Nordborg Castle
Encyclopedia
Nordborg Castle is a small castle which lies on the southern side of Nordborg Lake in Nordborg
on the island of Als in Denmark
. The castle premises are currently used as a boarding school.
, founded by Svend Grathe
under the name Alsborg. Hence, this can be dated to around 1150.
Alsborg was built whilst the Wends
still dominated the Danish coast; its location a few kilometers inland meant that the castle could not be attacked without warning, and the local population had a better chance of taking refuge there.
The first written evidence of Alsborg is from the end of the 12th century. From this it is known that Bishop Valdemar of Slesvig
was held prisoner at Alsborg between 1192 and 1197.
After Sønderborg Castle
was built, Alsborg was renamed Nordborg.
Nordborg was for a large part of the middle ages
the property of the king, and was on several occasions a source of income for the king's widow.
In 1571 Frederik II
’s brother Hans the Younger inherited his mother Dorothea
's possessions of Als
and Sundeved
including Nordborg. Hans was an enterprising man, who in the next 50 years constantly expanded and improved his properties. There was a series of building projects in and around Nordborg Slot.
Upon Hans the Younger's death in 1622 his possessions were divided into separate dukedoms, including Nordborg, which went to his son Hans Adolf. Hans Adolf died only two years later and so the dukedom then went to Hans the Younger's other son Frederik.
, first by the Swedes
, then by the Brandenburgian
and Polish troops and finally by Swedish troops until peace came in 1660.
In 1665 fire broke out in the castle, and it burnt down. Duke Johan Bugislaw went bankrupt and forfeited his estate, which reverted next to August of Plön. In 1678 rebuilding of the castle began, and at this time the ducal coat-of-arms was placed over the castle entrance.
In 1730 Nordborg was taken back into crown possession. Nordborg had an estate of around 400 hectares, but in the following decades the land was turned into farms and in 1766 the castle was sold to a private owner and some of the buildings were demolished and sold for building materials.
.
After the reunification in 1920 the castle was bought by the merchant Johan Hansen. He established Nordborg Slot Foundation, which since 1922 has run a Danish boarding school at the castle.
Nordborg Castle has been the backdrop for a number of years for the Nordalsfestivalen.
Nordborg
Nordborg , is a town with a population of 6,730 and a former municipality in Sønderborg Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark on the northwest half of the island of Als off the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The former Nordborg municipality covered an area of...
on the island of Als in 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...
. The castle premises are currently used as a boarding school.
Founding and Early History
Nordborg Castle was, according to SaxoSaxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...
, founded by Svend Grathe
Sweyn III of Denmark
Sweyn III Grathe was the King of Denmark between 1146 and 1157, in shifting alliances with Canute V and his own cousin Valdemar I. In 1157, the three agreed a tripartition of Denmark...
under the name Alsborg. Hence, this can be dated to around 1150.
Alsborg was built whilst 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...
still dominated the Danish coast; its location a few kilometers inland meant that the castle could not be attacked without warning, and the local population had a better chance of taking refuge there.
The first written evidence of Alsborg is from the end of the 12th century. From this it is known that Bishop Valdemar of Slesvig
Valdemar of Denmark (bishop)
Valdemar Knudsen was a Danish clergyman and statesman. His mother gave birth to him as the posthumous illegitimate son of Canute V of Denmark...
was held prisoner at Alsborg between 1192 and 1197.
After Sønderborg Castle
Sønderborg Castle
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...
was built, Alsborg was renamed Nordborg.
Nordborg was for a large part of the middle ages
Middle 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...
the property of the king, and was on several occasions a source of income for the king's widow.
In 1571 Frederik II
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
’s brother Hans the Younger inherited his 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...
's possessions of Als
Als
Als is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea. It lies east of the Jutland peninsula of Denmark at the town of Sønderborg, and north of the German coast at Schleswig. Covering an area of 321 km² , the island has a total population of 51,322 as of 1 January 2010...
and Sundeved
Sundeved
Until January 1, 2007 Sundeved was a municipality in the former South Jutland County on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 69 km², and had a total population of 5,298...
including Nordborg. Hans was an enterprising man, who in the next 50 years constantly expanded and improved his properties. There was a series of building projects in and around Nordborg Slot.
Upon Hans the Younger's death in 1622 his possessions were divided into separate dukedoms, including Nordborg, which went to his son Hans Adolf. Hans Adolf died only two years later and so the dukedom then went to Hans the Younger's other son Frederik.
Occupation and Fire
Nordborg was occupied several times during the Swedish warsSecond Northern War
The Second Northern War was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Brandenburg-Prussia , the Habsburg Monarchy and Denmark–Norway...
, first by the Swedes
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
, then by the Brandenburgian
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
and Polish troops and finally by Swedish troops until peace came in 1660.
In 1665 fire broke out in the castle, and it burnt down. Duke Johan Bugislaw went bankrupt and forfeited his estate, which reverted next to August of Plön. In 1678 rebuilding of the castle began, and at this time the ducal coat-of-arms was placed over the castle entrance.
In 1730 Nordborg was taken back into crown possession. Nordborg had an estate of around 400 hectares, but in the following decades the land was turned into farms and in 1766 the castle was sold to a private owner and some of the buildings were demolished and sold for building materials.
High School and Boarding School
In 1909 the castle was purchased by Nordborg town. It was the pro-German Mayor Klinkers' dream to build a high school, which would be a counterweight for the Danish high schools north of the border. The castle was thereafter restored by the architect Eugen Fink, and in 1910 the castle was leased out to the German high school association in Northern SchleswigSouth Jutland County
South Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
.
After the reunification in 1920 the castle was bought by the merchant Johan Hansen. He established Nordborg Slot Foundation, which since 1922 has run a Danish boarding school at the castle.
Nordborg Castle has been the backdrop for a number of years for the Nordalsfestivalen.
Owners of Nordborg Castle
- (ca. 1150-1490) Between the Crown and the Sønderjyske dukes
- (1490-1564) the Crown
- (1564-1622) Duke Hans den Yngre
- (1622-1624) Duke Hans Adolf
- (1624-1658) Duke Frederik
- (1658-1669) Duke Hans Bugislav
- (1669-ca. 1672) the Crown
- (ca. 1672-1676) Johan Adolf of Pløn
- (1676-1699) Duke August of Nordborg-Pløn
- (1699-1722) Duke Joachim Frederik
- (1722-1729) Arvingerne til Duke Joachim Frederik
- (1729-1766) the Crown
- (1766-?) Hans Bugislav Carstens
- (?-1830) various owners
- (1830-?) Momme Steffens
- (?-1909) unknown owner
- (1909-1921) Nordborg town
- (1921) Johan Hansen
- (1921-) Nordborg Slot Foundation
External links
- Nordborg Castle on the 1001 stories about Denmark website (Danish language)