kragsbjerggaard

All renovations of the site and buildings have been carried out with respect for its history. There has been a farm at the end of the current Kragsbjergvej since 1629, but the year 1747 is considered Kragsbjerggaard's true birthday. That was the year when the then-owner built a new main building and established the park and forest.

The year can also be seen on the wooden beam embedded in the framework of one of the wings. Alongside the year "1747," the initials "JCW" for the owner, Johan Christopher von Westen, and "KKH" for his wife Karen Krag Holmsted, who the manor is named after, are carved on the beam.

Since then, the estate has experienced a tumultuous existence, and both the main building and the wings were constructed later. The current main building was built between 1830 and 1835, while the three wings were constructed in the 1950s after Odense Municipality took over Kragsbjerggaard.

Under the direction of the renowned architect and royal building inspector Knud Lehn Petersen, who had also been involved in the establishment of The Funen Village, the wings were dismantled and rebuilt in the original style. Only the timber and framework beams were reused, while the bricks were new, and a new tile roof was installed. After two years of renovation, Odense Vandrerhjem (Odense Hostel) officially opened on March 27, 1958.