Næsseslottet Manor

Næsseslottet is an 18th-century country house and previously a royal farm known as Dronningegård. Dronninggård was built in 1661 to manage the Crown's extensive holdings of farm land in the area. The farm belonged to the powerful Queen Sophie Amalie until her death in 1714, hence the name which translates as Queen's House. After that, the property was sold and changed hands several times but eventually it fell into a state of despair.

The main building stood as a ruin when the estate was acquired by Frédéric de Coninck in 1881. Originally from the Netherlands, he had emigrated to Denmark in 1763 where he had set up a shipping company and made a fortune in foreign trade. He commissioned court architect Andreas Kirkerup to build a new house while the old building was rebuilt and converted into a farm.

Frédéric de Coninck was very fond of the estate and its surroundings. When he acquired the Danneskiold-Laurvig Mansion in Copenhagen (now known as Moltke's Mansion after a later owner) in 1788, to serve as his new residence during the winter season, he commissioned the painter Erik Pauelsen to create two large paintings and three overdoors with motifs of his Dronninggård estate.

After de Coninck's death at Næsseslottet in 1811. both the shipping empire and the Dronninggård estate was passed on to his son but the times were changing. Denmark was experiencing hard times after the state bankruptcy in 1813 and after de Coninck's company went bankrupt in 1821, Dronninggård had to be sold. The following owners generally preferred to reside at Frederikslund while Næsseslottet fell into neglect. In 1898, it was acquired by a consortium and turned into a bathing hotel while most of the land was sold off in lots. However, the venue was no great succes and in 1906 the property was sold to August Bagge, a book publisher.

Later in the century the estate was acquired by Copenhagen Municipality and turned into a medical facility. In 1984 the Danish Red Cross used the building as their first refugee centre in Denmark. In 1986 it once again passed into private ownership and has now been turned into an office hotel.

The manor park has a number of monuments and decorative features. The sculptor Carl Frederik Stanley created several monument for the park, including one to trade and shipping. Johannes Wiedewelt has contributed with an obelisk and ornamental vases. The two pavilions and the stables were designed by Axel Berg and are from about 1900.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Dronninggårds Alle 136, Holte, Denmark

Details

Founded: 1783
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Denmark
Historical period: The Age of Enlightenment and Napoleonic Wars (Denmark)