Hovdala Castle – a historical surprise in Skåne

Text and photo: Helena Bergström

Sometimes you find the nicest destinations by pure chance. We were out and about with our camper in Skåne and needed somewhere to stay overnight. When we discovered that you can park your camper for free for one night in the parking lot at Hovdala Castle, it sounded like a perfect solution. And while we were there, we could take the opportunity to discover the castle the next day.

It turned out to be much more than just a practical place for the night. Hovdala is a very beautiful historical setting, with a dramatic history from the time when Skåne passed from Danish to Swedish and the conflicts between the two kingdoms were still raging.

By motorhome at Hovdala Castle

We arrived in Hovdala in the evening and parked the camper in the large parking lot. In the part of the parking lot surrounded by a stone wall, it is allowed to stay overnight in a camper, completely free of charge.

Please note that there is no service and that you should not spread out like you would on a campsite – this is a simple overnight stay in the vehicle in the parking lot. For us it was absolutely perfect. We slept peacefully in the parking lot and the next morning only had a short walk to the castle.

Hovdala Castle – beautiful and full of history

Hovdala is located just south of Hässleholm, in a green and rolling landscape near Lake Finjasjön. The history of the estate stretches back to the Middle Ages, while the oldest preserved parts of today's castle are from the early 16th century. On the northern wing is the year 1511 and the large gate tower was built in 1600. And the gate tower in particular would be involved in a lot.

As early as 1612, when Scania was still Danish, Hovdala was attacked by Swedish troops during the Kalmar War. The owner, Sivert Grubbe, managed to defend the farm and, according to his own story, he used stuffed figures that were placed as false defenders.

The Swedes fired on them without much success – and one of the soldiers is said to have later believed that the devil himself must have helped Hovdala's defenders. But the story would become even more dramatic a few decades later.

When Skåne became Swedish

At the Peace of Roskilde in 1658, Denmark was forced to leave, among other things, Skåne to Sweden. Of course, this did not mean that all the people in the province suddenly felt Swedish. Over the following decades, the conflicts continued, and when the Scanian War broke out in 1675, parts of Scania once again became an area where Swedish and Danish forces fought for control.

In the forests there were also free riders on the Danish side – often described as ”snap-haans”. The situation was complicated and it was not always a simple division between ”Danes” and ”Swedes”.

In the middle of all this was Hovdala's owner Jens Mikkelsen. He was Danish and had previously been the tax collector for the Danish king Christian IV. But when Sweden took over Scania, he instead tied himself to the Swedish crown. In 1670, he became the commissioner of taxation in Scania. This hardly made him popular among everyone in the old Danish villages.

The Snapphanarna attack on Hovdala

On August 7, 1678, Hovdala was attacked by Danish forces and freedmen. Jens Mikkelsen had Swedish soldiers on the farm at the time, and the battle is said to have lasted for about 30 hours. In the end, large parts of Hovdala were looted and burned. Mikkelsen himself managed to escape and survived. The mighty gate tower, however, remained standing.

And the history is still visible. The sturdy gate still bears bullet holes and other marks from the battles – small details that suddenly make the dramatic history of the 17th century very concrete when you stand in front of the building.

After the war, Jens Mikkelsen returned and rebuilt Hovdala. The eastern wing, which became the main residential part of the castle, was built in 1681–1682. In 1687, Mikkelsen was ennobled by the Swedish King Charles XI and given the name Ehrenborg.

Hovdala then remained with the Ehrenborg family for almost 300 years. The state took over the property in 1944, but the family continued to live in the castle until the 1980s.

A castle to discover even from the outside

We would have liked to have seen more of the castle's interiors, but the timing wasn't exactly on our side. This year's general guided tours had ended a little over a week before our visit. In addition, we happened to visit the castle itself on a Monday, the only day of the week during the summer season when the shop, information, exhibitions and café are closed. So we didn't really time it very well...

But it didn't really matter. The castle grounds are nice to explore from the outside, and the park and gardens are open 24/7 with free admission. We were able to stroll around the old buildings, take a closer look at the gate tower, and enjoy the surroundings. In addition, the day offered brilliant sunshine and blue skies – so in terms of photography, we could hardly have had better luck.

Park, garden and nature at Hovdala

There is also much more to discover than the castle buildings themselves. The park has roughly the same extent as on a map from the 1730s and contains old trees, dry moats, a stone wall, a kitchen garden and an orangery from the late 18th century.

The Hovdala nature area spreads out all around with several hiking trails and loops. Large parts of the area that was previously used as a military training field are now a nature reserve and a popular area for outdoor activities.

We had originally only planned to find somewhere to sleep for the night. Instead, we ended up staying overnight in a camper van with one of Skåne's more exciting historical attractions just around the corner. We like random stops like that.

More to discover nearby

Hovdala Castle is centrally located in northern Skåne, and you can, for example, choose to continue your journey east or west. Here are some tips for more great places to visit:

• Things to do in Kristianstad
• Things to do in Helsingborg
• Bjäre Peninsula
• Kulla Peninsula