It was still a very dark morning, when Jens and I arrived to my flying club in Holbæk, and we had to use the light from our mobile phones to open the hangar. The weather was unstable, and we weren’t sure whether we’d be able to fly, and if yes, how far away we could go. At least, there wasn’t any fog.
We patiently waited for the sunrise behind the clouds, did weather briefing, and decided to take our first flight of 2021 easy – go flying around Holbæk, and see some of the manor houses and castles in the area from air. Our approximate route was as follows:
Gislingegaard was our first way point. It is a very nice estate, with an English style park, a lake, and a runway (right below). The owner is a pilot, and he sometimes visits our fly-ins in Holbæk flying club in his aircraft.
Gislingegaard is from 1730, but burned a couple of times, and changed many owners. The existing main building was built in 1873 in Gothic style with crest gables and a beautiful front.
Very close to Gislingegaard there is another estate called Vognserup, known from the 14th century:
The existing main building was built in 1559-1575, it was restored in 1921, and today it is protected by law.
In the Middle Ages, Vognserup belonged to the extinct family Rud. Peder Rud (1491-1559), a friend of King Frederik II, married Grete Bryske in 1520. After his death in 1559, the current main building was built by Grethe Bryske.
Grethe Bryske was a noblewoman from Funen, she was said to be strict and tough. She robbed her brother Jørgen Bryske of his inheritance to get money for the main building. The brother was taken prisoner in Vognserup’s basement and walled inside. That’s what noblewomen from Funen normally do! Grethe Bryske died in 1587, and a legend has it, she still lives in Vognserup, as a ghost.
We flew south and did a couple of rounds over the Løvenborg – a majestic castle surrounded by a water-filled moat (photo below). The main building at Løvenborg Castle dates from 1634, though the place has been known since the 12th century. There are beautiful gardens that are open for public during summer time. The owners have included a number of noblemen, among them – Christian Barnekow in the beginning of 17th century. He gave his life in 1612 to save the Danish King Christian IV in the Kalmar War with Sweden. The King’s horse was shot down, and the Danish army was about to flee. Christian Barnekow gave his horse to the King, who was thus saved, and himself stayed on the battlefield where he was later killed. Though the story is probably a myth, it sounds very patriotic.
And what a castle without ghosts? Of course, Løvenborg has some. One of those goosebumps-stories is about Lange Ellen, who was a daughter of the castle manager. Lange Ellen was King Hans’ mistress and was rumoured to be an evil woman. She got many children, killed each and every of them, and hid their bodies under the floors of the castle. In Lange Ellen’s room, there are still blood strains on the floor in front of the tiled stove, and the story goes, they cannot be removed.
When Lange Ellen died, her coffin had to be driven out of the carriage gate, but it suddenly became very heavy so the men carrying it had to put it down. When they opened the coffin, it was full of stones. At the same time they could hear Lange Ellen’s rattling laughter. They saw to their fright that she was standing in a window and laughed at them. A priest had to be called to get her into the ground. Nowadays, at midnight, one can still see Lange Ellen standing at the window of the room where she lived…
We continued to our next waypoint – Ladegaard in Holbæk:
The town of Holbæk once had a small castle. It was built by the King Valdemar II in the 13th century. The castle was a three-storey building, with a deep moat around it, and a tall tower. In addition to the castle, a barn was built – Holbæk Castle Ladegaard, in order to operate the lands of the county. During the wars with Sweden in the 17th century, the castle was destroyed by Swedish troops. This area became very poor, and the ruins of the castle came into (rich) private hands. Today, the only remains of the original castle can be found in the basement of the current building that was constructed in 1809 by a merchant. The building is called Holbæk Castle, but there is nothing left of the original one.
Ladegaard, on the contrary, survived the course of time. Its manor building is from 1798. Nowadays, it is a home to a folk high school specialising in art, design and architecture programmes.
Jens and I flew further. The visibility was good and the air smooth, sometimes mist would cover the view for a short time. And then the sun broke through the clouds, highlighting a small part of the ground:
We hurried up there, and circled in those sparse sunlight rays, feeling happy. Our mood changed immediately, Jens and I began laughing and taking selfies:
The next step in our sightseeing tour was Eriksholm, an elegant neoclassical building from 18th century, and its clean gardens:
The first known owner was mentioned in the 14th century, otherwise there have been many. The original half-timbered manor was demolished, and now this beautiful white building with the view to Tempelkrogen wetlands decorates the estate.
We turned back to Holbæk – there were two more manor houses we wanted to see. The weather was slowly getting better, with small clouds at low altitude coming and leaving.
Hørbygaard and Hørby church, on the northern shore of Holbæk fjord:
Hørby church is known from the 13th century, and the Hørbygaard estate – from the 14th. During past 200-300 years Hørbygaard and Hagestedgaard (photo below) have been owned by the same family, and were passed down from generation to generation.
The oldest parts of the main building of Hagestedgaard are more than 450 years old. This estate was first mentioned in 1230. It also has a church by its side, built in 1100, and known for its ancient frescoes from the time shortly after the construction of the church:
After our cultural and historical tour, Jens and I flew a bit around, and just enjoyed being airborne.
Cleaning was easy – there are not that many insects in the air during winter time.
And in the end, the sun came out of the clouds again. We felt like we were bathing in its golden light. Not bad for the beginning of January!
