of Denmark
. It was a three story building, in the northern Italian renaissance style
. The first floor had an armory, that also stored equipment for equestrian
competitions, one of the so-called noble
disciplines, which also included fencing
and dance
. This was taught to all nobles at the time through the knight academies
. The second floor was where the queen consort, Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, had her rooms and the top floor was for the king. Sadly, he would only have a short time to enjoy his newly built pavilion and garden, as he died in 1588, barely a year after construction was completed. His son, King Christian IV of Denmark
, would however get to use it throughout his reign
, coming there often and spending large sums of money improving the garden and planting rare trees. He would also keep many pheasants and other game birds on the estate, for hunting.
and vegetable garden. Ten years later, the 1658 war with Sweden
took its toll on the pavilion, but fortunately the garden did not suffer too much damage. It remained mostly unused until the end of Frederik III's reign in 1670. A depiction of the pavilion and gardens can be seen in Peder Resen's
Atlas Danicus dated 1660 and published in 1677. In the drawings he calls the pavilion and garden, Kongenshafve (The King's Garden).
It was King Christian V of Denmark
who once again brought life back to the pavilion, often coming to hunt
and relax in the gardens. He was also the first to give it a complete renovation
. This was done between 1680 and 1681 by Hans van Steenwinckel Jr.
to repair the damage that had been caused by general aging over the last century and the recent war with Sweden. Steenwinckel Jr. kept to his father's original drawings, making only a few minor cosmetic changes, like the addition of Christian V's monogram
and the year 1681.
From 1699 till 1723, the pavilion was owned by Frederick IV of Denmark
who renovated it between 1716 and 1717. The king would not return after his marriage to Anne Sophie Reventlow
on April 4, 1721. Frederick V of Denmark
decided in 1747 to lease Lundhave for four years to Lieutenant Burghof and then, in 1751, sold the property to Johannes G. Putscher, a citizen of Helsingør.
, Count Adam Gottlob Moltke
purchased Lundhave in 1758. It is believed he acted on Frederik V's behalf as the deed
was issued to the king in 1760 and kept secret until his death in 1766. During these years, Count Moltke completely changed Frederik II's pavilion with the help of French
architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin
, whose additions led to its present day architectural structure
and façade
.
Jardin's initial instructions were to preserve
the original pavilion, but he decided to build extensions on either side of the original building, thus creating a palace. They would be of the same height and depth but pulled back a little so as to allow the original pavilion to stand out in relation to the additions. The original lines were preserved and the entire building was brought together visually by a strong rotating main cornice
, crowned by a balustrade around the flat roof. The building's exterior also had horizontal bands of polished stone, medallions, festive additions over the windows and arcades on the second floor, emphasizing the classical architecture that Jardin had introduced to Denmark. The interior decoration had a number of prestigious Louis XVI interiors created by artists such as painter Carl Gustaf Pilo
, decorators Joseph Christian Lillie
, Johan Edvard Mandelberg
and sculptor Simon Carl Stanley
. The parterre gardens were changed to a larger garden à la française
design, with symmetrical hedging, avenues, boxwood hedges, fountains and mirror ponds.
King Frederik V only had a few years to enjoy their work as he died in 1766 after which Queen Juliana Maria
took possession of the castle. It was renamed Marienlyst (Mary's Delight) in her honor and in the 1790s she had a romantic garden laid out with winding paths, folleys, including tumuli, hermit
cottages and a medieval style Gothic
tower. She would use the castle often until her death in 1796.
During the transition period after her death, there was talk of Crown Prince
Frederik
taking up residence there but it was not to be. Instead, between 1796 and 1847, it became the residence of the director-general
of Øresund Customs House, Colonel Adam Gottlob von Krogh
and his wife Magdalene. He built a small thatched half-timbered house, and Krogh's garden in a little grove on the property in 1800. The building is no longer visible but parts of the small stone fence around the garden can still be seen. Close to the garden is Magdalene’s Hill where von Krogh set up a monument in the 1830s honoring his wife. He died in 1839, but his widow remained in residence until her death in 1847.
