The Frigate Jylland was owned by Palsgaard

WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PALSGAARD

Owner of the Frigate Jylland

One day in 1912, estate owner Einar Viggo Schou received an offer he could not refuse – ownership of a national treasure: the historic Frigate Jylland, veteran of the Battle of Heligoland and former royal ship. Legend has it he took just ten minutes to say yes.

The price was set at DKK 41,000 (about 2.6 million DKK today), on the condition that the ship would be preserved for at least 5 years and later dismantled at a Danish shipyard. However, Palsgaard retained Jylland until 1925.

Read more about what Schou used the old warship for in the gallery below.

Arrival at Sandbjerg Vig

Jylland arrived in Sandbjerg Vig on 10 October 1912, accompanied by Einar Viggo Schou's private yacht Peter Pan.

At 71 metres, Jylland is one of the world's longest wooden ships and a very special one of its kind. When the ship was launched in 1860, it was a technological marvel and the pride the Danish navy.

As a so-called "full-power frigate", Jylland was the first and only ship of its time to be equipped from the outset with a powerful steam engine, enabling it to sail by both wind and steam.

This combination made Jylland the fastest ship in the navy for many years.

Tourist attraction in Juelsminde

Einar Schou saw great potential in the beautiful, old ship - especially as a landmark and attraction for Juelsminde. After its arrival, the frigate was anchored in Sandbjerg Vig, where it was open to the public every Sunday for a fee of 10 øre per person. Over the years, the ship attracted thousands of visitors and played a played a key role in establishing Juelsminde's reputation as a seaside and tourist destination.

Own telegraphy school

To look after the ship, Schou hired Captain Chr. Christensen and his wife, who lived permanently on board in the king's former apartment. At the same time, Schou established a telegraphy school on board, with equipment powerful enough to reach Copenhagen and Paris. This telegraph station also meant that Jylland once again served a national role during World War I, when it was anchored in Aalborg.

Maritime timepiece: The salute cannon from the Frigate Jylland synchronized Bjerre Herred

After the war, Jylland returned to its usual place in Sandbjerg Vig.

Every day at 12.00 noon exactly, the salute cannon was fired following a signal from the wireless telegraph at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, allowing the citizens of Bjerre Herred to set their clocks by it.

The story behind the anchor

When anchored, Jylland was secured by four massive anchors, each weighing 2.5 tons. Yet, a distaster nearly stuck during an ice winter in 1922, when thick ice threatened to crush the ship. The anchor chains snapped, and Jylland was carried away by the ice and ended up running aground at the island of Endelave.

The story behind the anchor

As a reminder of this dramatic event, one of the frigate's anchors is now displayed at the harbour in Juelsminde. Another anchor was lost during the storm and has since become a coveted treasure among divers.

Veterans' celebration in 1914

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Heligoland on May 9 1914, Einar Viggo Schou organised a 3-day celebration for the 67 surviving veterans of the battle.

Denmark suffered heavy losses in the war against Prussia and Austria in 1864. Therefore, the victory at Heligoland – and thus also the Frigate Jylland – became a national symbol of pride.

Einar Viggo Schou's father, Theodor Schou, was himself a veteran of the 1864 war, although not of the Battle of Heligoland.

Veterans' celebration in 1914

The veterans were sailed from Copenhagen to Juelsminde, where a big party was held on board the Frigate Jylland.

Veterans' celebration in 1914

Juelsminde was beautifully decorated with flowers and flags for the occasion.

Veteran celebration in1914

At the same time, a memorial ceremony for the fallen was held in the church in Juelsminde, where the church's new ship model, an exact copy of Jylland, was also inaugurated.

Just like the church, the ship was also donated by Einar V. Schou.

Veteran celebration in 1920 and 1924

The estate owner was also behind a big celebration in 1920 – to celebrate the reunification of Southern Jutland, as well as another veterans' celebration in 1924 – this time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the victory.

Veteran celebrations in 1920 and 1924

Celebrations that, of course, were held aboard the frigate and helped to generate further publicity for Juelsminde and its beautiful tourist attraction.

The sale of the Frigate Jylland

Einar Viggo Schou suddenly died in 1925 at the age of 59, leaving his 21-year-old son Herbert Schou not only Palsgaard Estate, but also the rapidly growing emulsifier company Emulsion A/S (now Palsgaard A/S). Therefore, he did not wish to keep the frigate.

Herbert Schou subsequently sold the ship to the Ministry of the Navy for DKK 22,500, with the condition that the ship should be dismantled, as had been agreed when the ship was purchased. However, this led to a considerable protests from the public.

Jutland preserved for posterity

The Ministry of the Navy therefore agreed to preserve the frigate for a number of years, provided that private sponsors would help pay for a restoration of the old ship.

One of these sponsors was Palsgaard, which supported the preservation by waiving the purchase price of DKK 22,500, and in addition donated an additional DKK 20,000.

After Einar Viggo Schou's death in 1925, Jylland came to live a tumultuous and neglected existence for many years, but has since come to glory and dignity as a beautiful museum ship, definitely worth a visit in Ebeltoft.

See more at www.fregatten-jylland.dk

Conference tables made from Jylland's deck planks

Palsgaard is still a sponsor of the frigate Jylland and has supported the preservation of the old ship in several ways. We have hosted staff events on the ship several times and have most recently invested in a number of beautiful conference tables made from Jylland's old deck planks.

Exhibition at Palsgaard

To tell guests and our own employees the story of how Palsgaard helped preserve the old war and royal ship, we have our own small exhibition featuring artifacts from the frigate.

One of the cadets on Jylland's last voyage as an active warship went to the Danish West Indies in 1886-87, was the Danish Prince Carl, who later became King Haakon VII of Norway – a story that also involves Palsgaard, which you can read more about here.