Juellinge Manor

As part of the renovation of Juellinge Manor, one of Denmark’s oldest estates, we have contributed to the restoration of the estate’s moat system and water garden.

Juellinge Manor was built in the late seventeenth century by Baron Jens Juel, brother of Admiral Niels Juel. The manor house itself was designed in the Baroque style, influenced by Dutch Classicism.

The manor’s gardens were also originally designed according to the principles of Dutch Classicism. Conceived as a hidden Garden of Eden, the landscape was organized around kitchen gardens, orchards, and seven water basins separated by small garden rooms, trees, and avenues of lime trees. It is said that the garden acquired its distinctive and beautiful character because the views across the surrounding landscape of Stevns were considered too monotonous.

In restoring the historic garden and its water basins, our focus has been on creating a simplified and low-maintenance interpretation. The garden rooms are now defined by vibrant seasonal flowering plants.

The water garden has been re-established both hydrologically and botanically. Hydrological restoration was achieved through the creation of two distinct water-level systems, while the historic character has been retained through the preservation and replanting of original trees and shrubs. Large quantities of silt that had accumulated over centuries were excavated and spread across the surrounding agricultural fields, where they now contribute to soil enrichment.

In addition to its exceptional cultural-historical significance as Denmark’s only surviving moat system, the moat also holds considerable structural value. It helps stabilize and protect the foundations of the manor house and serves as an example of how maintaining a consistently high water level can be used to safeguard similar historic buildings in the future.