Spøttrup – A castle for all times

During the rule of the bishops

For approximately 132 years, Spøttrup was under the ownership of the Viborg Bishopric. During this period, the estate was ruled by a total of eight bishops, from Lave Glob (1404-1430) to Jørgen Friis (1520-1536).

Viborg Bishopric already owned a significant amount of land in the area, long before they got Spøttrup in 1404. It seems a decision was made to centralize the bishoprics activities in Vestsalling on the newly acquired estate in Spøttrup.

The estate was mostly administered by bailiffs who lived at Spøttrup. These bailiffs were often trained as priests, and many of them returned to priesthood after their time at Spøttrup.

We don’t have much documentation about these 132 years, probably because interest only really grew after the estate was developed into a castle.

When was the castle built and for what purpose?

When was the castle built? That is a big question, and unfortunately, we do not have a clear answer, as the few surviving historical sources do not mention the construction. However, we can find some clues in other historical events. For example, in 1396 Queen Margrethe^1st issued a decree which banned none-royals building fortresses for almost 100 years. This suggests that the construction of the castle may not have started until the end of the 15th century, after the ban was lifted.

The castle was most likely completed around the mid-1520s, based on its architectural style and details. So, the construction may have taken place between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The bishops Niels Glob (1478-1498), Erik Kaas (1508-1520) and Jørgen Friis (1520-1536) are mentioned as possible builders of the castle.

It appears that the south wing of the castle was built before the other wings, which could indicate that several of the three bishops were involved in the construction and not just one.

When it was built, Spøttrup Borg was one of Denmark’s most advanced fortresses. The double-moated fortifications were designed to withstand cannons, which were the new dominant weapon towards the end of the Middle Ages. The castle’s impressive defenses included a nine-metre-high rampart, which made Spøttrup Borg an impressive fortress and a magnificent residence for the bishop.

Caption

The two large stair towers were not added until after the reformation. In the past, the various rooms were accessed from the outside via wooden galleries. Here you see Jørgen Kraglund’s take on the galleries (Tidskriftet Skalk).

The galleries may have been with or without a roof.

Timeline

1. 1440: Johan Guttenberg invents the printing press.

1483: The ban on construction of fortresses by none-royals is lifted when King Hans becomes king.

1492: Christopher Columbus sets foot on American soil for the first time.

1517: Martin Luther’s 95 Theses were hung on the doors of Wittenberg Church in Germany. The Theses criticized the Catholic Church and the idea that people could buy God’s forgiveness for their sins. This action led to the events that took place across Europa and are known today as the Reformation.

1520: Jørgen Friis is appointed bishop in Viborg.

Jørgen Friis as bishop and owner of Spøttrup

Jørgen Friis was known as a self-aware and stubborn man. He most likely played a major role in completing Spøttrup Borg as the fortress we know today. Politically, he was also very active. In 1522-1523 he helped depose King Christian^2nd and install Frederik^1st.

Friis’ power in Viborg was quickly challenged when the Lutheran Hans Tausen arrived in the city around 1525 and began to preach the new teachings. Tausen gained many supporters, which became a direct threat to Friis. Despite several attempts to have Tausen arrested, the citizens of Viborg protected the Lutheran, which forced Friis to flee to Spøttrup in 1529.

During his time at Spøttrup Castle, Friis wrote letters to the king and the royal administration in the hopes of getting help to defeat Lutheranism. In the 1520s, Friis built a new castle in Hald south of Viborg, and moved there as soon as it was finished, to be closer to his diocese.

Civil war and the reformation

The Reformation began dramatically with the Count’s Feud: A civil war triggered by political, religious, and personal conflicts, when the Council of State could not choose between the two options for the new king, Christian^2nd and Duke Christian, son of Frederik^1st.

Christian ^2nd‘s loyal supporter, Skipper Clement, and his peasant army of around 6,000 men, ravaged North Jutland in particular. After defeating an army of nobility in September 1534, they looted and burned many manors.

The fate of Spøttrup Castle during this civil war is debated. According to the historian Arild Huitfeldt, the castle was looted and burned by Skipper Clement’s army, but there are no sources to confirm this, and the castle shows no signs of fire. It is possible that local farmers attacked the castle and burned the barns, but we do not know for sure.

The army of peasants was eventually stopped. But even though Christian^3rd had ended the Count’s Feud, the unrest continued. In 1536, the country’s Catholic bishops were imprisoned as part of the Reformation. The bishop in Viborg, Jørgen Friis was arrested and imprisoned at Hald Castle, which he himself had built.

