Marselisborg (manor)

Marselisborg
Marselisborg Manor seen from the garden, 1896
General information
Location	Aarhus Municipality, Denmark
Completed	c. 1773
Demolished	1910
Technical details
Floor count	1

Marselisborg was a farm, manor and barony in Aarhus, Denmark which existed through the 1200s to 1910 under varying ownership and status. The original farm was situated in the present day Marselisborg neighborhood south of the city centre. In 1896 the city of Aarhus purchased the manor and in 1911 dissolved the estate and sold the land off for development. The manor was named after and by Gabriel Marselis who was the first private owner and many landmarks in the area are in turn named for the manor such as Marselisborg Forests, Marselisborg Hospital and Marselisborg Palace.

The original Havreballegaard farm can be traced to the 1200s when it was the property of the Diocese of Aarhus. However, in 1536 the reformation in Denmark was concluded and all church property was confiscated by the Crown. In 1544 it was owned by the king who incorporated it with his other estates in the area. When absolute monarchy was enacted in 1660, the system of fiefs was reorganized and Havreballegård came in private ownership.

The first private owner was the Dutch merchant Gabriel Marselis who was given the manor and lands by King Frederik III as repayment for debts incurred by the Crown during the Second Northern War. Gabriel Marselis did not move to Denmark himself but his sons would later assume control of his estates there. Constantin Marselis took over the manors Havreballegaard and Stadsgård in 1673. Marselis made Stadsgård his home and renamed it Constantinsborg. In 1684 he was made a Danish baron and Havreballegård was elevated to the barony Marselisborg (Lit. Marselis' Castle). Constantin Marselis died childless and the manor changed hands a number of times until the 1860s when Hans Peter Ingerslev purchased it and became the last private owner.