Skovsbo Castle

Skovsbo Castle is a manor house located 6 km south-west of Kerteminde, on Funen, Denmark. The main building dates from the 1570s and is built in the Renaissance style.

History

Skovsbo traces its history back to the 14th century. The castle seen today was built from 1572 to 1579 for privy councillor Erik Hardenberg (1534-1604).

Some of the land was sold off in lots in 1914.

Architecture

Built in the Renaissance style, with Dutch gables, Skovsbo consists of two floors over a vaulted basement and an octagonal staircase tower with a spire to the west. An appendix in the south-eastern corner, with a second staircase, dates from the original house while another appendix built to a similar design at the north-eastern corner was added in 1891 by the architect August Klein (1839-1902).

Skovsbo Crufifix

Across the road from Skovsbo stands a roadside crucifix which was installed in about 1600 by Anna Rønnow, the wife of Erik Hardenberg, who unlike her husband was a Catholic. It is the second oldest roadside crucifix in Denmark, second only to the Crucifix of Holy Anders near Slagelse.

Skovsbo today

The estate covers 183 hectares of land. It is privately owned and was sold in 2006 for the price of DKK 66.5 million.