About Kragerup Estate

Regitze Sophie Andersen Dinesen

Kragerup Estate has been in the Dinesen family for 9 generations and is today owned by Regitze Sophie Dinesen. As the daughter of Birgitte, she has been part of the entire hotel journey, where she has carried breakfast trays, been a dishwasher, climbing instructor and event and marketing manager.

In 2021, she took over the title of estate owner with the ambition to continue her mother’s legacy. Regtize is focused on operations, improvement opportunities, and creating value for guests. In 2022, she carried out an extensive renovation of the deluxe rooms in the main building and improved the Go High climbing park.

Chambermaid Birgitte Ida Dinesen

In 1979, Birgitte took over half of Kragerup, where she worked with her father for 12 years. In 1998, she renovated the entire main building and farm buildings and opened the first six B&B rooms, which today has grown into a hotel with 57 rooms and a venue for conferences and parties.

In the forest, she opens Kragerup Activity Park with Denmark’s first climbing park, Go High, in 2009, and Scandinavia’s first trampoline park, Go Bounce, in 2019. In 2012, she installed six wind turbines, which today contribute to Kragerup’s CO2 neutrality. In 2015, she established Restaurant Blixen in the main building.

Chamberlain Erik Sophus Dinesen

After three years as tenant of Kragerup, Erik Dinesen took over the estate in 1963. Erik and his wife Marie-Louise Dinesen (née Bohn) made significant changes: redesigning the park, modernizing the farm buildings and refurbishing the living quarters. In 1967, they modernized the main building from a classic manor house to a family home that united two eras of living, including a dining kitchen.

Marie-Louise also made sure that the farm’s people were fed in the main building, where, until 1969, the north wing had a large kitchen, laundry room, and dining room.

Chamberlain Jørgen Eigil Wiffert Dinesen

As heir to Kragerup, Jørgen Eigil Wiffert Dinesen had leased the estate since 1922. At the age of 44, he was finally handed full ownership by his mother.

Jørgen was married to Viveka Dinesen (née Schaffalitzky de Muckadell), a descendant of the former owner of Kragerup, Privy Councilor Ove Juul. The couple had three children together, built up a large herd of cattle and pigs and were very popular among the farm’s many employees. Jørgen was very active in associations and received several awards as a result.

Hofjægermester Axel Wilhelm Dinesen

After Jens Kraft Dinesen’s death, his younger brother Axel Wilhelm Dinesen inherited Kragerup, as a purchase agreement stipulated that if Jens died childless, the farm would go to his brother. In this way, Kragerup became part of the Dinesen family. After her husband’s death, Laura la Cour had to move and instead built a new main building at Rungstedaard, which was a copy of Kragerup.

Axel Wilhelm Dinesen owned Kragerup until 1932, when he died. Then his widow, Ida Dinesen (née van Deurs), who was a good economist, took over and expanded the farm buildings for profit.

Flight Lieutenant Jens Kraft Dinesen

Jens Kraft Jacob Sophus Dinesen had surprisingly bequeathed Kragerup to his younger son Axel Wilhelm Dinesen. This was completely incomprehensible to Jens Kraft Dinesen, who believed that, as the eldest, he stood to inherit his father’s childhood home. So in 1910, Jens Kraft Dinesen bought Kragerup from his younger brother.

He married Alice Laura Annie la Cour, who was from a French noble family. They improved and renewed Kragerup in the coming years, including modernizing the main building in neoclassical style and adding a spire to the manor stables.

Jens Kraft Jacob Sophus Dinesen

As heir to Kragerup, Jens Kraft Jacob Sophus Dinesen took over a very well-run farm in 1857 after his mother’s death. He married his cousin, his late younger brother’s widow, Alvilde Dinesen.

When Alvilde died in 1893, he inherited her half of four farms in Rungsted with significant land holdings: Rungstedgaard, Rungstedlund, Folehavegaard and the light property Sømandshvile. Sophus also bought the manor houses Gl. Wiffertsholm in Himmerland and Skørringe on Falster. He was diligent and frugal and died in 1910 as a very wealthy man.

Anders Didrich Dinesen

After Jens Kraft Dinesen’s death in 1827, his son, Anders Didrich Dinesen, took over and rebuilt the existing side wings in 1838 and 1840 respectively. Both the roof structure and the interior of the side wings were renovated in the style of the classicist main wing.

Only 42 years old, Jens died suddenly in 1840. His widow Sophie Jacobine Dinesen (née Neergaard) was skilled and active. She took over the farm, built new farm buildings and established the Rugskov farm.

Attorney General Jens Kraft Dinesen

The first owner of Kragerup in the Dinesen family was Justice Jens Kraft Dinesen, who was born in 1768. He owned Gyldenholm, which he sold in 1800. He bought Kragerup in 1801, which exuded the glory days of knights, noble families, power and influence, as the manor had been owned by some of the country’s most important men.

Jens Kraft Dinesen rebuilt the old Renaissance-style manor house with red bricks into a classicist courtyard with white plastered facades. He inverted the main building with a new main wing to the west, opening up the courtyard to the road.

Christian Friis

Christen Friis took over in 1610 and was appointed Chancellor of the Realm by King Christian IV in 1616. Under Christen Friis, Kragerup regained the glory of its former glory days. He built a new main building with a moat, acquired considerable land and turned Kragerup into a valuable estate. At the time, the main building was inverted with a drawbridge to the east to shield it from enemies.

The vaulted cellar remains from his time, which was used to store silver and gold to prevent the Swedes from getting hold of it. History also tells of Swedish prisoners in the cellar.

Eggert Clausen Ulfeldt

Eggert Clausen Ulfeldt owned Kragerup from 1563. He had a close relationship with Frederik II and was the king’s chamberlain during the first years of his reign.

Eggert left behind a remarkable memento, an octagonal blackboard table that still stands in the garden at Kragerup Estate and is over 400 years old today. The granite table is carved with two different games, as well as Eggert’s and Mrs. Galde’s names, their coat of arms and the year 1577.

Mathæus Jacobsen Taa

The first documented ownership of Kragerup dates back to March 1327, when the squire Mathæus Jacobsen Taa was the owner of the Kragerup manor.

The Taa family originated from a manor house in Tjørnelunde. At the time, Kragerup was just a farmhouse in the middle of a small village with a church. Kragerup remained in the Taa family for over 200 years.