In his 1824 book Denmark Delineated, Andreas Andersen Feldborg
referred to the romantic gardens: Hamlet's garden is the favorite promenade of the inhabitants of Elsinore (Helsingør). It is generally filled with groups of elegant females and lovely children, whose manners and appearance bear pleasing testimony to the state of society in this part of his Danish Majesty's dominions. Just two years later, a young Hans Christian Andersen
also writes about Marienlyst, during a class outing whilst at grammar school
in Helsingør. It is worth noting that his youthful excitement shows that he had yet to travel abroad very much: Yesterday I was with Meisling in Marienlyst; oh, it's one of the finest I've seen! Where sea and the whole countryside is lovely. Meisling says that the whole coast here is similar to that of Naples; the glorious hills are there in the garden, everything seems like Switzerland, and I felt so unspeakably happy, oh, one must become a poet or artist to see the beautiful nature. O Benefactor, Thanks! Thank you! for every happy moment! Life is Wonderful!
by King Frederick VII of Denmark
in 1851. The Helsingør municipality purchased it for 32,000 Rigsbankdaler, parceling out most of the land, then renting out the castle to J.S. Nathanson with his nearby Marienlyst Health Spa and Bathing House (Marienlyst Kur og Søbad). He renovated the castle, making it part of his resort. The connection to the health spa closed in 1896 and, in 1904, the castle was rented out as accommodation for three families.
The park was converted to its present appearance between 1919 and 1921 under the leadership of local gardener Gudmund Nyeland Brandt
. It would not be a reconstruction of the Jardin gardens but instead a reinterpretation of 17th century neoclassical style, appropriate to castle's classical design.
In 1930, the Town Museum moved into the basement and, in 1940, the whole building was taken over by the museum. After thorough restoration in 1953 by architect Volmars Drosted
, Marienlyst was used as offices for Helsingør City Council.
Marienlyst Castle is operated today as a branch of the Helsingør Municipality Museums. The castle has a permanent exhibition of paintings and Helsingør silver from the 18th and 19th centuries. They have over the years also organized temporary exhibitions, mainly dealing with the history of art. The painting exhibitions include William Petersen's a forgotten golden age of painting and marine painter Carl Frederick Sørensen. Within the Danish handicraft exhibitions have been shown The Danish Brooch, The Ceramic Jug and Beast of Law.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It was named after King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Frederik V of Denmark's second wife, Juliana Maria
Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Duchess Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , , was queen of Denmark between 1752 and 1766, second consort of king Frederick V of Denmark and Norway, mother of the prince-regent Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and herself de facto regent 1772–1784.- Early life and queen :Born...
the queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Denmark and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The building formerly served as a royal pavilion
Pavilion
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
of Kronborg Castle
Kronborg Castle
Kronborg is a star fortress situated near the town of Helsingør on the extreme northeastern tip of Zealand at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound between Denmark and Sweden...
and was mostly used as a venue for pleasure and hunting. It was also used by the director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the Øresund Customs House, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Adam Gottlob von Krogh
Adam Gottlob von Krogh
Adam Gottlob von Krogh was a Norwegian-Danish military officer, and the son of Major General Caspar Herman von Krogh and his wife Christiane Ulrica née Lerche .He was married to his cousin Magdalene Adam Gottlob von Krogh (16 May 1768 - January 17, 1839) was a Norwegian-Danish military officer,...
and his wife Magdalene, between 1796 and 1847.
Hans van Steenwinckel
Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder
Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder was a Flemish-Danish architect and sculptor. He worked on a large number of the most important Danish buildings of his time, although the exact scope of his contributions in many cases remains uncertain and much have been demolished or redesigned later...
, the royal architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, designed and built the original pavilion and parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
garden in 1587, for King Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
. The royal estate was then purchased in 1758 by Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Adam Gottlob Moltke
Adam Gottlob Moltke
Count Adam Gottlob Moltke , Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg.-Early life:...
