Surroundings

An exciting history

The history of Schaeffergaarden goes all the way back to 1755, when the Royal Courts, Master Cabinetmaker Diederich Schaeffer, built the stately main building close to Ibstrup Castle.

Schaeffergaarden is a nostalgic reminder of Ibstrup Castle, the history of which, can be traced back to the middle-ages. The first mention of Ibstrup Estate is in the 1400’s, when Queen Margrethe the 1st purchased it. In 1609 King Christian 1V commenced the building of a castle in the style of Rosenborg summer castle, Ibstrup (Jaegersborg barracks). With the establishment of the Royal Hunting Park, Dyrehaven, around 1670, Ibstrup became the meeting place for hunting and was given the more glamorous name Jaegersborg.

The Royal Court required a lot of space, for the riding guests, at the castle, which in the middle of the 1700’s was badly in need of improvements and ended up by being demolished, which is why in 1755 the Royal Courts, Master Cabinetmaker Diederich Schaeffer built Schaeffergaardens stately main building. The style of Schaeffergaarden is baroque but a clean and simple version. Schaeffers ambitions were however so extravagant, that, in the end, he was forced to give up because of financial ruin and in 1771 he mortgaged the property.

It was during this period towards the end of the 1770’s, that young Knud Lyhne Rahbek became a source to the history of Schaeffergaarden. He was on holiday, at the home of a former house teacher, road clerk Lorenz Adzer, who rented a part of the west wing of Schaeffergaarden and from his stay Rahbek wrote a “Moving Description”, of the pleasant land life in Jaegersborgs stylish surroundings.

After 1781 the property changed ownership a couple of times and first retained its former glory when in 1909 it was taken over by Prince Harald, brother to King Christian the 10th of Denmark and King Haakon the 7th of Norway and the name was changed to Jaegersborg House. Prince Haralds daughter and heir to the throne, Princess Caroline-Mathilde, was born here where she lived the first 8 years of her life.

In 1920 Schaeffergaarden, still under the name of Jaegersborg House was bought by Ernst Michaelsen, director of the Vacuum Oil Company. Director Michaelsen allowed the 32 year old architect Kaare Klint, to return Schaeffergaarden to the clean correct style, where all the faults and irregularities time had administered, were removed.