Liselund Castle

Liselund is an enchanting 18th-century landscaped park set near Møns Klint on the north-eastern corner of the island of Møn, widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Romantic English gardening in Scandinavia. It was created in the 1790s by the French nobleman Antoine de Bosc de la Calmette for his wife Elisabeth, affectionately known as Lisa, from whom the name Liselund, roughly 'Lise's grove', derives. The de la Calmette family, drawn to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas about nature and the Enlightenment, laid out the grounds in the informal English style, complete with lakes, temples, grottoes, exotic little buildings and monuments among rare plantings. At its centre stands a charming thatched miniature castle, the delicate white manor that gives the place its storybook character. The Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is associated with Liselund and is said to have written part of his tale 'The Bell' here, adding to the park's romantic aura. The setting beside Møns Klint makes Liselund a natural pairing with a visit to the famous chalk cliffs. The garden is free to enter, while a guided tour of the castle costs around 90 DKK. It is loveliest in spring and summer when the grounds are in bloom. Liselund lies about ten minutes by car from Stege and sits close to Møns Klint. Take your time strolling the paths, pause for a quiet coffee in the garden, and let the miniature castle and its romantic landscape work their gentle magic before continuing on to the cliffs.