Bangsbo’ s moat presumably dates back to the middle ages. The 1300’s were especially troubled times in Danish history and around this period many so-called ‘Motter’, a type of fortification, were built all over the country.
The building that stands there today is from ca. 1750, constructed by the estates’ first bourgeois owner, merchant and miller, Jens Møller. The three wings of this building were constructed then in a baroque style although the cellars underneath originate from the Bangsbo estate-house owned by Ingeborg Skeel (c.1545 -1604).
An exact copy of Bindesbøll’ s bridge (named after the Danish architect and designer, Thorvald Bindesbøll, who designed the original bridge) was opened in 1992. On that day, it seemed as if all the cultural -patrons connected with Bangsbo in the past, were revived, walking around, and enjoying the park.
The beds around the main entrance of the estate-house are now planted with rhododendrons, donated to the garden by one of the gardens faithful friends, Jørgen Corfitzen from Sorø, who had 70-80 rhododendron hybrids to spare; if the Bangsbo Botanic Gardens had not accepted them, these plants would have ended up on a St. Hans midsummer bonfire. The Friends of the Garden immediately sponsored the project with 80 cubic meters of granulated-peat from Sweden; a local haulage firm contacted a heavy-goods vehicle with an empty trailer, on its way back from Finland, and all the rhododendrons to be donated were quickly loaded onto the trailer. Six hours later, the vehicle drove into the museum’s courtyard and some of Frederikshavn council’s machines and workmen arrived to clear the old beds and thereafter spread many cubic meters of peat onto this area.
On Maundy Thursday, the 12th of April 2001, members of The Friends of the Garden turned up to plant the rhododendrons. As the morning progressed, the weather became more and more wintery until it developed into an actual snowstorm. Even this did not deter the planting-team, who eventually got all the plants into their final positions in the two beds previously prepared for them.
In the course of time since then, oriental lilies have also been planted here; they flower somewhat later than the rhododendrons and, in addition, have a wonderful scent.
