Sostrup Castle: A Renaissance Castle in Denmark
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- High
- Country
- Denmark
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern, Modern
- Civilizations
- Danish
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Sostrup Castle is a Renaissance castle in Denmark whose main building was begun in 1599 and completed in 1606. Its history includes medieval estate ownership, its role as a manor house, and later use by a Cistercian community.
Early records
A farm on the site may have belonged to Christopher II, a Danish king of the early fourteenth century. In 1327, he pawned a property called Svorttorp. Sostrup first appears in the written record in 1388, when Jens Lagesen Udsen was identified as its owner.
Manor and changing ownership
In 1725, Sostrup became the manor house of the County of Scheel, a noble territorial estate rather than a modern administrative district. The county was dissolved in 1823, after which the Danish state held the estate until 1829. Jacob von Benzon then took possession, and Sostrup became an entailed estate called Benzon, meaning its inheritance was restricted to help keep it within a family line. The name Sostrup returned in 1944.
Cistercian use and recent restoration
From 1960, the castle grounds housed a Cistercian nunnery. The Cistercians are a Catholic monastic order that follows the Rule of St. Benedict. The abbey was dissolved in 2012. On 1 June 2014, Kirsten and Anders Bundgaard bought the castle and undertook restoration, establishing a hotel and conference centre there.
Remains
The castle and its grounds occupy a rectangular bank west of a meadow and former seabed, which was connected to the sea between Denmark and Sweden. Farm buildings and employees’ quarters stand west of the castle. The castle, garden, and surrounding buildings cover 20 hectares, with a further 239.8 hectares of farmland and woodland.
Castle and estate layout
The Renaissance main building forms the central feature of the estate. Its construction began in 1599 and was completed in 1606.
Monastery complex
The Cistercian nuns built a separate monastery complex southwest of the castle, including its own church. The complex was occupied in 1992.
Parchment letter
A parchment letter dated 1388 is kept in the castle’s vault. It names Jens Lagesen Udsen as Sostrup’s owner.
