Odden Manor and Mygdal church, Region Nordjylland

Odden, wikipedia

Odden, Region Nordjylland, Mygdal sogn Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring Kommune. 



before 1970: Mygdal sogn, Vennebjerg herred, Hjørring amt.





The family Lunge were the owners of Odden for about 300 years.

No owner of Odden is with certainty known until into the 15th century, where it belonged to the ancient family Lunge. Through marriage and inheritance this sjællandske ( zealand) family had resided in the northernest regions of Jutland. Hr. Anders Jacobsen Lunge, one of the richest and most respected noblemen in Denmark,  a rigshofmester and a member of the rigsråd, married in his youth hr. Peder Offesen Neb's widow fru Ingeborg Nielsdatter Panter, and with her he got considerable estate. A few years after her death was in 1419 legal change after his parents-in-law, hr. Niels Ovesen Panter and fru Johanne -   and much estate came to Anders from the region around Hjørring, like Knivholt and Bøgsted, the manor Odden was probably mentioned too.

landscape by Odden, foto gb

Hr. Anders Jacobsen Lunge had no heirs, a son of his cousin hr Oluf Andersen Lunge wrote himself of Odden in 1454. Hr. Oluf was one of his time's most excellent noblemen. He was the first known owner of Odden. He still lived in 1473. Odden came after his death to his son Oluf Olufsen Lunge who died in the 1470s, he was the last male of his family. His widow Karen Nielsdatter Banner brought Odden to her second husband Vil Thomasen Galskyt, who in 1479 and later wrote himself of the manor Odden, but Oluf Lunge's son-in-law Henrik Friis of Haraldskær (+ earliest 1500) was partly owner of Odden and later without doubt sole owner. After his first wife fru Anne Olufsdatter Lunge (with whom he had several children) died, he lived in a probably childless marriage with Margrethe Mogensdatter Krabbe of Bøgsted who outlived him with many years. The death year of both is not known.

Odden, wikipedia

The next owner Ove Vincentsen Lunge, who got the manor Odden via marriage to Anne Henriksdatter Friis (his first wife was Karen Eriksdatter Rosenkrantz +) played an important role among his contemporaries. His father was of the family Dyre, his mother of the family Lunge which earlier owned Odden, and he and his siblings took names after her. After king Hans's death he was soon a warrior, soon a diplomat, he was a member of rigsrådet, he achieved the knighthood and had important vasalries. He inherited Tirsbæk after his father, he got Odden with his second wife Anne Henriksdatter Friis and he bought Kragerup at Zealand, he had success as a farmer and he was a bibliophile too. He died in 1540, his wife, Anne Henriksdatter Friis, whose first marriage was to Bjørn Andersen Bjørn of Stenalt, outlived him with a couple of years.

Odden, foto gb

After Anne's death came Odden in 1542 to the son Tyge Lunge (Dyre) (+1545)(whose widow Sophie Nielsdatter Kaas (Sparre-K.) disclaimed liabilities on succeeding to property), and to Christoffer Lunge (Dyre), (who was killed in 1565 in the battle of Svarterå). He and his wife fru Karen Jørgensdatter Juel were buried in the chapel at Mygdal kirke.  Odden went to his son Ove Christoffersen Lunge (Dyre), whose wedding to Anne Maltesdatter Sehested was held at Odden. Ove Lunge died in 1601, and after his death Odden went to the son rigsmarsk hr. Jørgen Lunge (Dyre) of Birkelse etc.; he took part in the Kalmar war, had several vasalries and was from 1616 member of rigsrådet, he was rigsmarsk and ridder, he died already in 1619, only 41 years of age -  and was like his parents buried in Vor Frue kirke in Aalborg. His wife Sophie Stensdatter Brahe retained Odden for the time being, she outlived her husband with 40 years and saw almost all her children die in their best years of life, seven married daughters and the son Ove, the last male of the family, died before her,  only the daughter Ide outlived her.

