With Silkeborg's second oldest building – Gammelgården – the history of the place is an important part of Silkeborg's history.
Silkeborg Hovedgård's owner, county judge Henrik Muhle Hoff, built the farmhouse around 1798 with the aim of establishing a schoolmaster's seminary. He named the property Marienlund after his wife, Marie. The name can still be seen in the street name, Marienlundsvej. However, the plans were never implemented because fate caught up with the enterprising and capable county judge. After the English wars in the early 1800th century and the state bankruptcy in 1813, Henrik Muhle Hoff went bankrupt and died in poverty in 1817.
After that, the remote property was abandoned until the state took over it with the large land adjacent in 1823. At that time, the city of Silkeborg was practically non-existent, so Marienlund is one of the Silkeborg region’s oldest buildings. It was only when Michael Drewsen saw the possibilities of starting a paper manufacturing business by the lakes in the mid-1800th century that the wheels started turning in Silkeborg. Incidentally, it was also this Silkeborg’s first “entrepreneur” who had the paddle steamer “Hjejlen” built at B&W for recreational activities on the lakes.
Gl. Skovridergaard first became a forest ranger's farm in 1847, although still under the name Marienlund. It was only after it was closed down as a forest ranger's farm that it could be called "old forest ranger's farm". The first forest ranger was NE Svanenskjold. He was replaced in 1851 by Carl Chr. Klüwer, who played a major role in Silkeborg's settler life.
As the local royal official, it became Klüwer's duty to look after King Frederik VII and Countess Danner during their summer visits, including at the inauguration of Hjejlen in 1861. Marienlund's lands extended all the way down to the stream, where a separate bridge was built so that Hjejlen could dock. The king lived at Marienlund when he was hunting in the Silkeborg forests, and a room in the old farm is still called “The King's Room”. Klüwer gave his name to the canal he had dug through to the Avnsøerne – Klüwer's Canal. The last forester at Marienlund was JAC Bryndum from 1882 to 1899, after which a new forester's residence was built.
The municipality took over Marienlund for a short period, during which there were plans to use the property as a poorhouse. It appears from Silkeborg Folkeblad from 23 June 1899 that “the municipality has purchased Marienlund for an amount of 42.000 kr.” At that time, the property consisted of 61 acres of land + 2 parcels of land of 7,5 and 5 acres. The mortgage was discussed. It is described that the State Bank, which “had barely any money”, charged 4% interest, and the Landmandsbanken, which “had plenty of money”, charged 4,5%.
But already in 1901 the municipality sold to the planter Hvalsø, who in 1903 sold Marienlund to Høegh Guldberg. Professor Sophus Bang, who was the chief physician at the Tuberculosis Sanatorium, saw the possibilities in the location. He designed and built a private sanatorium, which today forms the middle of the current main building. When the professor moved to Copenhagen in 1913, Mrs. Høegh Guldberg continued to run the sanatorium for a while, until a local consortium bought Marienlund on February 22, 1914.
The men behind the consortium were director NA Sørensen, land surveyor Axel Kristiansen, master bricklayer J. Kornerup Bang and bank manager J. Asmussen. Shortly afterwards, World War I broke out, and the intention was to use the property for a garrison of 100 soldiers, called up to the security force. But the plan was abandoned again when shortly before the accommodation, mumps broke out in the city.
Kornerup Bang volunteered for the war on the English side, but was killed. In 1915, his share in the consortium was taken over by the physician Dr. PC Bjerregaard, and on July 1st the “Kuranstalten” was opened. Gl. Skovridergaard” with Bjerregaard as a spa doctor. It became a cozy home for the 25 spa guests who had room for it at the time. The spa was initially intended for people with ailments such as nervous diseases, gout and rheumatism. And they had good results with various medicinal baths and light baths.
It quickly became clear that there was a great need for the health resort, and already in the first year the capacity had to be expanded from 25 to 40 beds. PC Bjerregaard served as chief physician until his death in 1926, when he was succeeded by Dr. Viggo Starcke. In 1928 the Gl. Skovridergaard with the large east wing, and another 16 rooms were added when the west wing was built in 1940. The building has been continuously renovated and remodeled and added to in accordance with the changing purposes. Over the years, the treatments developed in line with new medical discoveries, and the place became very sought after as a health resort with offers such as: carbonic acid baths, Scottish shower, mercury quartz light, galvano gymnastics and vibration massage.
In 1943 was Gl. Skovridergaard seized by the Germans and only reopened in 1946. Unfortunately, extensive restorations were necessary as a result of the vandalism by the Wehrmacht. Inspector Kristiansen's widow, who was director after the war, did a great job of getting the place back on its feet, and her son Ib Kristiansen became the new spa doctor.
Gl. Skovridergaard became a place where spa guests and convalescent centers flocked in large numbers, and in 1964, for example, 1500 guests had to be turned away.
Around 1978, interest in Danish spa stays was declining, and together with poorer reimbursement rules, this led to guests abandoning the old spa resort, and it had to be put up for sale. The Liberal Youth bought Gl. Skovridergaard as a course venue and built the lecture hall. The purchase price had increased by almost 10 million DKK since the municipality had bought it 80 years earlier. When VU could not fill the building, the plan was to rent it out to other course organizers and for holiday stays. However, it was not possible to raise sufficient funds for the operation, and in 1983 the entire complex was sold to the Danish Army Constable and Corporal Association for 12 million DKK. The military moved in – again, but this time there was neither mumps nor vandalism.
Jyske Bank had grown over the years and had an ever-increasing need for larger training facilities. It was the bank's enterprising founder and CEO, Poul Norup, who saw the potential in turning Gl.Skovridergaard into a first-class training property. The bank bought the property in 1986 and renovated it for a double-digit million. In 1999, the new "Havesal" and "Galleriet" were put into use, and in 2005 the new kitchen and Restaurant Orangeriet opened. With the tasteful interior and modern training rooms, Gl. Skovridergaard today a very attractive course center.
After lengthy negotiations and helped along by the financial crisis, long-time director Margit Coulthard took over operations in 2009. The bank's commitment to the course center was declining and the time had come to write a new chapter in Gl. Skovridergaards history, where the doors could once again be opened to individual guests.
In 2015, a new and exciting chapter was written in Gl. Skovridergaards history when Ferskvandscentret took over the lease. With solid experience from the renowned Vejlsøhus Hotel & Conference Center – a 3-star hotel with 4-star conference facilities – the foundation was laid for an even stronger collaboration between the two neighboring hotels.
Together we create flexible, professional and environmentally friendly solutions for our guests – and fully utilize each other's strengths and capacities. It is a partnership built on shared values and a shared ambition to deliver even better experiences for guests.
At Ferskvandscentret, caring for nature is more than a vision – it is part of everyday life. In all branches of our work, we strive to protect the environment and take responsibility – both in the choices we make in operations and in the framework we create for employees and guests.
We follow a clear environmental policy that sets the direction for our daily efforts, and a concrete action plan translates ambitions into action. These are not just words – they are something that can be felt when you visit us.
Gl. Skovridergaard has been awarded the Green Key – an international environmental certification that sets strict requirements for more than 70 different parameters. The certification is a guarantee that we think holistically and that we make an extra effort to reduce our footprint – for the benefit of guests, employees, operations and not least the nature around us.
Our employees play a central role in this effort. They are committed, up-to-date and an important driving force in our ongoing development towards even more responsible operations.
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