Sønderborg Castle
Encyclopedia
Sønderborg Castle is located in the town of Sønderborg
, Denmark
on the island of Als in South Jutland
. It houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The castle is located in the middle of the town, in a park setting overlooking Als Fjord. The museum is open year round.
in 1158, built on an islet in Als Strait (Als Sund) that later was connected to the island of Als. The castle was built to provide protection against attacks by the Wends
and was part of a larger system of fortifications. Over the centuries, the castle has gradually been enlarged and rebuilt.
In the years following construction of Valdemar's fortified tower, an important struggle developed between the Danish king and the duke of Schloneswig over ownership of the island of Als and the town of Sønderborg. Ownership of the castle changed hands many times.
A peak in the history of the castle was the wedding of Valdemar IV (Valdemar Atterdag)
(ca. 1320-1375) to the duke's sister, Helvig of Schleswig.
Around 1350, the castle was expanded significantly by the addition of both the Blue Tower (Blåtårn) and huge outer walls. In 1490, the fortress became the property of the Danish crown. Both King Hans and his son Christian II
extended Sønderborg Castle and made it into one of the country's strongest fortresses.
In 1532, Christian II was lured into an ambush and taken to Sønderborg Castle, where he was held as a prisoner of state for seventeen years. Legend tells that the dethroned king was confined to the Blue Tower, but in reality he lived in comparatively lavish circumstances and probably was allowed freedom of movement within the outer walls, if sometimes under closely guarded conditions. The former king sometimes even joined the noble hunts at Als. The false story about the restless king walking around a round table making a groove in it with his thumb was fabricated long afterward, during the seventeenth century.
Christian III
in the mid-sixteenth century had the fortress modified and converted into a four-wing castle by architect Hercules von Oberberg
between 1549-57. King Hans's west wing was preserved and a further three wings were added in the new Renaissance
style.
After Christian III's death in 1559, Hercules von Oberberg built the unique castle chapel in 1568-1570 for Queen Mother Dorothea
.
After Dorothea's death in 1571, the castle passed into the ownership of Hans II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (also known as Hans the Younger). Under his rule, the castle became the center of a tiny duchy, Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
. This, however, was divided after his death in 1622.
The castle remained in the hands of the dukes of Southern Jutland until 1667, when the ruined duchy of Sønderborg was attached to the Danish throne and the castle became a Danish estate. The duchy’s representative, the prefect (‘’Amtmanden’’), took up residence at the castle. It was otherwise more or less unused in the years 1667-1718.
In 1718-1726, Frederik IV
had the castle rebuilt in Baroque
style by contractor general Wilhelm von Platen. The Blue Tower was demolished in 1755, and in 1764 the castle passed into the hands of the Duke of Augustenborg
; but, contrary to expectations, the castle did not become the duke's residence. Instead, it was rented out as a warehouse.
During both the first and the second Slesvig wars (1848-1850, 1864)
, Sønderborg Castle was used as a camp hospital and for quartering Danish troops.
After the war of 1864, the province and the castle became Prussia
n property and served as barracks from 1867 until the area was reunified with Denmark in 1920. The last duke of Augustenborg, Ernst Günther, allowed Sønderborg County Museum to move into a part of the castle in 1920. The next year, the Danish state bought the castle from the Duke, taking over the castle in 1921 and allowing several institutions to use it as long as they paid heed to the expanding museum.
In 1945 and 1946, the castle was used as an internment camp for persons charged with offenses to the state.
The Royal Inspectors of Listed State Buildings, Peter Koch and Jørgen Stærmose, conducted a thorough restoration of the castle from 1964 to 1973, returning it to the Baroque form it had been given by Frederik IV in the 1720s. The windows from the barracks era were even replaced with "masks", windows with broad wooden frames made of planks like the ones in Platen's castle.
to the present day, but with especial focus on the Schleswig wars of 1848-50 and 1864
, World War II
, and the Reunification of 1920.
The museum also hosts exhibitions on navigation, textiles and handicrafts, and has a small art collection with works by prominent Southern Jutland painters over the years.
The original ramparts around the castle became a visible part of the gardens in the 1970s.
. It is almost untouched, and is considered to be one of Europe's oldest and best-preserved Lutheran royal chapels.
Many of the items in the chapel were created in Antwerp at painter Frans Floris’ workshop. One of the royal couple’s sons, Duke Hans II, had a burial room built in the chapel with an imposing portal of marble
and alabaster
.
