Tranekær

The town of Tranekær is a unique castle town that can only be compared to the royal castle towns in North Zealand or the ducal towns in South Jutland. The name Tranekær dates back to 1231 (Tranækyær). “Trane” meaning crane bird and “kær” meaning pond - ‘the pond with the cranes’.

The history of Tranekær and the General

The first signs of humans in the area are the remains of a 9,000 - 9,500-year-old summer settlement from a hunter community on Flådet. During the 19th century, all the town properties came under the ownership of the castle and ‘the General’, Count Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, who owned Tranekær Castle from 1791 to 1832 and had a significant impact on the town’s development into a princely town. The General was a man of great initiative and ambition for the town. He moved the farms out into the fields, founded the country’s first sugar beet factory, brought doctors to the island, organised the defence of Langeland during the English War and much more. At the same time, he surrounded himself with an almost princely court life, with special hunts, bands, theatre performances, African servants, etc. At the same time, the General brought a number of special craftsmen to Tranekær, often from abroad. Frederik Ahlefeldt-Laurvigen died at Tranekær Castle on 8 March 1832.