Jomfruens Egede: A Neoclassical Manor House in Denmark
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Denmark
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Denmark–Norway
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Manor House
On this page5 sections
History
Early estate and name
Jomfruens Egede is a manor house in Faxe Municipality, Denmark, on an estate whose history reaches back to 1346. The estate was then called Egedegaard and belonged to Uffe Pedersen Neb, a loyal supporter of King Valdemar IV, who ruled Denmark from 1340 to 1375.
The name Jomfruens Egede, meaning “Egede of the Lady,” recalls Ermegaard and Birgitte Bille, two unmarried noblewomen who inherited the estate from their father in 1542. “Egede” comes from an older term for a large oak forest, while “gaard” means a farm or manor.
Sophie Amalie Moth and 18th-century changes
Sophie Amalie Moth, the mistress of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, acquired the estate in 1674. On 31 December 1677, she received official recognition and the title Countess of Samsø. After Christian V died in 1699, she made Jomfruens Egede her home until her death in 1719. Her son, Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve, Count of Samsø, inherited the estate.
Claus Benedix Beenfeldt purchased Jomfruens Egede in 1740. He also owned nearby Lystrup Castle, and the two estates have remained under common ownership since then. In the 1790s, Christian Frederik von Holstein-Rathlou enlarged the house and altered its design with architects Caspar Frederik Harsdorff and Joseph Christian Lillie.
Moltke ownership
Adam Wilhelm Moltke acquired Jomfruens Egede in 1831 and owned it through 1857. He had inherited Bregentved in 1818 and later became Denmark’s first prime minister after the adoption of the 1849 constitution. His estate acquisitions and management responsibilities placed him in charge of one of Denmark’s largest landholdings.
His son, Christian Henrik Carl Moltke, inherited Jomfruens Egede and Lystrup. After a diplomatic career in London and Vienna, he turned to managing the estates. Jomfruens Egede remained in the Moltke family, with Joachim Godske Norman Moltke holding the estate from 1990.
Remains
The manor house has two parallel wings, with their southern side bordering the churchyard of Østre Egede Church. Its Neoclassical design belongs to a movement drawing on Greek and Roman forms. The house is about three kilometres northwest of Faxe and around 40 kilometres south of Copenhagen.
The National Museum of Denmark has described the house as possibly the finest example of its period. It has also characterized the interiors as possibly the finest example of Danish interior design and furnishings from the late 18th century.