The king confiscated all the church’s goods and property. Catholicism – and thus Spøttrup Castle’s time as a bishop’s castle – was over.

Caption

The publication of Martin Luther´s 95 Theses on the church gate in Wittenberg. Painted by Julius Hübner in 1878.

The siege of Copenhagen, 1535-1536, during the Count’s Feud.

Print from 1879 based on a copper engraving from 1599.

Timeline

1525: The reformer Hans Tausen arrives in Viborg.

1529: Bishop Jørgen Friis flees from Viborg to Spøttrup.

1533: Frederik^1st dies and the Council of State cannot agree on who is going to succeed him as King.

1534: The Count’s Feud – the last civil war in Denmark.

1536: The Reformation – the start of a new society.

From a bishop’s castle to a noble man’s estate

Henrik Below became Spøttrup’s first private owner in 1579, and the castle entered a long and peaceful era. The following 69 years, the castle belonged to the Below family. It was no small estate Henrik Below had gotten his hands on. Besides the Castle, the estate also included 74 farms and four mills. As the ^8th child in a line of fourteen siblings, Henrik Below didn’t have any prospects of inheriting an estate back home in Meckelburg. But only four years after arriving in Denmark, he found himself the owner of at least 600 tønder hartkorn – which is equivalent to approximately 330 hectares of land.

With Henrik Below as the new owner, Spøttrup Castle entered an era of prosperity. Henrik Below was more than capable to strengthen the estate and furthermore he considered the estate his home. In order to transform the castle to a home befitting a noble family, it required considerable remodeling.

Bad times

After the Below family’s years at Spøttrup, the estate went through half a century of financial problems and mismanagement. The Below family sold the castle, during an economic crisis in Denmark. Sofie Staverskov bought the castle on behalf of her son, Mogens Kruse, who took over the ownership in 1653. Despite twelve years with ongoing efforts to rectify the financial situation, Mogens had to mortgage the castle to German businessmen in 1665.

The German businessmen owned Spøttrup for 37 years, but they never lived at the castle. They left the management of the castle to tenants who unfortunately did not provide sufficient maintenance. However, the German businessmen’s ownership of the castle was not all bad – they did manage to gather up the lost lands of the estate.

Caption

Henrik Below lost his eldest son when he was only two years old. Here you see a drawing of the tombstone from Rødding cemetery – today the tombstone is placed inside the castle.

Sketch by S. Abildgaard (Nationalmuseet 1767).

Karen Below, widow of the late Klaus Below. After her husband’s passing, she took control of Spøttrup until 1644.

Timeline

1536: The following 43 years, Spøttrup Castle was under the ownership of the crown. Several noblemen lived at the castle during this time.

1579: Henrik Below, a German nobleman and royal councilman, gets the deed to the Spøttrup estate. The estate stays in the hands of the Below family for 69 years.

1648: Sofie Staverskov buys Spøttrup on behalf of her son, Mogens Kruse. Five years later Mogens took ownership of the castle.

1660: The King of Denmark gains absolute power

1665: Spøttrup is sold to German businessmen, which leaves the management of the estate to tenants. Neglection is the result of the owners’ lack of interest in the castle’s maintenance.

The castle flourishes

A noble family from Skåne, named Rosenkrantz, became the saviors of Spøttrup. After Denmark lost Skåne to Sweden in 1659, Axel Rosenkrantz bought the neglected castle in 1702 and moved the family here. Axel immediately started a comprehensive renovation of the castle. Large amounts of timber were imported. And the hard work paid off – the castle went from being grossly neglected to being described as a very well-built castle.

Axel Rosenkrantz died after 22 years as the owner of Spøttrup Castle. The estate was passed on to his son, Mogens Rosenkrantz. Initially Mogens preferred a quiet life at Spøttrup, much like his father before him. But he was later drawn to a life in Copenhagen. This led to him putting Spøttrup up for auction in 1776.

Mogens Rosenkrantz did however not leave the estate without putting his own notable mark on the castle. He had the second floor of the south wing remodeled into a modern baroque apartment in the 1760’s

Cattle farming

At the beginning of the ^18th century, it was peaceful times in Denmark. During this century the economy in Denmark improved significantly – creating prosperity for many.

In 1776 Mathias Peder Richter bought Spøttrup at an auction. He came from a merchant family in Fredericia and became the first commoner to own the castle.

In 1784 Richter traded Spøttrup with Peder Nissen. Peder Nissen had earned his way in life by cattle farming in Ringkøbing. Unfortunately, he died in 1788, before he could see how successful cattle farming would become at Spøttrup.

