The house at Bangsbo was in its heyday around 1900, when Johan Knudsen owned the estate. The park, together with the rest of the property, was particularly well kept around this period, with large mown lawns and circular flower beds. However, such elegance has not always prevailed on the estate – different owners and changing trends in garden style have had effects on the estate’s parkland and one can follow the changes each owner decided upon by looking at plans which have survived from as early as 1812.
In 1892, Johan Knudsen became the owner of Bangsbo, and he instigated a complete renovation of both the estate buildings and the surrounding park. The Park now acquired an ‘English-style’, with winding paths and a rock-mound at the southern edge of the lawns and, at the northern edge beside the Bangsbo River, a small pavilion was constructed that is now known as “The Tea-house”. Around this time, more than a hundred years ago, the author Herman Bang found peace from his daily life and inspiration for his writings in this park.
Also, at the end of the 1800’s, a plant nursery was established, situated just to the east of the little stream that runs northwards through The Park out of the natural gully to the Bangsbo River. The estate was supplied with fresh vegetables and other plants from this nursery.
Today the form of The Park is still the same as in Johan Knudsen’s time, with large lawns and the circular flower beds, which now contain rhododendrons, magnolias, astilbes, hydrangeas, and Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla). Daffodil cultivars appear in several of the circular beds in springtime and crocus, snowdrops and grape-hyacinths grow in some areas of the lawns. The central path to the estate-house has been recreated, as an extension of the lime tree alley at the eastern end of The Park. The Park covers a total area of 17,500 m2 in which there are two buildings, “The Gardener-house” and the “The Tea-house”, both of which have been totally renovated, in 1997 and 2001, respectively.
The Park
The Park consists of those parts of Bangsbo Botanic Garden – old and new – immediately surrounding the old estate-house. Information-boards describe in three languages, some of the interesting features of each area.