, who completely changed the original pavilion and garden with the help of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Nicolas-Henri Jardin
Nicolas-Henri Jardin
Nicolas-Henri Jardin , neoclassical architect, was born in St. Germain des Noyers, Dept. Seine-et-Marne, France, and worked seventeen years in Denmark as an architect to the royal court...
between 1759 and 1763. The additions led to its present day architectural structure
Architectural structure
An architectural structure is a free-standing, immobile outdoor constructed element. The structure may be temporary or permanent.Structures include buildings and nonbuilding structures . Examples of building structures include houses, town halls, libraries, and skyscrapers...
and façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. Jardin also redesigned the original parterre gardens, changing them to a larger, more modern garden à la française
Garden à la française
The French formal garden, also called jardin à la française, is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order over nature. It reached its apogee in the 17th century with the creation of the Gardens of Versailles, designed for Louis XIV by the landscape architect André Le...
design, with symmetrical hedge
Hedge
Hedge may refer to:* Hedge or hedgerow, line of closely spaced shrubs planted to act as a barrier* Hedge , investment made to limit loss* Hedge , intentionally non-committal or ambiguous sentence fragments-See also:...
s, avenues, fountains and mirror ponds. Within the castle wall boundaries, these elegant garden grounds remain to a large extent intact, but outside, much of the garden has been lost, including the most renowned romantic landscape garden in Denmark, designed by Johan Ludvig Mansa
Johan Ludvig Mansa
Johan Ludvig Mansa , was a German-Danish landscape gardener, born April 10, 1740 in Zweibrücken, Germany, where his father was palace gardener. In 1765 he went to Denmark and was gardener at Fuglsang Manor, Lolland...
in the 1790s. This was mostly due to the sale of much of the original property by the Helsingør municipality which had purchased the entire Marienlyst estate at auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
in 1851. One of the lot purchasers was J.S. Nathanson, who in 1859 built Hotel Marienlyst, the first luxury hotel in Helsingør, named after the castle.
Between 1919 and 1921, local Helsingør gardener Gudmund Nyeland Brandt
Gudmund Nyeland Brandt
Gudmund Nyeland Brandt was a Danish landscape architect who was internationally renowned.-Career:...
, removed the last remnants of the romantic gardens, replacing them with an 18th century garden design to match the castle's classical architecture
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
. For the most part it is these gardens visitors will see today. They have been part of Helsingør Municipality Museums since 1930.
Saint Anne Convent
In medieval timesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
there was a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
dedicated to Saint Anne in the area, which probably belonged to the St. Anna Guild in Helsingør. In 1438 the chapel was given to a community of Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars which had been founded in 1419, who then converted the chapel into a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
dedicated to Saint Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
. Nothing remains of the monastery except the street name, Sankt Anna Gade in Helsingør. The monastery was confiscated by the crown during the Reformation of 1536
Reformation in Denmark
The Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein was the transition from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism in the realms ruled by the Copenhagen-based House of Oldenburg in the first half of the sixteenth century...
. The former monastery was probably part of the royal property on the grounds, called Lundegaard, where an old stone house is known to have existed in 1576.
Frederick II's pavilion and garden
During the 1420s, King Eric of PomeraniaEric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
created Kronborg Castle, the castle immortalized in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. It was built like a strong fortress for guarding Øresund and ensuring payment of sound dues
Sound Dues
The Sound Dues were a toll on the use of the Sound which constituted up to two thirds of Denmark's state income in the 16th and 17th centuries...
which were enforced by the immediate firing of all cannons on any ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
that refused to pay. It was very effective and collected two thirds of crown revenues. By the late Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, tastes had changed and Kronborg's high walls and bastions made it impossible to have a grand renaissance garden
Italian Renaissance garden
The Italian Renaissance garden was a new style of garden which emerged in the late 15th century at villas in Rome and Florence, inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty, and intended for the pleasure of the view of the garden and the landscape beyond, for contemplation, and for the...
. An old monastery north of the yard was therefore chosen as the new location and named Lundhave after the royal estate.
