Borreby

Lore & Background

First mentioned in 1345, Borreby came into the possession of the Urne family by the end of the century. In 1410 the estate was acquired by Bishop Peder Jensen Lodehat and was held by the Bishops of Roskilde until its confiscation by the Crown in 1536 during the Reformation. King Frederick II ceded the property to Chancellor Johan Friis in 1553, who built the current castle 300 metres north of the old building. After Johan Friis' death in 1570, his nephew Christian Friis expanded the complex with new wings, a gatehouse, and farm buildings, while the existing water features were retained from the original construction. Christian Friis' daughter Dorthe brought Borreby into her marriage to Claus Daa, and the estate later passed to their descendants. Valdemar Daa ran the estate into economic ruin through experiments with alchemy, inspiring Hans Christian Andersen's story.

Reader's Guide

Borreby Castle is significant as a well-preserved example of a 16th-century fortified manor house in Denmark, built for one of the most powerful men in the country, Chancellor Johan Friis. Its architecture features Renaissance red brick, four towers, and machicolation holes that once supported a defensive walkway. The estate's history reflects key Danish historical events, including the Reformation and the rise and fall of noble families. Since 1783, the Castenschiold family has maintained ownership, managing the 722-hectare estate as a modern agricultural property with biomass production. The castle also serves as a cultural venue, hosting an art gallery and a theatre in a converted barn. Public access to the outer courtyard and park is free, and tours are available by prior arrangement. The listing in 1918 ensures its preservation for future generations.

Did You Know?

• Borreby Castle was first mentioned in 1345.
• The current main building was built for Chancellor Johan Friis in the mid-16th century.
• Valdemar Daa's alchemy experiments inspired a Hans Christian Andersen story.
• The estate covers 722 hectares, including 509 hectares of farmland.

Renaissance Brick and Defensive Bones

Borreby Castle stands as a striking example of 16th-century Danish Renaissance architecture, raised in red brick for Chancellor Johan Friis in the mid-1500s. The structure rises two and a half storeys above a stone plinth, crowned by a pitched roof, and is punctuated by four towers—three clustered along the northern façade and a dedicated staircase tower on the south. Arched friezes run above each level, while the windows are framed by depressed arches, lending the masonry a rhythmic, ornamental quality. Despite its elegant profile, the building retains a distinctly martial character: machicolation holes are visible on all four sides, remnants of a former walkway that once allowed defenders to drop projectiles on attackers. The surrounding complex was significantly enlarged under Christian Friis, who added an extra moat, east and west courtyard wings, a gatehouse completed around 1600, and substantial farm buildings to the west. A chapel in the west wing was redesigned in its present form in 1754.

Alchemy, Ruin, and Andersen's Cautionary Tale

One of Borreby's most colorful episodes belongs to the Daa family, who held the estate from the early 1600s through the 1680s. The brothers Oluf and Valdemar Daa, who managed the property between 1652 and 1681, drove it into severe economic difficulty. Valdemar in particular squandered considerable sums pursuing alchemical experiments—efforts that proved both fruitless and financially catastrophic. This dramatic decline did not go unnoticed by Denmark's most celebrated literary figure. In 1859, Hans Christian Andersen published 'The Wind Tells about Valdemar Daae and His Daughters,' a tragic narrative in which the last descendant of Johan Friis to own Borreby loses the estate through his own foolish and ultimately unsuccessful alchemical pursuits. Andersen's story transformed a local financial disaster into a cautionary tale, embedding Borreby's name in Danish literary memory. The castle's proximity to nearby Holsteinborg and Basnæs manor houses created a small cluster of estates where Andersen was a frequent guest, further weaving the property into the cultural fabric of the region.

Two Centuries Under One Roof: The Castenschiold Line

Borreby's ownership history stretches back to its first recorded mention in 1345, when it belonged to Niels Jensen. By the close of the 14th century, the estate had passed to the Urne family, a prominent house of Danish high nobility. In 1410, Bishop Peder Jensen Lodehat acquired it, and it remained in the hands of the Bishops of Roskilde until the Crown confiscated the property in 1536 as part of the Reformation. King Frederick II then ceded it to Chancellor Johan Friis in 1553, beginning a period of Friis and Daa family stewardship that lasted over a century. After a succession of owners including the Ramel and Berregaard families, Major General Joachim Castenschiold purchased Borreby in 1783. Remarkably, the estate has remained in the Castenschiold family's possession ever since, passing through at least nine generations of descendants. This unbroken line of ownership over more than two centuries makes Borreby one of the longest-held private estates in Denmark, a continuity that has shaped its architecture, landscape, and cultural identity.

A Living Estate: Farming, Art, and the Stage

Today, Borreby functions as both a working agricultural operation and a cultural destination. The estate encompasses 722 hectares of land, divided into 509 hectares of farmland, 17 hectares of meadows, 78 hectares of bogland, and 8 hectares of parkland and lake. A significant portion of the agricultural output is dedicated to biomass production for power stations across the island of Zealand. The castle's cultural role has expanded considerably: the Borreby Art Gallery occupies the former courthouse and parts of the old stables, while a 450-seat theatre is under construction in a barn originally built in 1593. Additional buildings are being adapted to house a restaurant and café. The outer courtyard and park are open to the public free of charge, offering views of the historic buildings, and the castle itself can be visited on guided tours arranged in advance. In 1918, the main building and several outbuildings were entered into the Danish register of protected buildings and places, ensuring their preservation for future generations.

Gallery