The Sweep of History from Valdemar’s Castle

A Castle by Any Other Name

Valdemar’s Castle lies in a breathtakingly beautiful landscape surrounded by water on almost all sides – which seems appropriate considering that a naval hero has played a big role in shaping the place as we know it today. However, the name of the castle comes from one of its previous owners: Christian IV's son Valdemar Christian. The Danish King intended that his son could use the castle to expand the family's presence on the large island of Tåsinge, but Valdemar Christian instead ended up spending most of his time abroad, and in 1656 he died on a battlefield in Poland at the early age of 34.

A Collection More Than 300 Years in the Making

During the wars between Denmark and Sweden in the 17th century, Valdemar’s Castle suffered extensive damage. However, a turning point came for the castle in 1678, when the Danish admiral Niels Juel was given the opportunity to acquire the surrounding lands and the manor house itself. This chance arose after several examples of heroism in the service of Denmark – for instance the conquering of the island of Gotland in 1676. His greatest achievement came with the naval battle in Køge Bay the following year. Here he helped secure Denmark a resounding victory over the Swedish fleet, which lost 20 ships, while the Danes lost not a single one. Juel became famous both in Denmark and abroad for his efforts during the battle, and at the same time he collected a handsome sum of prize money from the value of the captured enemy ships. Instead of receiving this sum in cash, he was allowed to buy most of the land around Valdemar’s Castle by King Christian V at a very favourable price.

Niels Juel initiated a restoration of the castle itself, where a Renaissance-style roof on the main building had to give way to a more baroque style that was in vogue at the time. Inside, the changing styles and tastes of different periods are also represented by, for instance, a large French Rococo mirror measuring 280 cm in height. A number of portraits of family members have hung on the walls and born witness to the long history of Niels Juel's descendants at the castle.