Country House Estate at Egeskov

The historic and elitist institution of the country house can have a role and function in Denmark's modern egalitarian society if it is opened up to the public in a the way that the estate at Egeskov has been, thus allowing everyone in the area to enjoy the grounds (provided they can afford the expensive entrance fees). People of all ages from all over Denmark, as well as international tourists, come to visit the country estate, and during our visit there today, we were able to see some of the resources the private estate shares with the public.

The current estate owner, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, has made a lot of changes in the estate to promote tourism and to encourage outsiders to come and use the space. The estate now has extensive recreational spaces for both children and adults, such as multiple play areas, large mazes, and even an impressive treetop bridge system, with educational information about the birds of the area.

         

The estate is extremely old, and dates back to the 14th century, so the site is a very interesting historical resource for visitors. The way the castle has been preserved and made open to the public also serves as an educational resource to visitors, as they can enter the castle and see how the nobility once lived. 

The count is a collector of many things, and allows others to enjoy his collections by storing them in museums located on the grounds. One of these is a historic car museum, and another an exhibition of the historical clothing of the royalty and their servants who used to live on the estate.

Selected as the most beautiful historic gardens in Europe, the majority of the gardens at the estate are also open to the public. Here, visitors are able to enjoy seeing impressively designed historic greenspaces, such as the 280 year old hedges with intricate and tangled branches that can be seen from within passageways through the massive walls of greenery. 

The public is also welcome to walk through one of the largest fuchsia gardens in Europe, with a variety of over a hundred different kinds of fuchsia, some of which are 90 years old. By opening up the gardens to the public, the estate owners have made the greenspace function to benefit a greater number of people.

 

In these ways, the estate owners like Count Michael are sharing their space with the public, and this allows the space to serve some function in Denmark's egalitarian society as the general public has access to the private spaces.