Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark. Aarhus is also the second residence of the Danish royal family. The ship was anchored in Aarhus, but we went out to visit the Clausholm castle and Gammel Estrup Manor. Clausholm castle is still privately owned and is rather unimpressive in that all that we can do is look at it and even when on the grounds you feel like you are trespassing.
Clausholm Castle is considered one of the earliest and best preserved Baroque grounds in Denmark. It was originally built in the 1100s. The estate covers 900 hectares of which half are for crop production and 250 hectares for forestry. The garden and surrounding parks were established back in the 1690s. Baroque design in a nutshell is strict symmetry. In 2006 the Danish Realdania Foundation identified the Claustrolm Castle in need of preservation. The park and gardens had a very thurough overhaul in 2008-2009.
Gammel Estrup manor can be traced back to the 14th century where for 600 years until 1926 it was owned by one family. Presently, the Manor Museum has exhibitions showing the life of the Danish noble families as well as their estates and manors. The remaining structures of the manor were turned into an Agricultural museum beginning from 6,000 years ago. This museum boasts having the world’s largest collection of farming equipment, Botanical Garden, Apple Orchard, and 100 hectares of land still in use. We enjoyed having lunch in the old stables. Probably one of our best meals of the trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment