Ledreborg

Ledreborg is a palatial mansion near Lejre, to the southwest of Roskilde on the Danish island of Zealand. Today's Baroque building was completed in 1746 by Minister of State Johan Ludvig Holstein (1694–1763) who commissioned J.C. Krieger to carry out the work.

==History and architecture== thumb|Ledreborg (1873) The first reference to Lejreborg is fairly recent, dating to 1523 when Otto Tinhuus owned the property under the ancient Diocese of Roskilde. At the time, the estate was called Udlejre and consisted of four or five farms. After the Reformation, in 1545 Lejre became a fief in its own right under the jurisdiction of Copenhagen. In 1663, the statesman Henrik Müller purchased eight farms and five houses in Lejre including Udlejre. He presented the property to his daughter Drude and her husband, statesman Thomas Finke, who built a house called Lejregård. In 1661, Udlejregård was bought by the statesman Henrik Müller who built the first Lejregård manor house. in 1739, Johan Ludvig Holstein bought the property and developed the modest building into one of the country's finest mansions. He commissioned Johan Cornelius Krieger to extend the building to the east and west. Krieger also added a chapel and a monumental staircase designed by Jacob Fortling. In 1745, Niels Eigtved developed the interior, including the Rokoko banqueting hall, while Lauritz de Thurah decorated the inner courtyard with two pavilions and obelisk-shaped lampposts. A gatehouse was also added.