Fru Sophie had in 1656 refrained Odden, Birkelse and Høgholt to her children and children-in-law. Høgholt came via the daughter Lisbet to the family Rosenkrantz, Birkelse came to a branch of the family Skeel and Odden was shared between the late Anne Lunge's son, Just Justesen Høg and Otte Skeel's widow, Ide Lunge, who swapped away her halfpart to her sister's son Mogens Christensen Skeel, who became the sole owner of Odden by in 1661 buying Just Høg's part. After him came Odden to the son Ove Lunge, who died unmarried in 1637, the last male of his family. His mother Sophie Stensdater Brahe ( + 1659) took over manor and estate.
And this was the end of the Lunge era at Odden.

Various owners


today:

 Odden J.F.Willumsen Collection

Odden, foto gb

he word Odden means an isthmus, a spit of land - the manor was built upon a spit of land, on the northernest spit of a low hillside or an isthmus, which grew out from a meadow surrounded on both sides by brooks which went together and formed a small lake, where the water was used for the mill.


The main building is one of the district's most interesting secular buildings, but its history is not fully known. The manor has three wings of which the built-together south and east wings are from the first half of the 1500s, while the low west wing in half-timbering is built ab. 1765. The oldest part is probably the east wing, with Ove Vincentsen Lunge as the building master. The white-washed wing has a red tiled roof. Remarkable is the great blændingskors (cross) upon the southern gable, a so-called patriark-cross placed between the two upper windows of the gable. The cross is the distinctive mark of the family Lunge and it shows that the east wing must be built in the Catholic period. The south wing with a gate-passage was probably built by Christoffer Lunge in the 1540s. Much later probably after a fire in 1763 is the present west wing which was built in half-timbering in one storey.

Odden might have looked rather sinister in its first time with the dark, heavy buildings without towers or spires and its small windows placed rather randomly. It was known as one of the oldest farms in all of Jutland, no older neighbouring moat sugessts, that it earlier was placed otherwise. Now the more than 400 years old buildings are whitewashed and lights up the landscape.

The land of the manor was outparcelled in 1945-46. Today Odden is used for exhibitions based upon a large collection of the Danish artist J.F.Willumsen's works.


Mygdal church., built about 1300.

Mygdal kirke, wikipedia

The rather desolate placed white-washed church in Mygdal has a late Romanesque choir and nave, a chapel by the north side of the choir from ab. 1550-60 and a porch from 1897. The late Romanesque building is mainly in bricks and is closely related to the Vendsyssel brick-work group. Both gables are re-walled. The choir arch inside is extended and both choir and nave have beamed ceilings. The large chapel at the northside of the choir was probably built by Christoffer Lunge as a burial chapel.

Interior: A walled communion table in monk bricks. The altar piece has sections from Renaissance with the coat of arms of Ove Lunge and Anne Sehested upon the foot piece;  it was re-made in Rococo in 1777 with the names of Pors Munch and Else Joh. Seidelin and a new painting. Chalice from 1761. Late Gothic ore candelabres. A small gilt alabast crucifix is now in the National Museum. A Romanesque granite font, half-circular basin upon a hollow pyramid-foot. A south German bowl from ab. 1575 with engraved coat of arms of Kaspar Markdaner and Sofie Oldeland. A late Gothic choir arch crucifix from ab. 1500 upon a new wooden cross.

Upon the north wall a pretty fresco of Maria with child from the late 1300s probably by the same painter who made Skt Kristoffer in Hjørring. Below Maria a coat of arms with chess-pattern, probably for Niels Mogensen Glob who was know in this region in 1394. A pulpit in simple Baroque with painted year 1777, repaired 1932. The church bell with the name "Rose" was cast in 1560 by Peder Lauridsen for Christoffer Lunge and hangs in a bell frame. In the choir wall a magnificent Renaissance grave stone from 1576 for Christoffer Lunge, who was killed in 1565 at Falkenberg and Karen Jørgensdatter( Juel) + 1556, with portrait figures of both.



source: Danske slotte og herregårde, bd. 10, Vendsyssel, Odden, Danske kirker,