Selsø castle dates back to mediaeval times. 'Selsøgård' is known to have existed as early as the 1200’s, being mentioned for the first time in 1288 as part of the Roskilde bishopric. The episcopate owned Selsø right up to the Reformation. The main wing, which can be seen today, was built by Royal Councillor Jacob Ulfeldt in 1576 in Renaissance style and rebuilt in Baroque style in 1734 by Christian Ludvig Scheel von Plessen.

From 1829, the castle was uninhabited following the death of Agathe von Qualen Plessen. All the furniture was auctioned off, the key was turned in the lock, and the castle fell into a fairy tale slumber lasting for almost 150 years. Unfortunately, it was no beauty sleep. The castle deteriorated so much over the years that finally, the buildings were only used for agricultural purposes: granary in the banqueting hall, pheasants in the dining room, beehives in the reception room, chicken run on the outdoor staircase etc. The beautiful old castle had become a pigsty.

Then, in 1972, the rot was stopped when a married couple took over the derelict castle. They were Grethe and Bernhard Linder, journalists and authors, and they set about the delicate task of renovating the ancient buildings. Thanks to the couple we now see a unique manor house in the same condition as when abandoned in 1829 – without electricity, water or heating.
Of course, a castle as old as this has its fair share of tales: local people called it The Haunted Castle. One example is the tale of The White Lady who is said to have murdered her husband for philandering. But there is also the authentic story of a woman who was imprisoned for years in the castle.


The tale of the imprisoned woman
The builder of Selsø Castle, Jacob Ulfeldt, died in 1593 and one of his sons, Mogens Ulfeldt, inherited Selsø. He was not particularly interested in the place as he had other sizeable endowments, among others Kronborg, the castle at Elsinore. An admiral, he was at sea a lot, although unsuccessful in battle. Back at Selsø Castle things were not going too well either. He was in fact using it as a prison for his wife, Anne Munk. No one knows the nature of her misdemeanour. It is simply on record as an 'ill deed' – most probably infidelity, which was treated very seriously in those days, especially when committed by women.

After Mogens Ulfeldt’s death in 1616, his three sons moved into Selsø and freed their mother from her imprisonment but when king Christian IV heard of this he wrote a letter to the three sons (the castle museum possesses a copy) criticising them for the life they were leading there – that they do keep an unseemly house – and advising them to go abroad to receive a fitting education. The king was particularly piqued that they had liberated their mother from her custody (i.e. prison) and ordered them to lock her up again. So poor Anne Munk had to sit out another 12 years, after which she was released. Both she and her stern husband are commemorated in Selsø church, where the 1605 altarpiece bears the family coat of arms and the initials HMW - FAM (Hr. Mogens Ulfeldt - Fru Anne Munk).

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