Glorup Manor
Encyclopedia
Glorup is a manor house
located between Nyborg
and Svendborg
in the south-east of the Danish island Funen
. Rebuilt to the design of Nicolas-Henri Jardin
and his pupil Christian Josef Zuber in 1763-65, it is considered one of the finest Baroque
complexes in Denmark.
The first reliable documentation of Glorup is from the Renaissance, when Christoffer Valkendorff
built a four-winged house in two storeys with four towers, surrounded by a moat
. It was an impressive building for its time but only the foundation with the cellar and a sandstone tablet with a horse and the Valkendorf coat of arms are left of this house. Nowadays the tablet is placed over a door in the old riding-house.
Glorup was owned by the Valkendorf family from 1400 to 1661, when they were forced to sell the estate following the destructions of the Northern Wars
. Glorup was then owned by the Ahlefeldt family from 1661-1711 before coming into the pocession of the Plessen family in 1711.
. One storey disappeared and a Mansard roof
was put on all four wings. The house was plastered and whitewashed. The form-language of the time was Baroque.
After the death of Scheel-Plessen in 1762, Glorup was bought by Count Adam Gottlob Moltke
of Bregentved, who at the same time bought Rygaard, the neighbouring manor, for 120,000 rigsdaler. The cost was partly covered by a prize of 60,000 which he had won on the lottery together with the dowry he received from his second wife. Moltke, a prominent and skillful farmer, put the manor on its feet again, helped by the rising prices of agricultural products in Europe. Count Moltke was very pleased with his new acquisition, but the house already looked old-fashioned. He therefore decided to have it modernized, commissioning Denmark's foremost architect, Nicolas-Henri Jardin
, who had just assisted him at Marienlyst Palace, and his architectural designer Christian Josef Zuber.
When the home farm
was moved in the 1860s, it left room for greater gardens. They were laid out between 1862 and 1875 by landscape architect Henrik August Flindt
, with the head gardener Eltzholtz in charge of the work on site. On the island in the little lake, a fountain was built which sprays water from the mouths of lions. Among the new gardens was also a French garden by the lakeside with flowers and shrubs in formal ornamental patterns, and with two rows of statues depicting Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Each year 100.000 plants were bedded out from the greenhouses.
s and pilasters partly painted yellow. It is topped with a large Mansard roof
in glazed black tile. The flèche
on the roof was added from 1773 to 1775.
A broad flight of steps leads up to the main entrance, and there are similar steps on the north and south sides of the house. The inside contains a series of elegant rooms, especially the dining hall decorated in gold and white and the entrance hall with its double staircase.
The chapel from 1898 is built in Neo-Gothic
style. It has a Catholic interior and a sepulchral chapel.
, projecting out into the surroundings. Founded in the middle of the 18th century, the Anglo-Chinese garden is one of the earliest Romantic garden complexes in the country. Oaks and fruit trees are to be found in the park as well as exotic varieties such as giant sequoias
, ginkgos and a tulip tree
. The winding paths connect pavilions, statues, vases and a mirror pond.
in the park commemorates a family reunion at Glorup in 1778. Tablets note the names and titles of the 32 family members present on that occasion. The memorial was designed by the royal sculptor, Johannes Wiedewelt
. An inscription reveals the hostess's wish to see her family live forever in the abodes of the blessed.
from 1868, built in the shape of a small temple with six Doric
column
s. It houses Johannes Wiedewelt
's Andromeda from 1764. The statue was originally placed in Moltke's mansion in Copenhagen, now part of Amalienborg Palace
. It depicts Andromeda
who, as divine punishment for her mother's bragging, was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster.
The Glorup Estate with Rygaard Manor extends over 1,132 hectares.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
located between Nyborg
Nyborg
Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 16,492 . Nyborg is one of the 14 large municipalities created on 1 January 2007...
and 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 the south-east of the Danish island Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
. Rebuilt to the design of 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...
and his pupil Christian Josef Zuber in 1763-65, it is considered one of the 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...
complexes in Denmark.
Early history
Glorup is first mentioned in 1390, but nothing is known about the building at that time and the name may refer to a village rather than a building.The first reliable documentation of Glorup is from the Renaissance, when Christoffer Valkendorff
Christoffer Valkendorff
Christoffer Valkendorff was a Danish statesman and Steward of the Realm.He descended from a German immigrant aristocratic family. During the 1550s he made himself a career in Norway where he successfully opposed the last remains of Hanseatic influence, which earned him the benevolence of King...
built a four-winged house in two storeys with four towers, surrounded by a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. It was an impressive building for its time but only the foundation with the cellar and a sandstone tablet with a horse and the Valkendorf coat of arms are left of this house. Nowadays the tablet is placed over a door in the old riding-house.
Glorup was owned by the Valkendorf family from 1400 to 1661, when they were forced to sell the estate following the destructions of the Northern Wars
Northern Wars
Northern Wars is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. An internationally agreed nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised...
. Glorup was then owned by the Ahlefeldt family from 1661-1711 before coming into the pocession of the Plessen family in 1711.
Redesigning the house
In 1723, Privy Councillor (Danish: Gehejmeråd) Christian Ludvig Scheel-Plessen inherited Glorup and, from 1743 to 1744, rebuilt the house with the assistance of architect Philip de LangePhilip de Lange
Philip de Lange was a leading Dutch-Danish architect who designed many different types of building in various styles including Dutch Baroque and Rococo.-Early life and family:...
