Rosenholm Castle

Rosenholm was begun in 1559 by Jorgen Rosenkrantz and has been held by the same family ever since, which is an unusually unbroken run even by Danish standards, and the four wings around a courtyard sit in a moat with a bridge and gatehouse. The interiors are shown on guided tours and hold family portraits, tapestries, furniture and a library accumulated over four and a half centuries rather than assembled by a curator. In the park stands Pirckentavl, a small Renaissance banqueting pavilion of 1560 with a spiral stair, built as a garden retreat and one of the earliest surviving buildings of its kind in Denmark. The Rosenkrantz name is familiar from Hamlet, which the family notes without pressing the point.

What you actually see

• Four wings in a moat - the Renaissance castle around its courtyard.
• Family collections - portraits and furniture gathered over four centuries.
• Pirckentavl pavilion - a 1560 garden banqueting house with a spiral stair.
• The park and moat walk - grounds around the water.

When to go

May to September for tours; opening is seasonal and hours are limited. Two hours. Tours run at fixed times and are the only way to see the interior. Weekends are busier.

Honest expectations

Interior access is by guided tour only, at set times, in Danish unless arranged otherwise. Opening is short and seasonal. Parts are private family areas. There is limited English interpretation.

Nearby

Gammel Estrup is north-east; Kalo Castle ruins lie south on the coast.