In 1587, Hans van Steenwinckel
Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder
Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder was a Flemish-Danish architect and sculptor. He worked on a large number of the most important Danish buildings of his time, although the exact scope of his contributions in many cases remains uncertain and much have been demolished or redesigned later...
the royal architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
built a parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
garden and a pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
for King Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
. It was a three story building, in the northern Italian renaissance style
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
. The first floor had an armory, that also stored equipment for equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
competitions, one of the so-called noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
disciplines, which also included fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. This was taught to all nobles at the time through the knight academies
Knight academy
Knight academies were developed by the German aristocracy in the late seventeenth century to facilitate the ascent of Prussia as a European power. They prepared aristocratic youth for state and military service. It added to the hitherto rudimentary education of the German aristocracy natural...
. The second floor was where the queen consort, Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, had her rooms and the top floor was for the king. Sadly, he would only have a short time to enjoy his newly built pavilion and garden, as he died in 1588, barely a year after construction was completed. His son, King Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
, would however get to use it throughout his reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
, coming there often and spending large sums of money improving the garden and planting rare trees. He would also keep many pheasants and other game birds on the estate, for hunting.
Lundhave from the 1650s to 1750s
King Frederik III of Denmark took over the royal estate in 1648 after the death of his father and seems not to have been very interested in the pavilion but did have the new gardener simplify and restructure the grounds by planting a fruitFruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and vegetable garden. Ten years later, the 1658 war with Sweden
Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)
The Dano-Swedish War of 1658–60 was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. It was a continuation of an earlier conflict between the two belligerents which had ended just months earlier, after Sweden and Denmark brokered a peace agreement in Roskilde in 1658...
took its toll on the pavilion, but fortunately the garden did not suffer too much damage. It remained mostly unused until the end of Frederik III's reign in 1670. A depiction of the pavilion and gardens can be seen in Peder Resen's
Peder Hansen Resen
Peder Hansen Resen was the Danish historian, legal scholar and the president's residence in the city. He was the son of Bishop Hans Hansen Resen.- Youth and education :...
Atlas Danicus dated 1660 and published in 1677. In the drawings he calls the pavilion and garden, Kongenshafve (The King's Garden).
It was King Christian V of Denmark
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
who once again brought life back to the pavilion, often coming to hunt
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and relax in the gardens. He was also the first to give it a complete renovation
Renovation
Renovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
. This was done between 1680 and 1681 by Hans van Steenwinckel Jr.
Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger
Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger was a Flemish-Danish architect who specialised in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of prestigious Danish buildings from the first half of the 17th century...
to repair the damage that had been caused by general aging over the last century and the recent war with Sweden. Steenwinckel Jr. kept to his father's original drawings, making only a few minor cosmetic changes, like the addition of Christian V's monogram
Monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series of uncombined initials is properly referred to as a...
and the year 1681.
From 1699 till 1723, the pavilion was owned by Frederick IV of Denmark
Frederick IV of Denmark
Frederick IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel .-Foreign affairs:...
who renovated it between 1716 and 1717. The king would not return after his marriage to Anne Sophie Reventlow
Anne Sophie Reventlow
Anne Sophie Reventlow was a Danish noble, royal mistress, spouse by bigamy and, later, queen consort of Denmark and Norway 1721–30, the second spouse of king Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway....
on April 4, 1721. Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
decided in 1747 to lease Lundhave for four years to Lieutenant Burghof and then, in 1751, sold the property to Johannes G. Putscher, a citizen of Helsingør.
Frederik V's pleasure palace
Lord ChamberlainLord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, Count Adam Gottlob Moltke
Adam Gottlob Moltke
Count Adam Gottlob Moltke , Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg.-Early life:...
purchased Lundhave in 1758. It is believed he acted on Frederik V's behalf as the deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
was issued to the king in 1760 and kept secret until his death in 1766. During these years, Count Moltke completely changed Frederik II's pavilion with the help of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin
Nicolas-Henri Jardin
Nicolas-Henri Jardin , neoclassical architect, was born in St. Germain des Noyers, Dept. Seine-et-Marne, France, and worked seventeen years in Denmark as an architect to the royal court...
