Oerslev Kloster is a creative residence located in lush countryside between a small forest rolling hills and a fjord in the north of Denmark. People have lived in an left their imprint on this beautiful area since time immorial. The residence has welcomed guests since it saw the light of day in the late 1960's - but is merely the latest funtion to find shelter within these ancient walls. A benedictine nunnery was founded here in the middle of the 13th century and remained until the last nun left the building and closed the era of the monastery as late as 1584. The nunnery was then transformed into a manor house and this estate lasted right up until the First World War. Many alterations over the centuries have left their imprint on the building and its surroundings, but substansial remains of the medieval foundation remain encapsuled within a baroque facade.

The manor house became a large private residence, with the demise of the estate and it's substansial land holdings - but quickly deteoriated into a state of near ruin. The buildings were saved from destruction thanks to restauration work carried out by the danish state in the 1920's and the last owner Countess Olga Sponneck in the 1930's. It was the dying wish of the Countess that Oerslev Kloster should survive as creative residence or Refugium for

men and women seeking peace and solitude to work on a project within the arts and sciences.

As such the walls again shelter an atmosphere of reflection and creativity, though without any religious connection or ethos.

Oerslev Kloster welcomes over 800 guests for shorter and longer stays in the course of the year. Just about every possible backround is represented within the public and private sector. We see it as our main purpose to provide a free space for people of all backrounds, professions, ages with a genuine wish to work on a specific project in an inspiring enviorment without the normal disruptions of a daily working life. The majority of our guests come as individuals, but we also cater for smaller workgroups.

This site is both an introduction to the atmosphere, the buildings, surroundings and history of this unique place. But it is also a ressource for the anyone studying the building archaeology and restauration of medieval nunnerys and manor houses. The site is an integral part of the public documentation of the ongoing restauration works at Oerslev Kloster.

There is a special atmosphere here. Most of us today live in a house that is no older than ourselves. Our immediate daily lives move within short term points of reference - our immediate family photos on the shelf, an interior with a few layers of paint, furniture that changes with shifting tastes and styles. Here you can feel the history. We are just guests in an ongoing story.