Nysø Manor

Nysø Manor
Location within Denmark
General information
Architectural style	Baroque
Town or city	Præstø
Country	Denmark
Coordinates	55°7′36″N 12°1′50″E / 55.12667°N 12.03056°E / 55.12667; 12.03056
Completed	1673
Client	Jens Lauridsen
Design and construction
Engineer	Ewert Janssen

Nysø Manor, located near Præstø in the southeast of the Danish island of Sealand, was built in 1673 for Jens Lauridsen, a local functionary.

The first manor house in Denmark to be designed in the Baroque style, it is built in red brick and sandstone with a red-tiled roof and a granite plinth as a foundation. It is thought to be the work of master builder Ewert Janssen who probably also built Charlottenborg Palace in Copenhagen shortly afterwards.

The house consists of a main wing with 11 bays and lateral wings to the north with an entrance in between. The central projects on the north and south sides are decorated with four Ionic pilasters which support triangular pediments. On the north side, there is a clock with two figures whose bells strike the hour.

A moat originally encircled the entire building but in 1780 the moat on the north side was filled in to accommodate estate buildings. The Thorvaldsen Collection is housed in one of the red-brick buildings to the east.

The Nysø Estate extends over 1,041 hectars with Jungshovedgaard, Christinelund, Henriklund and Mariannelund.

Nysø is especially known for its role in the Danish cultural Golden Age of the early-to-mid-19th century when baron Hendrik Stampe and his wife Christine played host to many famous writers and artists, including Hans Christian Andersen and the sculptor Thorvaldsen. The latter spent much of his last six years here (1838–44), where he had a studio in the house and in the garden (the white structure in the picture above).

In the 19th century, Nysø was a popular venue for Golden Age artists including as Hans Christian Andersen, Bertel Thorvaldsen and N. F. S. Grundtvig who visited baron Hendrik Stampe and his wife Christine. Thorvaldsen who had a studio in the house spent much of his last six years there. Today Nysø houses the Thorvaldsen Collection which is open to the public in the summer months.

The Thorvaldsen Museum including the Thorvaldsen collection is open for visitors from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 May to 31 August. The collection contains Thorvaldsen's clay models, sculptures and drawings as well as artwork from other famous visitors.