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RESTAURERING - ANTIKVITETER - BYGNINGSVERN - MEDIA YTTERSØ GÅRD |
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Yttersø Country House
Phoenix revived
The main house at Yttersø was built by Johan Fredrik Sartz in the eighteen-twenties.
He was dean, Member of Parliament and owned parts in the former Count`s Estate.
The architecture of the main building is outstanding, and Sartz used it as his summer house.
We assume that the architect where either the significant military engineer Johan Jørgen
Wetlesen or the capable architect Hans Christian Lind. The latter designed Langestrand
church in 1815 with which there are similarities.
In 1847 the Treschow-family bought the property from Sartz` widow.
The country house period then came to an end and the property was turned
into an agricultural centre based on modern principles of farmproduction.
Several new buildings were erected, e.g. barn, dairy etc. Until the nineteen-fifties
Treschow kept their herd of cattle at Yttersø and the managers inhabited the main building.
The side-building was used as stables and housed workmen.
In the 1970`s the barn and other farm buildings were demolished. and the side building
was drastically abridged. In 1993 Bente Bjerknes and Ragnar Kristensen bought
the buildings including 5000 sq .metres of land. Since then, a thorough restoration
has taken place. By antiquarian methods the ruinous, but intact, main buliding has
again reached a state of former elegance. The Directorate of Cultural Heritage and
the Minister of Environment are responsible for substantial benefits to help out the
thorough restoration process, financing parts of the out- and indoor restoration as
well as the scientific exploration of the bulidings colour history.
Transforming a ramshackle
The main building at Yttersø was listed as historical monument as early as 1923 - in fact
the secondlisted house in the history of norwegian cultural heritage management.
Despite the main building being protected by law it was grossly neglected by its former
owner. Shattered windowpanes, esthetically dissatisfying amendments and modernized
interiors, frightened off other buyers.
A ramshackle may be a more beneficial startingpoint than a totally renovated house missing
authentisity before restoring
The new owners measured the ground plan and facades as well as details in order to understand
the buildings history of development. A group of international students led by paint conservation
expert Jon Brenne examined the exterior colour history and outlined possible courses of colour
restoration. The owners developed a plan of restoration including each room of the house,
emphasizing the single room in a perspective of totality. The historic ground plan was considered
equally important as the individual room.Today the interiors are experienced as they were constructed
in the 1820s and finished with paint and decoration in the early 1850s. In Copenhagen similar
colour consepts may be found in historic houses of the 1840s as well as the famous
Thorvaldsen museum built prior to 1850.
The modernized kitchen - Living room on ground floor - living room on the first floor - The staircase - Living room on the first floor
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The old kitchen restored-A living room on the ground floor-Living room on the first floor-The staircase - living room on ground floor. All rooms with original colours and surfaces.
Johan Fredrik Sartz
The man who initiated and built the main house as a citizens country house of the 1820s,
Johan Fredrik Sartz , was born outside the city of Skien in 1763 as son of an immigrated
danish public servant. Studying theology in Copenhagen , Sartz was also a keen flutist. Rumours
say he obtained the relatively lucrative position as dean of Larvik due to his popularity among
the Copenhagen aristocracy, being an eminent musician. His grandson, the internationally
famous linguist Sophus Bugge, recorded the story of his grandfathers devotion to Yttersø in
his autobiography published 1907. Sartz was a true child of the culture of the old regime and
an ardent exponent of the ideas of reform and education as propagated in the late 18th century.
The danish politician and count Reventlow visited Larvik in 1811 and described Sartz as a good
and well thinking man – in accordance with his own reformmindedness. In his old days his sight
weakend despite which he insisted having his daily newspaper – sometimes held upside down!
A man of considerable heavier preference for statemanshipthan theology – Sophus Bugge remarked.
Johan Fredrik Sartz and his wife Else painted in 1834
In company with three other citizens Sartz bought the former countship of Laurvig in 1817.
