Bonderup


Bonderup, also known as Bonderupgård, is a manor house located south of Holbæk, Denmark. It was purchased by the merchant Johannes Theodorus Suhr in 1852 and is now owned by the Suhr Family Trust.

History

The first known reference to Bonderup is from 1421, but it was then probably a village. A manor house was later created at the site through the merger of several farms. The first known owner of the estate was Claus Basse, who ceded it to his daughter Ellen Basse in 1566. She married Otte Norby. After his death in 1592, it was acquired by Christoffer Pax, a member of the noble family Packisch von Festenberg, which had been established in Denmark earlier in the century. The ownership during the next decades is unclear but Else Thott was its owner in 1625. She was first married to Hans Lindenov but later married Corfitz Ulfeldt. Christen Friis purchased Bonderup in 1631 but sold it again to Anne Brahe in 1632. Bonderup was a relatively small estate whose owners usually also owned other manor houses and usually resided elsewhere. It changed hands many times during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Bonderup was purchased by count Frederik Knuth in 1808. His son, count Frederik Christian Julius von Knuth took over the estate in 1816. His heirs sold Bonderup to the wealthy merchant Johannes Theodorus Suhr in 1852. He renovated the buildings with the assistance of the prominent architect Ferdinand Meldahl and also charged him with the design of a new dairy. Mixing with the political and cultural elite of the time, Suhr invited Johan Ludvig Heiberg to use Bonderup as a summer residence. Having no children, Suhr created a family trust, Den Suhrske Stiftelse, which owned the estate after his death in 1858, but the Heibergs continued to spend their summers there. Johan Ludvig Heiberg died at Bonderup in 1860. His widow remained at Bonderup for another couple of months before returning to Copenhagen.

Today

Bonderup and Merløsegaard are still owned by Den Suhrske Stiftelse and have a combined area of 1310 hectares. A total of 25 houses and commercial properties on the estate are rented out by the trust.

List of owners