Herlufsholm is Denmark’s oldest boarding school, founded in 1565 near Næstved. It is famous for Gothic grandeur, royal pupils, and a 2022 abuse scandal that triggered a national reckoning.
Herlufsholm: Denmark’s Oldest and Most Controversial School
Herlufsholm sits beside the Suså river near Næstved, about 80 kilometres south of Copenhagen. Founded in 1565, it is Denmark’s oldest boarding school. For centuries it educated the sons of the country’s elite.
I have followed this place for years as an expat in Denmark. It is beautiful, prestigious, and deeply divisive. The 2022 scandal changed how Danes see it forever.
The History of Herlufsholm
Herlufsholm’s roots reach back to a medieval monastery on the same grounds.
Founded in 1565 by Herluf Trolle and Birgitte Gøye
Admiral Herluf Trolle and the noblewoman Birgitte Gøye founded the school in 1565. They had no children of their own. So they gave their estate to educate young men.
The estate was a former Benedictine monastery called Skovkloster. Trolle, a celebrated naval hero, died from battle wounds that same year. Both founders rest in the school church to this day.
From Monastery to Elite Institution
For over 450 years, Herlufsholm trained Denmark’s nobility and upper classes. Former pupils, known as old Herlovians, filled the ranks of politics, the military, and business. The school guarded its traditions fiercely.
Its ties to the Danish monarchy and aristocracy ran deep. That closed world gave Herlufsholm enormous prestige. It also bred a culture few outsiders ever questioned.
The Herlufsholm Scandal That Shook Denmark
In 2022, Herlufsholm stop
