Thursday, February 03, 2011

Brejninggård and Brejning church / Brejning kirke, Bølling herred, Ringkøbing amt.










 















The eastern wing of Brejninggård, built ab. 1580 by the nobleman Hans Lange, is one of the prettiest manor buildings in Denmark. The gate-wing displays a unique terra-cotta decoration in the facade. Brejninggård is now furnished into a high school , but there is public access to the yard and the garden.

Modern wings were built in 1942 and 1958 by the competent architect Helge Holm, and they suit the original Renaissance-plan well. The whole building is white-washed with red tiled roofs. The unique terracotta decoration on the east wing is the largest attraction of this manor. Brejninggård represents the original Italian ideal with a main emphasis on the decoration instead of the fortification which is seen in other manors. The facade shows some similarity to the manor Vorgård in North Jutland and the famous garden-house Pirkentavl at Rosenholm manor on Djursland. The ideal of Brejninggård might be the terracotta-ornamented North German city-houses. In Mecklenburg is a terracotta-decoration at the castle Gadebusch, built ab. 1570, which shows a similarity to Brejninggård.

The main building is listed in class A. Its terracotta-decoration makes it unique in the architectural history of Denmark, but it has been strangely neglected by contemporary architecture-historians.
























Brejninggård belonged before the reformation to Ribe bishopric and was in 1457 and 1464 endowed to væbner Laurids Rød. In 1536 it came to the Crown, which in 1537 pawned it to Johan Stage, but in 1544 sold it to Gunde Lange (+ 1564). After this it belonged to the son Hans Lange of Kærgård (+1609), whose sons Tyge and Gunde Lange owned it together, until Tyge Lange died unmarried in 1614. In 1646 Gunde Lange of Kølbygård sold it to his brother Peder Lange of Kærgård (+ 1661), whose son Jørgen Lange in 1661 conveyed it to his wife-to-be jomfru Dorthe Galde. In 1665 it belonged to her brother-in-law Knud Skinkel ( + childless 1669), whose brother Morten Skinkel (+ childless 1679) took over the farm, which by his widow Helle Urne of Estvadgård (+ 1688) in an exchange 1682 came to his paternal aunt jomfru Ide Skinkel, who in 1683 transferred it to colonel Laurids Munk of Merløsegård (+ 1702). His widow Barbara Hedevig v. Dragsted ( + 1709) conveyed it in 1708 to Chr.Ulrich Schultz of Viumgård (+ 1709), whose son-in-law Steffen Nielsen of Endrupholm ( 1719 ennobled with the name Ehrenfeldt) in 1718 conveyed it to his sister's son Johannes Müller of Lunderup, who sold it at an auction in 1726 to Chr. Siegfried Enholm (later of Marsvinslund, + 1769). He sold it in 1754 to ritmester Hans Nicolai Hoff (later of Silkeborg, + 1806), who in 1760 conveyed it to baron Chr. Fr. Juul of Rysensteen, who lived at the farm, but in 1771 sold it to amtmand Peter de Albertin of Slumstrup, (+ 1779), whose widow Cathrine Kirstine Folsach owned it until her death 1812. ( she sold much of the property in 1794).

Later owners: Chr. H. Bonne, N. Nyholm of Haraldskær, H.S. and N.H. Frandsen, H.S. Albrechtsen, Statens Jordlovsudvalg ( outparcelling); School in main building since 1942 .


A Swan-family in the yard at Brejninggård

Brejning church
The large Brejning church has a choir with a three-winged finish, a nave and tower to the west and a porch at the north door. The center in the very mixed-together building are the sidewings of the choir and the nave, built in the Romanesque period in granite ashlars. In the long walls of the nave is a round-arched Romanesque window. The north-door is preserved, while each trace of the south door has vanished. In the late Middle Ages was the porch built with very heavy wealls in monk bricks. The broad tower is also from late Gothic period, built in re-used ashlars at the bottom and monk bricks above; it is best preserved at the north side, while the other sides are face-walled in ab. 1759. The bottom tower room is vaulted and opens in an arcade to the nave. The choir was rebuilt in the Renaissance-period, probably in 1581, since this year and the names Hans Lange and Johanne Schram and their coat of arms are written on clay tablets in the eastern wall. At the same time the old Romanesque triumph-wall disappeared between nave and choir, and the church was now in one room with a beamed ceiling.

Upon the bricked communion table stands an altar piece from ab. 1600-1610, painted 1876, now restored like the other wood-work in 1931. The altar-candelabres from ab. 1700. A Romanesque font with a rope-winded bulb. A large brass bowl from 1700. A large late Gothic choir-arch crucifix. The pulpit at the north side is from the beginning of the 1600s, in Renaissance, but with decorations from 1698. The manor-stools are from the end of the 1500s and has the names and coat of arms of Hans Lange and Johanne Schram. A confessional with grating and the year 1647, decorated in 1698. The upper pews have a front-panel with apostel-paintings, they origin from a gallery, which was earlier in the church. Portrait painting of Chr. Ulrich Schultz of Brejninggård and his wife and children. In a restoration in 1960-61 were found medieval coins, from Erik Menved to up til Chr. X.  

Listed prehistorics: Two passage graves, a longhill and 58 hills. One of the passage graves at Rudmose has a chamber with 10 supporting stones, but no cover stone; the other southeast of Brejninggård has 8 supporting stones and 44 edge stones, and it brought several finds, especially ceramics. Some of the hills are rather large, like Krathøj, just east of Krattet, 3 of 4 Ravnsbjerghøje, which are placed at the parish-border to Nr. Omme, and a hill southeast of Brejninggård.
Demolished or destroyed: one passage grave, a long dolmen and 133 hills.

A petroglyph-stone was found with a wheel-cross at Brejning. A settlement from early Roman Iron Age is known from Spjald.

Source: Trap Danmark, Ringkøbing amt, 1965.
photo June 2003: grethe bachmann

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