. One storey disappeared and a Mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
was put on all four wings. The house was plastered and whitewashed. The form-language of the time was Baroque.
After the death of Scheel-Plessen in 1762, Glorup was bought by Count Adam Gottlob Moltke
Adam Gottlob Moltke
Count Adam Gottlob Moltke , Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg.-Early life:...
of Bregentved, who at the same time bought Rygaard, the neighbouring manor, for 120,000 rigsdaler. The cost was partly covered by a prize of 60,000 which he had won on the lottery together with the dowry he received from his second wife. Moltke, a prominent and skillful farmer, put the manor on its feet again, helped by the rising prices of agricultural products in Europe. Count Moltke was very pleased with his new acquisition, but the house already looked old-fashioned. He therefore decided to have it modernized, commissioning Denmark's foremost 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...
, who had just assisted him at Marienlyst Palace, and his architectural designer Christian Josef Zuber.
Expansions of the park
Until Moltke acquired Glorup, there was only a fairly small garden in front of the south wing of Glorup. He laid out a bigger English garden south-west of the castle. It was also Moltke who planted the tree-lined avenues.When the home farm
Home Farm
Home Farm may refer to:* Home Farm F.C., Irish football club* Home Farm, Brodick, the estate farm for Brodick Castle, in Scotland* Home Farm, Bracknell, a suburb in Berkshire, England* Home Farm , historic farm...
was moved in the 1860s, it left room for greater gardens. They were laid out between 1862 and 1875 by landscape architect Henrik August Flindt
Henrik August Flindt
Henrik August Flindt was a Danish gardener and landscape architect. His specialty was manor house gardens, of which he designed around 200 in Denmark and abroad...
, with the head gardener Eltzholtz in charge of the work on site. On the island in the little lake, a fountain was built which sprays water from the mouths of lions. Among the new gardens was also a French garden by the lakeside with flowers and shrubs in formal ornamental patterns, and with two rows of statues depicting Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Each year 100.000 plants were bedded out from the greenhouses.
Architecture
Glorup Manor consists of four low white-washed wings with window frames, corniceCornice
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...
s and pilasters partly painted yellow. It is topped with a large Mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
in glazed black tile. The flèche
Flèche
A flèche is used in French architecture to refer to a spire and in English to refer to a lead-covered timber spire, or spirelet. These are placed on the ridges of church or cathedral roofs and are usually relatively small...
on the roof was added from 1773 to 1775.
A broad flight of steps leads up to the main entrance, and there are similar steps on the north and south sides of the house. The inside contains a series of elegant rooms, especially the dining hall decorated in gold and white and the entrance hall with its double staircase.
The chapel from 1898 is built in Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. It has a Catholic interior and a sepulchral chapel.
Park
Glorup Manor is situated in undulating countryside with many lakes and marshes. The park has two sections, a formal French Baroque garden and an Anglo-Chinese landscape garden. They are bounded by long, almost parallel avenues of lime treeTilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
, projecting out into the surroundings. Founded in the middle of the 18th century, the Anglo-Chinese garden is one of the earliest Romantic garden complexes in the country. Oaks and fruit trees are to be found in the park as well as exotic varieties such as giant sequoias
Sequoiadendron
Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and...
, ginkgos and a tulip tree
Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...
. The winding paths connect pavilions, statues, vases and a mirror pond.
Obelisk
An obeliskObelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
in the park commemorates a family reunion at Glorup in 1778. Tablets note the names and titles of the 32 family members present on that occasion. The memorial was designed by the royal sculptor, Johannes Wiedewelt
Johannes Wiedewelt
Johannes Wiedewelt , Danish neoclassical sculptor, was born in Copenhagen to royal sculptor to the Danish Court, Just Wiedewelt, and his wife Birgitte Lauridsdatter...
. An inscription reveals the hostess's wish to see her family live forever in the abodes of the blessed.
Folly
The park also contains a follyFolly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
from 1868, built in the shape of a small temple with six Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s. It houses Johannes Wiedewelt
Johannes Wiedewelt
Johannes Wiedewelt , Danish neoclassical sculptor, was born in Copenhagen to royal sculptor to the Danish Court, Just Wiedewelt, and his wife Birgitte Lauridsdatter...
's Andromeda from 1764. The statue was originally placed in Moltke's mansion in Copenhagen, now part of Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard ; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's...
. It depicts Andromeda
Andromeda (mythology)
Andromeda is a princess from Greek mythology who, as divine punishment for her mother's bragging, the Boast of Cassiopeia, was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster. She was saved from death by Perseus, her future husband. Her name is the Latinized form of the Greek Ἀνδρομέδη...
who, as divine punishment for her mother's bragging, was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster.
Bridge ruin
Another romantic feature, located not far from the temple, was a suspension-bridge spanning a ravine. Built in 1867, the bridge was 138 feet long. Today only the towers remains.Inscribed stone
On the small island there is a stone with a contradictory inscription in French which reads: "La nudité de ce monument sans Epitaphe et sans Inscription dit aux âmes sensible et honnêtes tout ce qu'il est possible de dire" (English: "The nakedness of this monument without epitaph and without inscription tells sensitive and honest souls everything there is to say.").Glorup today
The Moltke family, since 1843 as Moltke-Huitfeldt, still owns Glorup and Rygaard. The building seen today is in almost all respects as it was in 1765. The home farm was moved away from the main building in the 1860. The park has public access.The Glorup Estate with Rygaard Manor extends over 1,132 hectares.