Glücksburg Castle

Duke John the Younger had the castle built between 1582 and 1587 on the site of a monastery, as a single white block standing on a granite base in an artificial lake made by damming a stream, so it appears to float. The house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg took its name from it, and descendants of that line came to occupy the thrones of Denmark, Greece and Norway, which is why the castle is described as an ancestral seat of several European royal families. It is still owned by the family through a foundation. Interiors include a chapel, a great hall and rooms of furniture and portraits.

History

The story of the castle grounds begins in 1192 with a double monastery in Schleswig, whose monks founded a new Cistercian monastery at Glücksburg between 1209 and 1210, the Rüdekloster. In the Reformation it was secularised in 1538 and passed to the Danish king Christian III in 1544, before the present castle was built on its site (Wikipedia, Glücksburg Castle).

What you'll find

• The floating block - a white castle on a granite base in a made lake.
• The chapel - a Renaissance chapel within the building.
• The dynastic story - a line that reached several European thrones.
• The park - grounds and rose garden around the water.

When to go

April to October; the castle closes Mondays and reduces to weekends in winter. Concerts are held in the great hall through the season.

Things to know

Winter opening is minimal. The interior route is short. The village around it is small with limited services.

Nearby

Flensburg lies west; the Danish border is north.

Key facts