The chapel’s organ is attributed to organ builder Hermann Raphaëlis, and it is estimated to have been built ca. 1570. The paintwork on the organ case dates mainly from 1626. Hermann Raphaëlis (ca. 1515-July 8, 1583) was of Dutch descent and was the son of organ builder Gabriel Raphael Rottensteen. Raphaëlis was summoned to Denmark ca. 1550, supposedly to build an organ for Roskilde Cathedral. Apart from the instrument at Roskilde Cathedral, built in 1555, he also built an organ for the Chapel of Copenhagen Castle in 1557. Raphaëlis later settled in Saxony, where he among other things built organs in the chapels of castles belonging to Elector August of Saxony, the Queen Dorothea’s son-in-law.
The organ was reconstructed in 1996 by Danish organ builder and historian, Mads Kjersgaard, according to 16th century traditions with regard to tone and craftsmanship. The museum has a permanent exhibition of preserved parts from the Renaissance organ, including a rat's nest taken from one of the organ’s bellows.
Under the west gallery of the chapel there is a choir loft over which there was originally a royal chair; this disappeared when the organ was built in its present position in 1626. The chairs were made by local wood carver, Niels Tagsen, who also fashioned the pulpit and the 3 figures which were placed on the organ in 1626. The organ case and doors were partly repainted by Wulf Petersen of Sønderborg on the same occasion.
The chapel may be visited during the opening hours of the museum.
's niece, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
to Count
Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth in 1998.
Sønderborg
Sønderborg Municipality , is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark partially on the Jutland peninsula and partially on the island of Als in south Denmark, at the border with Germany. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 76,236...
, Denmark
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...
on the island of Als in South Jutland
South Jutland County
South Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
. It houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The castle is located in the middle of the town, in a park setting overlooking Als Fjord. The museum is open year round.
History
Sønderborg Castle began probably as a fortified tower constructed by Valdemar the GreatValdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark , also known as Valdemar the Great, was King of Denmark from 1157 until 1182.-Biography:...
in 1158, built on an islet in Als Strait (Als Sund) that later was connected to the island of Als. The castle was built to provide protection against attacks by the Wends
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
and was part of a larger system of fortifications. Over the centuries, the castle has gradually been enlarged and rebuilt.
In the years following construction of Valdemar's fortified tower, an important struggle developed between the Danish king and the duke of Schloneswig over ownership of the island of Als and the town of Sønderborg. Ownership of the castle changed hands many times.
A peak in the history of the castle was the wedding of Valdemar IV (Valdemar Atterdag)
Valdemar IV of Denmark
Valdemar IV of Denmark or Waldemar ; , was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375.-Ascension to the throne:...
(ca. 1320-1375) to the duke's sister, Helvig of Schleswig.
Around 1350, the castle was expanded significantly by the addition of both the Blue Tower (Blåtårn) and huge outer walls. In 1490, the fortress became the property of the Danish crown. Both King Hans and his son Christian II
Christian II of Denmark
Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...
extended Sønderborg Castle and made it into one of the country's strongest fortresses.
In 1532, Christian II was lured into an ambush and taken to Sønderborg Castle, where he was held as a prisoner of state for seventeen years. Legend tells that the dethroned king was confined to the Blue Tower, but in reality he lived in comparatively lavish circumstances and probably was allowed freedom of movement within the outer walls, if sometimes under closely guarded conditions. The former king sometimes even joined the noble hunts at Als. The false story about the restless king walking around a round table making a groove in it with his thumb was fabricated long afterward, during the seventeenth century.
Christian III
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
in the mid-sixteenth century had the fortress modified and converted into a four-wing castle by architect Hercules von Oberberg
Hercules von Oberberg
Hercules von Oberberg was a Dutch-Danish Renaissance architect. He was mainly active in the Duchy of Schleswig.-Biography:In his early years Hercules von Oberberg worked for Johann of Brandenburg-Küstrin but on 17 July 1557 he became Royal Building Master, succeeding Martin Bussert, but he only...
between 1549-57. King Hans's west wing was preserved and a further three wings were added in the new 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...
style.
After Christian III's death in 1559, Hercules von Oberberg built the unique castle chapel in 1568-1570 for Queen Mother Dorothea
Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg
Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg , consort of Christian III from 1525 and Queen consort of Denmark and Norway. She was daughter of Duke Magnus I of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine, daughter of Henry IV, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
.
After Dorothea's death in 1571, the castle passed into the ownership of Hans II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön (also known as Hans the Younger). Under his rule, the castle became the center of a tiny duchy, Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg was the name of a branch line of the House of Oldenburg as well as the name of their land. It existed from 1564 until 1668 and was a titular duchy under the King of Denmark, rather than a true territorial dukedom in its own right...
. This, however, was divided after his death in 1622.
The castle remained in the hands of the dukes of Southern Jutland until 1667, when the ruined duchy of Sønderborg was attached to the Danish throne and the castle became a Danish estate. The duchy’s representative, the prefect (‘’Amtmanden’’), took up residence at the castle. It was otherwise more or less unused in the years 1667-1718.