After Peder Nissen’s death, his widow oversaw the management of the estate with help from their son, Nis Nissen. In 1803 Nis Nissen bought the farm from his mother. The beginning of his ownership was challenging. His mother died in 1808, and the country was at war again – this time with England. Despite the difficulties, Nis Nissen managed to run the estate successfully. His hard work resulted in Spøttrup surviving the crisis and flourishing as an excellent business – specializing in cattle farming.

A royal interest in Spøttrup

In 1831 Nis Nissen was visited by the Crown Prince of Denmark – later known as King Christian ^8th. Nis Nissen had no children, and the prince attempted to persuade him to bequeath the unique castle to the state – he was unsuccessful.

When Nissen dies childless in 1848, his widow didn’t want to stay at Spøttrup. Therefor the castle was once again put up for auction. The auction was planned for March 1849, but had to be postponed four times due to a lack of buyers. It wasn’t until the fifth auction that Spøttrup was sold for 105,800 rigsdaler silver, which was far less than the original estimate.

Caption

Gouache by Rasmus Henrik Kruse 1836 (The National Museum). Here the castle is presented as white and radiant surrounded by an idyllic landscape. This romantic portrayal is the artist’s hallmark. But we do know, that Nis Nissen’s times on Spøttrup was a time of prosperity.

Timeline

1702: Axel Rosenkrantz buys a neglected and ruined estate. He initiates a comprehensive renovation of the castle. Spøttrup was in the hands of the Rosenkrantz family for 74 years.

1776: Mathias Richter buys Spøttrup on auction. He is the first commoner to own the estate.

1784: Peder Nissen swobs estates with Mathias Richter, who in exchange for Spøttrup now gets a farm in Voldbjerg by Hee. Spøttrup was owned by the Nissen family for 64 years.

1788: The abolition of the Danish serfdom.

1813: The national bankruptcy in Denmark. Five years later the National Bank is established.

1848: Absolutism in Denmark is abolished.

An estate without land – a castle with no moat

For years, Spøttrup avoided the all-destructive so-called estate slaughter. But at the auction after Nis Nissen’s death, the old castle was sold to a consortium. The new owners plan was to sell off the land. Later, in 1855, a miller named Niels Breinholdt bought the remnants of Spøttrup Castle.

Niels Breinholdt was known for his ambition but lacked the fundamental respects for the history of his new home. Today he is remembered for having caused more damage to Spøttrup than anyone else throughout its entire history.

He sought to make the estate financially viable by blowing up the cellar vault in the castle’s north wing, in the interest of producing spirits in the cellar. He removed both the moat and ramparts. And he drained Spøttrup Lake, and at one point he even had plans to tear down the castle. However, Breinholdt’s greatest crime was to get rid of the content of the estate archives. Today, this act has left us with very little knowledge of the 500-year-long history of the castle.

After twenty years in the castle, Breinholdt was ready for new adventures. Therefore, he leased Spøttrup to Ludvig Balle in 1871, who chose to buy the castle in 1875.

Mismanagement

Ludvig Balle did not have an easy time at Spøttrup. For a start he had paid too much for the place, and to make it all worse, he seemed to be cursed with bad luck. In the 1880s, the farm buildings around the castle burned down twice in the span of only two years. At the same time, the cattle farming was no longer the big success it once was, which forced Balle to switch to dairy farming – and thus significantly increasing the number of employees and the cost of running the estate.

All resources went into the dairy farm, and so, the maintenance of the castle was neglected. This created great dissatisfaction among the public, who at this time began to take an interest in Danish history and the preservation of historical monuments. After 25 years of struggling to make the estate a success, Ludvig Balle had to give up. Spøttrup was auctioned off in 1901 and was bought by Vallø Stift. Two years later, the estate was sold yet again. This time to Christian Pedersen, who paid only 170,000 DKK.

Caption

In this depiction of the castle, you can see that the moat and ramparts have been partially removed. By Ferdinand Richardt, 1856.

On the left side of this picture, a circular structure can be seen at the northern wing of the castle. This was for the horse-drawn machinery for distilling spirits. By Hans J. Holm, 1876 (The National Museum of Denmark).

Old black-and-white photos can often deceive and make well-maintained building look neglected. However, we must acknowledge that this photo probably does not mislead the eye. Two years after it was taken, Spøttrup was put up for auction. Spøttrup Castle, 1899 (Kgl. Bibliotek).

Timeline

1849: The Constitutional Act of Denmark is signed by Frederick ^7th.

1849: After the death of Nis Nissen, Spøttrup is sold to a consortium.

1855: Niels Breinholdt buys Spøttrup after most of the land is sold off.