, whose additions led to its present day architectural structure
Architectural structure
An architectural structure is a free-standing, immobile outdoor constructed element. The structure may be temporary or permanent.Structures include buildings and nonbuilding structures . Examples of building structures include houses, town halls, libraries, and skyscrapers...
and façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
.
Jardin's initial instructions were to preserve
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
the original pavilion, but he decided to build extensions on either side of the original building, thus creating a palace. They would be of the same height and depth but pulled back a little so as to allow the original pavilion to stand out in relation to the additions. The original lines were preserved and the entire building was brought together visually by a strong rotating main cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, crowned by a balustrade around the flat roof. The building's exterior also had horizontal bands of polished stone, medallions, festive additions over the windows and arcades on the second floor, emphasizing the classical architecture that Jardin had introduced to Denmark. The interior decoration had a number of prestigious Louis XVI interiors created by artists such as painter Carl Gustaf Pilo
Carl Gustaf Pilo
Carl Gustaf Pilo was a Swedish-born artist and painter, one of many 18th century European artists who had to leave their own country in order to make a living. Pilo worked extensively in Denmark as a painter to the Danish Court and as professor and director at the Royal Danish Academy of Art ,...
, decorators Joseph Christian Lillie
Joseph Christian Lillie
Joseph Christian Lillie , also known as J.C. Lillie, was a Danish neoclassical architect andinterior designer. His early career was in Denmark, where he is mainly known for his interior designs and furniture production...
, Johan Edvard Mandelberg
Johan Edvard Mandelberg
Johan Edvard Mandelberg , Swedish-born painter living in Denmark, was born at sea during a voyage between Stockholm and Livland, Sweden.- Mandelberg seeks training:...
and sculptor Simon Carl Stanley
Simon Carl Stanley
Simon Carl Stanley was a sculptor and was born of English parents.When he showed as a boy feel like drawing and træskæring, put him apprentice with hofbilledhugger JC Sturmberg...
. The parterre gardens were changed to a larger garden à la française
Garden à la française
The French formal garden, also called jardin à la française, is a style of garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order over nature. It reached its apogee in the 17th century with the creation of the Gardens of Versailles, designed for Louis XIV by the landscape architect André Le...
design, with symmetrical hedging, avenues, boxwood hedges, fountains and mirror ponds.
King Frederik V only had a few years to enjoy their work as he died in 1766 after which Queen Juliana Maria
Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Duchess Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , , was queen of Denmark between 1752 and 1766, second consort of king Frederick V of Denmark and Norway, mother of the prince-regent Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and herself de facto regent 1772–1784.- Early life and queen :Born...
took possession of the castle. It was renamed Marienlyst (Mary's Delight) in her honor and in the 1790s she had a romantic garden laid out with winding paths, folleys, including tumuli, hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
cottages and a medieval style Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
tower. She would use the castle often until her death in 1796.
During the transition period after her death, there was talk of Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Frederik
Frederick VI of Denmark
Frederick VI reigned as King of Denmark , and as king of Norway .-Regent of Denmark:Frederick's parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales...
taking up residence there but it was not to be. Instead, between 1796 and 1847, it became the residence of the director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of Øresund Customs House, Colonel Adam Gottlob von Krogh
Adam Gottlob von Krogh
Adam Gottlob von Krogh was a Norwegian-Danish military officer, and the son of Major General Caspar Herman von Krogh and his wife Christiane Ulrica née Lerche .He was married to his cousin Magdalene Adam Gottlob von Krogh (16 May 1768 - January 17, 1839) was a Norwegian-Danish military officer,...
and his wife Magdalene. He built a small thatched half-timbered house, and Krogh's garden in a little grove on the property in 1800. The building is no longer visible but parts of the small stone fence around the garden can still be seen. Close to the garden is Magdalene’s Hill where von Krogh set up a monument in the 1830s honoring his wife. He died in 1839, but his widow remained in residence until her death in 1847.
