THE HISTORY BEHIND PALSGAARD
A journey through time, landscape and history.
At Palsgaard, you find yourself in the heart of a 12,000-year-old landscape shaped during the Ice Age. At the top of the hill, the first Palsgaard was built in 1412 as a fortress castle with a commanding view of the surrounding area.
Hills and valleys are traces of the Ice Age
As a glacier moves across the terrain, it pushes the soil up, leaving behind a landscape of hills, small lakes and meltwater gullies. Palsgaard is located in the heart of such a beautiful and varied moraine landscape from during the Weichselian Ice Age.
The first castle was burned by the King
In the Middle Ages, the castle As Møllegaard was built in the fertile landscape with easy access to the waterways. The castle's motte can be dated back to around 1270-1300.
Already around the year 1340, King Valdemar Atterdag ordered the castle to be burned and torn down. During excavations, archaeologists have found large lumps of melted iron and monastery bricks bearing traces of fire. Today, the moat is still visible, but the remains of the castle's ramparts are well hidden among the trees.
Palsgaard as a fortified castle
The current Palsgaard was built in 1412. It was constructed as a fortified castle, strategically placed on a six-metre-high hill right by the coast. From here, it was easy to spot enemies approaching by land or sea.
The vaulted cellars and the first floor of the main building still consist of monastery bricks from the original fortress. In the 18th century, the castle changed function from fortress to residence. The main building was remodeled into its current appearance and the moat was filled in.
Seabed turned into farmland
From parts of Palsgaard Manor Park, you have a view of the flat area known as "Haabet". Originally, "Haabet" was a cut-off costal bay, that remained underwater until 1883. Following the loss of Southern Jutland to Germany in 1864, national efforts were launched across Denmark to increase food production under the motto "What is lost outwardly must be regained inwardly".
At Palsgaard, a dike was constructed, and with the help of pumping stations, the water was redirected out to the sea.
In this way, 100 hectares of wet and marshy land were drained and transformed into farmland. Initially, the area was used for grazing and hay production, but when the pumps switched from wind power to electricity, it became possible to cultivate the land.
The map shows the area surrounding Palsgaard. The red markings indicates lands that today belong to the estate.
