Rosendal Barony

The Rosendal Barony (Baroniet Rosendal) lies in Rosendal on the Hardangerfjord, in Kvinnherad municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The estate was founded in 1665 when the nobleman Ludvig Rosenkrantz acquired the Hatteberg farm and began building a manor house, which was completed in 1665 to 1678. In 1678 the king of Denmark-Norway granted him the status of baron and the estate became a barony, the only one in Norway. The manor was owned by the Rosenkrantz family and later the Barons Rosenkrantz until 1927, when it was donated to the University of Oslo and later opened as a museum. The main building is a small, compact mansion influenced by Renaissance design, with white-painted walls and steep roofs, standing in a formal garden. The interiors are preserved with period furniture, portraits, tapestries and household objects from the 17th to the 19th centuries, which show the life of a noble family on a Norwegian estate. Rooms on the guided tour include the dining room, the drawing rooms, bedrooms and the so-called Rosenkrantz rooms. The grounds include a Baroque-style garden and an orchard, as well as a rose garden, and a Hardanger farm landscape lies around the estate. Visits are made by guided tour in the season, usually offered in several languages, and tours explain the history of the family and the barony. The estate is part of the Rosendal village, where a small harbour and the Hardangerfjord connect to the boat services from Bergen.