Hovdala Castle

Story

Hovdala Castle is a castle in Hässleholm Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. Its oldest parts date from the early 16th century.HistoryHovdala is mentioned for the first time in 1130, but the presently visible castle complex began to be constructed during the early 16th century. The date 1511 can be read on one of the façades. During this time, Scania was a part of Denmark.The squire Magnus Rabek is mentioned in written sources as having owned the estate sometime before the Black Death. During the early 15th century, the estate belonged to a squire named Klement Skaldra. At the end of the century, the estate passed to the Laxmand family, who erected the oldest of the presently visible buildings. Through marriage it later passed to the Grubbe family. During the ownership of Sigvard Grubbe, an educated man who stood close to the king, Christian IV of Denmark, and who had studied in Wittenberg and Basel, the castle was besieged twice by Swedish troops during the Kalmar War. The castle withstood the sieges.After the death of Sigvard Grubbe, the castle passed between different owners until it became the property of Jens Mikkelsen, an officer in the Danish army, in 1651. After the conquest of Scania by Sweden in 1658, he changed his allegiance and instead joined the Swedish army. When the two countries again were involved in fighting during the Scanian War, the castle was assaulted, pillaged and burnt by pro-Danish guerilla fighters on 7 August 1678.