Valdemars Castle
Encyclopedia
Tåsinge
Tåsinge is a Danish island south of Funen, at Svendborg. The island covers an area of 70 km² and has 6,111 inhabitants.Tåsinge was once called Thorsinge or Thorsenge, which in the Danish means "Thor's Bed" or "Thor's Meadow"...
near Svendborg
Svendborg
Svendborg is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark. The town is in Svendborg municipality . Svendborg is the second-largest city on Funen and has a population of 27,009 ....
in southern 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...
.
History
Valdemars Castle was built by King Christian IVChristian 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...
(1588–1648) between 1639 and 1644 by his architect Hans van Stenwinkel.
The king’s plans for his new castle were that the house should become the home for his son Valdemar Christian
Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Valdemar Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was the son of king Christian IV of Denmark and his morganatic spouse Kirsten Munk...
, who was born to him by Kirstine Munk
Kirsten Munk
Kirsten Munk was a Danish noble, the second spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark, and mother to twelve of his children.- Early life and Morganatic marriage:...
. King Christian was renowned for his interest in building. On the island of Tåsinge, belonging to his mother in law Ellen Marsvin
Ellen Marsvin
Ellen Marsvin was a Danish noble, landowner and county administrator. She was the mother-in-law of King Christian IV of Denmark as the mother of Kirsten Munk....
, the king decided to build a castle for his young son. However, Valdemar Christian never moved in. He was killed in battle in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1656.
In 1678 the naval hero, Admiral Niels Juel
Niels Juel
Niels Juel was a Dano–Norwegian admiral. He was the brother of the diplomat Jens Juel.-Biography:Niels Juel was born the son of Erik Juel and Sophie Clausdatter Sehested, both were descendant of Danish nobility, who lived in Jutland where the father had a career as a local functionary and judge...
, was given title to the castle and the land on Tåsinge
Tåsinge
Tåsinge is a Danish island south of Funen, at Svendborg. The island covers an area of 70 km² and has 6,111 inhabitants.Tåsinge was once called Thorsinge or Thorsenge, which in the Danish means "Thor's Bed" or "Thor's Meadow"...
after his victory over Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the Battle of Køge Bay
Battle of Køge Bay
The Battle of Køge Bay was a naval battle between Denmark-Norway and Sweden that took place in the bay of Køge 1–2 July 1677, during the Scanian War, while Christian V was king of Denmark. It resulted in what may be Denmark's greatest naval victory....
in 1677. The estate was transferred to him as payment for the Swedish ships captured in the battle.
Today
The present owner, Baron Iuel-Brockdorff, who is 11th generation of the Juel family, took over his childhood home from his father in 1971 and lives in the castle with his wife and family. Valdemars Slot has been open to the public since 1974. The castle is open from May to October and on public holidays.The castle features a large chapel, a toy museum, the Iuel-Brockdorff family's big game trophy collection and a local maritime museum. As the castle lies near the beach, it is popular for visitors to come by ferry on the Helge from Svendborg.