Constantinsborg is a manor in Aarhus Municipality, Denmark which has existed since at least 1400. The manor is situated at the southern shore of Årslev Engsø; a newly created nature site and shallow lake extension of the Brabrand Lake, in Viby J10 km. south-west of Aarhus. The manor and estate is today privately owned and operated as a farm. Constantinsborg was originally known as Stadsgaard but was later renamed for Constantin Marselis who owned the estate in the 1600s. In the 1800s the Pontoppidan-family owned the estate and came to have a large impact on Danish agriculture and the transformation of the moors in Jutland to agricultural land. The main manor building was constructed in the early 1800s while adjoining farm buildings date back to 1870 and the 20th century.
History
Present day Constantinsborg was constructed around 1400 when it was owned by Erik Jensen Munk and known as Stadsgaard. In 1210 a forest named Stad in the area is mentioned in the records of the Ancient See of Aarhus who owned the forest at the time so it's possible the original farm dates back further. When Erik Jensen Mun died his son Peder Lykke inherited the estate and managed it until his death in 1464. The manor stayed in the Lykke family until 1583 when Valdemar Parsberg traded the manor to King Frederik II. King Frederik II obtained the manor in order to expand his hunting grounds around Skanderborg Palace. When Constantinsborg became crown land it was made a part of Havreballegård Fief. In 1661 the Fief - and Constantinsborg - was given to the Dutch merchant Gabriel Marselis as part of payments for debts incurred by the Danish state during the Second Northern War. In 1667 Gabriel Marselis' son Constantin Marselis moved to Denmark to manage his father's many new estates. He moved into Constantinsborg which he had named after himself. In 1683 Constantinsborg was officially recognized as a manor with privileges which indicates it was a substantial estate at the time. In 1699, Constantin Marselis died and his widow Sophie Elisabeth Charisius took over the manor and had it made a fee tail. She married Peder Rodsteen who was made a Baron. When Rodsteen died in 1714 the manor was passed on to Sophie Elisabeth Charisius' nephew Christian Charisius who was married to Dorothea Cathrine Rosenlund. He died in 1724 and she the year after, after which the manor was inherited by their son Constantin August Charisius. Constantin dedicated himself to the administration of Constantinsborg during the 52 years he owned it and he managed to expand the estate, although it left him heavily indebted at this death in 1776. In 1787, Hans Frederik Fædder-Charisius took over Constantinsborg and he was given permission to divide and sell the manor provided all profits be set aside for his descendants. The manor was sold in 1799 on auction. Fædder-Charisius himself bought the main building and lands while most of the attached farms and lands were sold off. When Fædder-Charisius died the manor was sold to Peder Jacob Møller in 1832 who sold it again in 1867 to Hendrik Pontoppidan. Hendrik Pontoppidan had become wealthy through his trade business in Manchester and Hamburg. In the 1840s Hendrik Pontoppidan was a representative for the National Bank of Denmark, in 1851 he was made a Consul of the Danish state and he co-founded Aarhus Privatbank which eventually became one of the largest banks in Denmark. After purchasing Constantinsborg Hendrik Pontoppidan became heavily involved in agriculture and Hedeselskabet. Hendrik Pontoppidan died in 1901 but he had already assed the manor on to his son Alfred Pontoppidan who had studied agriculture in Scotland and Hannover. Alfred Pontoppidan managed Constantinsborg with successful and it became a center for agricultural education in the area. In 1999, a descendant sold Constantinsborg to Troels Holch Povlsen who founded Bestseller.
Architecture
The present main building was constructed in 1801 in Neoclassical style and consists of a single, long brick building. The building is in one floor above a deep basement and is characterized by a large Frontispiece in two floors with heavily decorated portals. The north end of the Frontispiece is finished with a low wall in Attic style. The previous building was constructed by Constantin Marselis in 1677. The building was described as expensive and detailed and it was about 3 times as large as the present building. The buildings were designed in the Baroque style with a 3-winged main building facing a three-winged stables. The middle section of the main building was a double house, inspired by Dutch styles. The farm buildings on Constantinsborg are situated directly in front of the main building as a large complex of buildings. The oldest buildings was built by Hendrik Pontoppidan Constantinsborg in 1870 but they were joined by a number of modern buildings from the 2000s, used for offices and administration. The remodeling in 1677 also involved the farm buildings and they still retain the basic outline from this time although all the buildings have been replaced. The garden was most likely created by Constantin Marselis in Baroque style with hedges, boulevards and ponds spread out across three terraces. When Hendrik Pontoppidan took over Constantinsborg in 1867 the garden was changed to English style with free standing trees and large lawns, although the terraces were preserved.