In his 1824 book Denmark Delineated, Andreas Andersen Feldborg
Andreas Andersen Feldborg
Andreas Andersen Feldborg, , Author, was the son a distiller, with the same name and was born in Copenhagen, Denmark Sept. 9, 1782.- Life :...
referred to the romantic gardens: Hamlet's garden is the favorite promenade of the inhabitants of Elsinore (Helsingør). It is generally filled with groups of elegant females and lovely children, whose manners and appearance bear pleasing testimony to the state of society in this part of his Danish Majesty's dominions. Just two years later, a young Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
also writes about Marienlyst, during a class outing whilst at grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in Helsingør. It is worth noting that his youthful excitement shows that he had yet to travel abroad very much: Yesterday I was with Meisling in Marienlyst; oh, it's one of the finest I've seen! Where sea and the whole countryside is lovely. Meisling says that the whole coast here is similar to that of Naples; the glorious hills are there in the garden, everything seems like Switzerland, and I felt so unspeakably happy, oh, one must become a poet or artist to see the beautiful nature. O Benefactor, Thanks! Thank you! for every happy moment! Life is Wonderful!
Sold to Helsingør municipality
The entire property was offered for sale at public auctionPublic auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
by King Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...
in 1851. The Helsingør municipality purchased it for 32,000 Rigsbankdaler, parceling out most of the land, then renting out the castle to J.S. Nathanson with his nearby Marienlyst Health Spa and Bathing House (Marienlyst Kur og Søbad). He renovated the castle, making it part of his resort. The connection to the health spa closed in 1896 and, in 1904, the castle was rented out as accommodation for three families.
The park was converted to its present appearance between 1919 and 1921 under the leadership of local gardener Gudmund Nyeland Brandt
Gudmund Nyeland Brandt
Gudmund Nyeland Brandt was a Danish landscape architect who was internationally renowned.-Career:...
. It would not be a reconstruction of the Jardin gardens but instead a reinterpretation of 17th century neoclassical style, appropriate to castle's classical design.
In 1930, the Town Museum moved into the basement and, in 1940, the whole building was taken over by the museum. After thorough restoration in 1953 by architect Volmars Drosted
Volmars Drosted
Volmars Drosted , was a Danish architect, born in Frederiksberg. He worked on a number of public buildings for the city of Helsingør as well as the thorough restoration of the famous Marienlyst Castle in 1953.-Career:...
, Marienlyst was used as offices for Helsingør City Council.
Marienlyst Castle is operated today as a branch of the Helsingør Municipality Museums. The castle has a permanent exhibition of paintings and Helsingør silver from the 18th and 19th centuries. They have over the years also organized temporary exhibitions, mainly dealing with the history of art. The painting exhibitions include William Petersen's a forgotten golden age of painting and marine painter Carl Frederick Sørensen. Within the Danish handicraft exhibitions have been shown The Danish Brooch, The Ceramic Jug and Beast of Law.
List of owners
- (1438–1536) St. Anna Abbey
- (1536–1751) The Crown Estates
- (1751–1758) Johannes G. Putscher
- (1758–1760) Adam Gottlob MoltkeAdam Gottlob MoltkeCount Adam Gottlob Moltke , Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg.-Early life:...
- (1760–1766) Frederick V of DenmarkFrederick V of DenmarkFrederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
- (1766–1767) The Crown Estates
- (1767–1796) Queen Dowager Juliane Marie
- (1796–1839) Frederick VII of DenmarkFrederick VII of DenmarkFrederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...
- (1796–1848) Adam Gottlob von KroghAdam Gottlob von KroghAdam Gottlob von Krogh was a Norwegian-Danish military officer, and the son of Major General Caspar Herman von Krogh and his wife Christiane Ulrica née Lerche .He was married to his cousin Magdalene Adam Gottlob von Krogh (16 May 1768 - January 17, 1839) was a Norwegian-Danish military officer,...
- (1848–1850) Christian VIII of DenmarkChristian VIII of DenmarkChristian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
- (1850–1851) Committee for the formation of an Invalid Hotel
- (1851-) Helsingør Municipality