Svenstorp Castle, Renaissance castle near Igelösa, Sweden
Svenstorp Castle is a two-storey brick building with a tall, steep orange-red tiled roof, 8 km northeast of Lund in Scania. Vertical brick pilasters divide the facade above a lighter stone base, and three shaped gables with small windows rise above the roofline. A stone-framed arched entrance sits at the centre; two single-storey wings were added in the 18th century.
The castle was built in 1596 by Beata Hvitfeldt, who served as a lady-in-waiting to the Danish crown, with the architect Hans Steenwinkel overseeing the work. It later changed hands several times as the region shifted between Danish and Swedish rule during the conflicts of the 17th century.
Svenstorp takes its name from the estate itself, and the building has belonged to the Gyllenkrok family since 1723; Nils and Merrill Gyllenkrok and their family still live there. The estate is run together with the family's Björnstorp property, and the two holdings total 43,200 dekar of land, of which 26,000 dekar are cultivated. Earlier owners included the Glob, Ulfstand and Ulfeldt families.
Svenstorp is a private working estate: Nils and Merrill Gyllenkrok and their family live in the castle, and the grounds are farmed with the neighbouring Björnstorp estate, together covering 43,200 dekar. There is no documented public visiting scheme, so treat the building and its surroundings as private and do not enter without an invitation. The castle stands 8 km northeast of central Lund in Lund Municipality, Scania.
In November 1676, the Danish king Christian V stayed at Svenstorp before the Battle of Lund. The night after the battle, the victorious Swedish king Charles XI slept in the same room and the same bed, as the sources state.
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