One of thelargest estates in Norway, consisting of large woods, saws and important ironworks,
originally initiatedby count Gyldenløve in the 17th century and becoming a cornerstone in the danish/norwegian monarchy. Sadly the estate had been neglected prior to and during
the Napoleonic wars and lacking sufficient resources, in 1835 the new owners had to give in
to the danish lawyer Willum Fredrik Treschow. As kings councellor, he intimately knew
the situation of the new owners and their debt to the danish king. Sartz lived until 1839
and ended his life as a fairly wealthy citizen engaged in trade and shipping.
His widow sold Yttersø to the Treschow family in 1847.
The country houses of Larvik
The tradition of building country houses combining light hearted summer pleasures with
agriculturalpurposes dates back to the times of the romans. Out in the countryside the
ambitious citizen, free of the limitations of the city, could fullfill his innermost visions of
country living and architectural design. The european borgouisie built country houses
as summer retreats in the 17th century, and along the norwegian coastline the trade and
shipping families of the various towns established such retreats in the vicinity
of the towns. By the turn of the century 1800 vast fortunes were invested in glorious
estates and manorhouses. The bourgouisie of Larvik built their retreats in the Valley of
Lågen just outside the old town.
As a twelve year old boy, the famous linguist Sophus Bugge, made this
watercolour of his late grandfathers country house (1845)
Main buliding, garden and gardenhouses, dinner-parties and costly wines – the ultimate
purpose was to show off the owners wealth and financial solidity to his fellow traders.
The country houses of Larvik are mostly protectet by law. Allthoug their building history differs,
some main characteristics are dominant. Standard ground floors and elevated first floors suited
to representation and parties. Yttersø is the most intact and authentic of its kind, and was
originally built as an arcitectural unity.
The Struggle
In 1999, the family owned company Treschow Fritzøe, descending from Willum Fredrik Treschow,
initiated industrial development surrounding Yttersø. After years of hard struggle, fighting an alliance
of local as well as regional authorities and the Treschow family, the owners of the little old country
house succeeded. The central authorities overrun the local authority and 25 000 sq. metres of land were
listed as historic area designed to protect the interests of the old country house.
Left: Yttersø view from north. The buildings are hidden behind the trees on the right side of the
picture. Right: Hoping to avoid interferance of central authorities the big landowner Treschow
constructed a brand new letterhead consisting of both Treschows coat of arms and the device of
the local government. The agreement of partnership was thus confirmed. An unsuccessful but
sensational attempt to frighten off The Directorate of Cultural Heritage.
The Parliament granted local authorities 3. 7 million kroner to buy the protected land from
the Treschow family thus avoiding years of futile legal process. By obligation the local
authorities have to develop the land in the interest of the country house and the people of Larvik.
This includes restoring the larger part of the old park situated on the land now owned by
the local authorities. Historic documentation such as notes, old photographs, maps and
paintings are the primary sources of knowledge.
Gardens of Yttersø
Postcard franked 1913 depicting the mainbuilding and remnants
of the fenced garden established during the 19th century
The gardens of Yttersø are known as far back as 1680 described as a fenced garden in need
of repair. A map made in 1810 outlines a renaissance garden made of four quarters with
trees and garden paths. The erection of a new main building about 1820 resulted in the laying
out of a great new romantic park in front of the house, containing trees and winding garden
paths interrupted by small garden houses. The romantic garden is known in detail through
a map made in 1880. Written sources tell about a gardener living at Yttersø in 1846 and
the previous year the twelve year old Sophus Bugge painted a charming little
water-colour depicting the main house and the garden fronted by four cows and a horse.
Later, in his childhood autobiography, he describes two large gardens with fruit trees
surrounding his late grandfathers country house. Some parts of the surrounding areas
contains by all probability remnants of the gardenflowers, bushes and trees of the
original garden. The old renessaince garden vanished during the 18 hundreds and most
of the romantic garden was reduced to fields during the 19 hundreds. Remnants of
vegetation, old maps, written sources, photographs and paintings tell the story of Yttersøs
gardens and make it possible to renew and restore this vital part of a country houses
green surroundings. A project necessarily executed as co-work between the authorities and
the owners of the old country house.
Map of Yttersø made in 1811 - Map of Yttersø made in 1880
Written by Bente Bjerknes and Ragnar Kristensen, July 2004
e-mail: yttersoe@restaurering.net
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