Gersdorfflund GB

Laden på Gersdorffslund omkring 1920

Gersdorffslund. Gårdpladsen omkring 1900

Gersdorffslund. Hovedbygningen. 2014

Gersdorffslund. Indkørslen. 2014

Intro

Gersdorffslund Manor is located in a beautiful setting offering views across fields, woodland, and the sea. The story of the estate begins in 1672 when Margrethe Gersdorff marries the chamberlain Gregorius Rathlou. They built two manors: Gersdorffslund near Hou and Rathlousdal near Odder. For many years, Gersdorffslund was the main seat of the Rathlou-dynasty. All the land in the Hou district was owned by the manor and farmed by feudal villeins and farm labourers attached to the estate. From the late 1700s, various tenant farmers were responsible for working the farm. One of the first known tenant farmers was a man called Carl Qvist, whose tenancy coincided with the Gunboat War in 1807- 1814. He was a non-commissioned officer with the coastal surveillance volunteers whose job was to watch the stretch of coast from Saksild to Horsens Fjord to make sure the enemy did not attempt a landing. He is said to have built an arbour in a lime tree by the road and used it as a lookout. The present gazebo, however, has nothing to do with the old ‘lookout‘. Refurbished several times, it has been used for more peaceful purposes: the poet Steen Steensen Blicher describes how he sat here together with Mr Quist, the tenant farmer, enjoying a shot of grog after a long day out hunting. Hans Christian Andersen is also said to have used this gazebo. Gersdorffslund was originally a half-timbered construction. In 1713, however, the manor burnt down and the owner subsequently built a new and larger main building. The present main building is built in a neo-classicist style and dates from 1854. The estate constituted a small self-contained community. Besides all the usual crafts, the household consisted of a smithy, a dairy, a saddler, and a coach builder. In 1924, Gersdorffslund was sold and an era of ownership by the Holstein-Rathlou-dynasty came to an end. From 1985-2004, the manor was owned by the plant breeding company Pajbjergfonden, who carried out major refurbishments to the main building. Gersdorffslund is now privately owned.