You can visit Sæbygård as a single person or as a group with guided tours or at one of the many events taking place during the year.
It is possible rent the manor for private events, weddings, birthdays and other parties and arrangements.
Information concerning visits, guided tours, arrangements or renting Sæbygård can be obtained from Sæbygårds Venner, by phone 98461045 or by mail kontakt@saebygaardsvenner.dk or via the website saebygaardsvenner.
Sæbygård is mentioned already in the Middle Ages where it belonged to the Bishop of Børglum, Stygge Krumpen. Sæbygård was converted to an entailed estate in 1797 by Elisabeth and Otto Arenfefldt and it contains significant manor furniture and equipment primarily from the last 200 years. At Sæbygård you may experience what life was like in a North Jutland manor farm through several generations. The admirals Peder Munk and Niels Juel have stayed here and from 1723 it has belonged to the Arenfeldt family.
Stygge Krumpen was Bishop over Børglum diocese but he normally stayed on the east coast of Vendsyssel where he erected buildings at Voergård and Sæbygård. In both places they were stone houses on big squares surrounded by moats. He often stayed in private with Elsebeth Gyldenstjerne at Voergård where he had his estate office and – among other things – kept a chest for documents. Unfortunately this was lost when Voergård was burned down during the Count’s Feud.
With Elsebeth he gave large parties at Sæbygård .and hunting parties in the woods around Sæbygård. Here he was close to his market town Sæby from where he controlled the region’s trade Stygge Krumpen and his uncle Niels Stygge Rosenkrantz were benefactors to Sæby and among other things they erected the aisle to Sæby Church with its beautiful frescos. They also donated the altarpiece where they both are depicted together with Elsebeth Gyldenstjerne. Stygge Krumpen also moved the dean of Børglum Episcopate to Volstrup Church which belonged to Sæbygård.
Rumours had that Stygge Krumpen below one of the big millstones in the floor had a secret escape route leading from Sæbygård to the monastery in Sæby. If you doubt this you are welcome to lift one of the millstones and have a look.
After the Reformation the king confiscated all clerical property including Sæbygård. In 1560 Sæbygård ceded to private ownership by a reparcelling with Otto Rud and Pernille Oxe who in 1576 completed a renaissance construction from which only the main building is left. The stair tower was built by the renowned Hercules Midow. In accordance with the taste of the time the manor is situated in a square rampart with access from the barnyard in the north. The present stone bridge across the moat originates from about 1800. Before that there was a wooden drawbridge.
The buildings of the farmyard originate from this century but they are placed where the former buildings were. They were probably made in half-timber. As custom was in the Renaissance the construction is made symmetrically around it own centreline.
In 1682 the owner at the time, Admiral Niels Juel reparcelled Sæbygård to Holger Pachs and Elisabeth Bille. That was the last time Sæbygård was traded. Since then the manor has been passed on, at first to their daughter Anne Sophie Pachs, who was married to Lave Beck Arenfeldt and then to members of the Arenfeldt family. In 1997 it was converted to an entailed estate.
Originally Sæbygård probably consisted of a single house with corner towers and a south wing from the same time. The east wing was erected soon after but at the beginning of the 17th century it was reconstructed by Sophie Brahe (died in 1638).
In the 17th century Sæbygård consisted of 2 solid stone buildings and two in half-timber. The west wing of these was torn down by Holger Pachs who erected the present firewall in 1688. The buildings to the south and the east were reconstructed around 1750 to their present appearance by Anne Sophie Pachs (died in 1763). Substantial changes took place in 1861 where the gate tower was equipped with a spire. In 1991 this was restored to its original appearance.
The park
The banks to the south and the west no doubt have emerged from fillings from the moats and from the leveling of the manor bank at the time of the construction.
To the east, south and west of Sæbygård archways of lime trees have been planted – emphasizing its design with rigid axes. “Ridebanen” (the riding area) east of Sæbygård originally was a part of Sæbygård’s old garden but previously it probably had been used for riding or for the popular tournaments. The star hill south of the riding area is one of Sæby’s spectacular offerings.
The Interiors
The north wing contains the manor’s representative rooms where the Knights’ Hall dates back to the Renaissance.
”Jagtstuen” (the Hunting Room) is from the middle of the 18th century. With its flawless Rococo design it represents the most splendorous room from this period. The east wing is inhabited by the owners or the lessees of the manor while the south wing housed the servants.
Sæbygård has an impressive collection of important paintings, covering the period fra the 16th century till today. A considerable amount of the collection has been created by the people who converted Sæbygård to an entailed estate to remind about their noble ancestors.
The inventory also contains a distinguished collection of table linen from the end of the 17th century and until the 19th century. Here you will also find the Arenfeldt dinner set, East Indian porcelain from the 18th century and pewter from the end of the 17th century with coat-of-arms from Bille and Pachs.
When the Norwegian branch of the family with Christian Ditlev Adolf Arenfeldt took over the entailed estate in 1884 the east wing was decorated in the style of the Victorian Era. The family comes from the manor Gimle near Kristiansand which today is a manor museum.