Brahesborg Manor – Denmark’s Oldest Preserved Suspension Bridge
The route takes you right through Brahesborg Manor, where you have a great view of the buildings, the suspension bridge, and the manor complex from the public road. The park path outside the moat is also open to visitors, but the estate itself is privately owned.
The History of Brahesborg
The listed main building was constructed between 1638 and 1656 by Jørgen Brahe, known as “the little king of Funen.” It features Renaissance-style fortifications, a moat, and three towers. Originally, the manor belonged to the Catholic Church and dates back to the late Middle Ages, when one of Odense Diocese’s accountants lived in Assens.
In 1756, the main building was remodeled by Christian Rantzau, giving it its current appearance and planting the lime tree avenues. The building is a single-wing structure with two stories above a high vaulted cellar. Its east-facing side is symmetrical along a central axis, while the west-facing side has irregularly placed windows and a garden door. The walls are whitewashed, and the roof is covered with blue-glazed tiles.
In 1828, Willum Frederik Treschow purchased Brahesborg after the state had owned it since a forced auction in 1822. In 1846, the farm building Wilhelmsborg was erected, and in 1850, the suspension bridge over the moat was installed. Today, the bridge is listed and is Denmark’s oldest existing suspension bridge.
After fires at Brahesborg, two new barns were built in 1900, and in 1926, a grand riding stable and two new wooden barns were added, while the surviving wings were renovated. Upon his death in 1951, a childless Frederik Wilhelm Treschow transferred the estate to his nephew Bror Carl Adolf Cederfeld de Simonsen, who managed it until 1963, when it passed to his son Ivar Cederfeld de Simonsen. In 1980, Peter Cederfeld de Simonsen took over Brahesborg as part of a gradual generational shift. In 2016, Peter built a new wooden barn with modern grain and seed drying facilities. In 2019, a new generational shift transferred most of the estate to Christian Cederfeld de Simonsen.