1875: Ludvig Balle buys Spøttrup for 250,000 DKK.

The end of Spøttrup being a private residence

When Christian Pedersen Toft bought Spøttrup, the castle was in a very poor condition. And although Toft was a skilled farmer and did his very best to preserve the old castle, he could not keep up with the decline.

His frustration peaked when Spøttrup was put under a law of protection in 1918, but he didn’t receive the funding to restore the castle. He threatened to demolish the northern wing, that was especially worn down, but the Danish state stopped him with an injunction. This let to Toft suing the state – a lawsuit which he lost. But the entire affair had drawn attention to the need for funding from the state to save the castle.

Christian Toft left the castle in 1919 and left the struggle of the place to tenant. From 1926 to 1937, his son took charge of the daily management of the estate. He attempted to improve the maintenance and to generate income by opening the castle to visitors.

A completely devastating fire

A devastating fire hit Spøttrup on March^3rd, 1937. It was the third fire the estate’s agricultural buildings in 50 years. In just a few hours, the large stable- and barn buildings lay in ruins. More the one thousand animals and large quantities of grain and feed were consumed by the flames. Local hunters had to shoot the animals through the windows, while the burning and melting roof was falling onto them.

After the fire was extinguished, the damage was quite extensive. It was clear that rebuilding the farm would be very difficult, perhaps even impossible. The Danish government, which had long been interested in securing the castle for posterity, purchased the estate. A small part of the land was transformed into a park, while the rest was divided into 28 smaller farms. This marked the end of Spøttrup’s agricultural era.

Caption

The south wing is painted white and has main entrance in the west end. Private photo, 1934 (Museums Salling).

In front of the castle, two older pig houses can be seen. By A. Haldrup, 1937 (Museum Salling).

Here you see the large stable- and barn buildings that burned down in 1937. This photo also gives a good overview of how the moat looked before the restoration. Aerial photograph, 1935 (Nationalmuseet).

Timeline

1901: Spøttrup is put up for auction and is sold to Vallø Stift.

1903: Christian Pedersen Toft buys Spøttrup for 170,000 DKK.

1918: The first building preservation law in Denmark.

1937: The stable- and barn buildings burn down – the government buys Spøttrup estate and initiate a restoration of the castle.

Restoration of a building with more than 500 years of history

The restoration of Spøttrup Castle began in 1937 and lasted until the summer of 1941. The purpose was to preserve the castle, which had undergone many historical changes over the years. But how do you decide what part of its history to preserve and what not to preserve? The medieval castle build by Viborg bishopric? The renaissance castle that the Below family lived in? The baroque manor from the time of the Rosenkrantz family? Or maybe Nis Nissen’s successful cattle farm?

The building inspector Mogens Clemmensen led the restoration work. But his thoughts on what to preserve are unknown. The outside appearance of the castle has partially been recreated to look like the bishop’s castle. Many parts of the castle were restored to its origin, such as the old “secrets” (toilets) on the outer side of the castle. However, we also still have the Below family’s renaissance stairtowers and ballroom, as well as the baroque apartment build by the Rosenkrantz family.

Caption

Excavation through the west moat, 1938.

The ballroom during its restoration in 1939.

No less than fifty men were engaged in the reconstruction of the castles outside fortifications, 1938-1940.

Timeline

1940: The German occupation of Denmark.

1941: Spøttrup Castle opens its doors as a museum on June ^15th.

1989: The fall of the Berlin Wall.

1994: It was decided to stop the drainage of Spøttrup Lake, thereby allowing the 50-hectare lake to regenerate.

A prominent figure in the ^16th century Denmark

Skipper Clement, born as Clement Andersen around 1485 in northern Jutland, is one of Denmark’s most notable personalities from the 1500s. His early career as a ship captain and merchant led him to the role of vice admiral under Christian^2nd.

In 1525, Skipper Clement rebelled against Frederik^1st, who had taken the throne after the deposed Christian^2nd. Subsequently, he became a privateer, a form of pirate, in the service of Christian^2nd.

Clement played a central role in the Clement feud, a part of the civil war known as the Count’s Feud (1534-1536). In 1534, he led the Jutland peasants in a rebellion in favor of Christian^2nd. The rebellion started in Vendsyssel, where the peasants burned down several estates.

Christian^3rd‘s commander, Johan Rantzau, pushed the rebel army back to Aalborg, which was stormed on December ^18th, 1534. Shortly after, Clement was arrested east of Aalborg. On September ^9th, 1536, Skipper Clement was executed by beheading, dismemberment and hanging in Viborg.