Clausholm Castle is a large Danish

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...

 country house located some 12 km southeast of Randers

Randers

Randers is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...

 in eastern Jutland

Jutland

Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...

. It is one of Denmark's finest Baroque

Baroque architecture

Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...

 buildings.

History

The castle's origins appear to go back to the 12th century but it is first mentioned in the 14th century when its owner, Lage Ovesen, was one of the leaders of the Jute uprising against Valdemar Atterdag. At the time, Clausholm was a four-winged building surrounded by a moat. But when the first Danish primeminister, Grand Chancellor Conrad von Reventlow

Conrad von Reventlow

Conrad von Reventlow was the first Prime Minister of Denmark from 1699 until his death. His Chancellorship occurred during the reign of Frederick IV.-Biography:...

, acquired the property in the 1690s, it was in such a sorry state that he pulled it down and had today's two-storeyed, three-winged building constructed in its place. It was designed by Danish architect Ernst Brandenburger

Ernst Brandenburger

Ernst Brandenburger was a Danish master builder and entrepreneur who, through his collaboration with Christof Marselis and Wilhelm Friedrich von Platen, left his mark on Danish Baroque architecture during the early reign of King Frederick IV.-History:Brandenburger was engaged as master builder...

 with the assistance of the Swede Nicodemus Tessin the Younger

Nicodemus Tessin the Younger

Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle-most generation of the brief Tessin dynasty, which have had a lasting influence on...

.

The castle was designed so that the Grand Chancellor could live on the ground floor while the first floor, with higher and more decorative ceilings, was intended for royal visitors. Both the castle and the park are among Denmark's earliest and finest from the Baroque

Baroque architecture

Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...

 period.

It was thanks to Reventlow's daughter, Anna Sophie Reventlow, that the castle gained fame when she was abducted by an amorous king, Frederick 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:...

. Anna Sophie became his queen in 1721 but when he died in 1730, she returned to Clausholm with her court.

In the castle's chapel, decorated by Anna Sophie, is one of Denmark's oldest organs built around 1700 by the Botzen brothers from Copenhagen.

Restoration

As there was no running water or electricity at the castle, for many years it was only inhabited during the summer. But in 1964, the new owners, Henrik and Ruth Berner, modernised the facilities with the result that the castle came back to life.

Restoration work continued for a considerable period, great care being taken to protect the historical building which had practically remained untouched since the 1730s. The efforts were rewarded in 1994 when Queen Margrethe

Margrethe 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:...

 presented the castle with the Europa Nostra Prize

Europa Nostra

Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, is the representative platform of 250 heritage NGOs active in 45 countries across Europe...

for outstanding heritage work.

Park and estate

The large Baroque park with its fountains and avenues was designed in the 18th century. In 2009, with the support of the Realdania Foundation, the park was thoroughly renovated.

The 900-hectar estate includes Schildenseje, Sophie-Amaliegård, Sophienlund and Estrupgård.