For the first time ever, the history of Kragerup Estate has been written down and published in a huge and richly illustrated two-volume work. Poul Christiansen has spent the last five years in archives, basements, attics and, not least, behind the computer to get a grip on the entire long history. The history of the estate is set within the history, traditions and customs of the region, agriculture and countryside.
Poul Christiansen masters a good story. He does not lose himself in noble admiration, but gives a sober and compassionate account of life in the families that have owned Kragerup. And if the landowner was stingy, lazy or haughty, we hear about that too. And it’s not just joy that has befallen Kragerup over the years, there have also been dark moments, difficult times and great sadness. We hear about it all. The books have many wonderful side stories and Poul Christiansen knows how to tell them at the right time and place. While the big story is told with love for the estate and respect for history.
The first volume takes the reader from ancient times to 1797 and safely through the first 16 families’ ownership of Kragerup. The second volume concentrates on the Dinesen family, who have been the owners of Kragerup since 1801 and still are. Today, Birgitte and Regitze Dinesen are responsible for the future of the estate.
The book is also a piece in understanding why some estates (and families) have survived to this day, providing sustainable estate management and housing thriving businesses, while others have given up over time. You don’t need to have a strong historical background or special interest in either estates or Kragerup to read the book. It’s an entertaining chronicle of Denmark as seen from West Zealand. The capital is where you go in winter if you get bored on the estates – not at Kragerup! Not even today, when it’s the Copenhageners who go to Kragerup instead…
Birgitte Dinesen, the eighth generation at Kragerup, writes in the foreword: ‘I feel enriched, educated and honored that Poul Christiansen has put his heart and soul into this book.’ And her daughter, estate owner Regitze Dinesen adds: ‘It has been a dream in the family for 100 years to have the history collected and written. We can only be satisfied and grateful that it is finally happening. It has become a really nice piece of work. We are proud of that.’