In 1718-1726, Frederik IV
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:...
had the castle rebuilt in Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
style by contractor general Wilhelm von Platen. The Blue Tower was demolished in 1755, and in 1764 the castle passed into the hands of the Duke of Augustenborg
Duke of Augustenborg
The House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was a branch of the dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg of the House of Oldenburg. The line descended from Alexander, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg...
; but, contrary to expectations, the castle did not become the duke's residence. Instead, it was rented out as a warehouse.
During both the first and the second Slesvig wars (1848-1850, 1864)
History of Schleswig-Holstein
The Jutland Peninsula is a long peninsula in Northern Europe, and the current Schleswig-Holstein is its southern part. Schleswig is also called Southern Jutland...
, Sønderborg Castle was used as a camp hospital and for quartering Danish troops.
After the war of 1864, the province and the castle became Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n property and served as barracks from 1867 until the area was reunified with Denmark in 1920. The last duke of Augustenborg, Ernst Günther, allowed Sønderborg County Museum to move into a part of the castle in 1920. The next year, the Danish state bought the castle from the Duke, taking over the castle in 1921 and allowing several institutions to use it as long as they paid heed to the expanding museum.
In 1945 and 1946, the castle was used as an internment camp for persons charged with offenses to the state.
The Royal Inspectors of Listed State Buildings, Peter Koch and Jørgen Stærmose, conducted a thorough restoration of the castle from 1964 to 1973, returning it to the Baroque form it had been given by Frederik IV in the 1720s. The windows from the barracks era were even replaced with "masks", windows with broad wooden frames made of planks like the ones in Platen's castle.
The museum and grounds
Since 1921 Sønderborg Castle has been the home for The Sønderborg Castle Museum (Museet på Sønderborg Slot), which is the main museum for the former Duchy of Slesvig. The museum houses local and regional history collections from the Middle AgesMiddle 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...
to the present day, but with especial focus on the Schleswig wars of 1848-50 and 1864
History of Schleswig-Holstein
The Jutland Peninsula is a long peninsula in Northern Europe, and the current Schleswig-Holstein is its southern part. Schleswig is also called Southern Jutland...
, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the Reunification of 1920.
The museum also hosts exhibitions on navigation, textiles and handicrafts, and has a small art collection with works by prominent Southern Jutland painters over the years.
The original ramparts around the castle became a visible part of the gardens in the 1970s.
The Chapel of Sønderborg Castle
The unique chapel of Sønderborg Castle, also known as Queen Dorothea's Chapel, was built 1568-70 by Hercules von Oberberg for Queen Mother Dorothea reflects the changing times in Denmark after the ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. It is almost untouched, and is considered to be one of Europe's oldest and best-preserved Lutheran royal chapels.
Many of the items in the chapel were created in Antwerp at painter Frans Floris’ workshop. One of the royal couple’s sons, Duke Hans II, had a burial room built in the chapel with an imposing portal of marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
.
The chapel’s organ is attributed to organ builder Hermann Raphaëlis, and it is estimated to have been built ca. 1570. The paintwork on the organ case dates mainly from 1626. Hermann Raphaëlis (ca. 1515-July 8, 1583) was of Dutch descent and was the son of organ builder Gabriel Raphael Rottensteen. Raphaëlis was summoned to Denmark ca. 1550, supposedly to build an organ for Roskilde Cathedral. Apart from the instrument at Roskilde Cathedral, built in 1555, he also built an organ for the Chapel of Copenhagen Castle in 1557. Raphaëlis later settled in Saxony, where he among other things built organs in the chapels of castles belonging to Elector August of Saxony, the Queen Dorothea’s son-in-law.
The organ was reconstructed in 1996 by Danish organ builder and historian, Mads Kjersgaard, according to 16th century traditions with regard to tone and craftsmanship. The museum has a permanent exhibition of preserved parts from the Renaissance organ, including a rat's nest taken from one of the organ’s bellows.
Under the west gallery of the chapel there is a choir loft over which there was originally a royal chair; this disappeared when the organ was built in its present position in 1626. The chairs were made by local wood carver, Niels Tagsen, who also fashioned the pulpit and the 3 figures which were placed on the organ in 1626. The organ case and doors were partly repainted by Wulf Petersen of Sønderborg on the same occasion.
The chapel may be visited during the opening hours of the museum.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall (‘'Riddersal’’) is 34 meters long and was the reception room for ducal guests, and the scene of parties and dances. The room is still used for special events, such as in connection with the marriage of Queen Margrethe IIMargrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
's niece, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was a county , most of which is located in the present district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, Germany . Its seat was the town and palace in Berleburg...
to 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...
Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth in 1998.