Edelgave

History

The area is first mentioned in 1307 when Cecilie Jonsdatter left it to Esrum Abbey in her will; the property was later known as Rompe. From about 1600 it was owned by the crown. The farm was destroyed in the two Dano-Swedish Wars (1657–1660). In 1663, Frederik III granted the property to Admiral of the Realm Henrik Bjelke and his wife Edel Ylfeldt for life.

Five years later, the king created a deed ceding the property to Edel Ulfeldt and her descendants, mentioning the name 'Edelgave' as the name of a future manor house. Bjelke expanded the estate with several new tenant farms prior to its elevation to manor house in 1682, and constructed a new half-timbered, three-winged main building. In 1799, Vibeke Bielke sold the estate to Henrik Weldingh; it later passed to his son Christian Weldingh. J. Bornemann. The house was destroyed by fire in the early 1780s.

The property had been sold in 1787 to Hans Georg Faith for 60,000 rigsdaler; in 1791 he sold it to county manager Jakob Rosted for 69,000 rigsdaler. In 1798, Edelgave was acquired by Christian Lange for 88,100 rigsdaler; Lange already owned Nørre Alléenlyst in Frederiksberg and estates in Jutland. In 1806, Lange sold Edelgave to J. Bartholin-Eichel for 100,000 rigsdaler.

In 1808, Friederich Tutein acquired it for 134,000 rigsdaler; in 1830 he ceded it to his son Friederich Wilhelm Tutein, and the Tutein family held it for nearly a hundred years. From 1921 to 1943 it was owned by Th. Madsen-Mygdal, later prime minister. From 1958 to 1992, Edelgave was owned by Gudmund Jørgensen, founder of Vallø Saft, who planted most of the land with fruit trees.

Architecture

The plastered, Neoclassical house comprises a two-storey Corps de logis with a black-glazed tile roof, flanked by one-storey secondary service wings with hipped red tile roofs, forming a small Cour d'honneur. The main building sits on the west side of a larger courtyard surrounded by farm buildings, mostly dating from 1866 but incorporating remains of Bjelke's original half-timbered structures. The main building is listed; the farm buildings are not. A driveway lined with white-painted boulders crosses the courtyard.

Did You Know?

• Smørholm, the 700-year-old site of the main castle building, is located immediately southeast of the current main building.
• The ash tree avenue Edelgave Allé and the burial mound Gyngehøj next to it are protected.