Well-known noble families

Hessel belonged to the King until the farm became part of a barter agreement in 1567 with the nobleman Jørgen Lykke who distinguished himself as a diplomat. He acquired large manors in Himmerland, and, among others, he also owned the manors Overgård and Bonderup (today known as Lerkenfeldt). He became a very rich man among other things thanks to the exportation of studs to Hamburg and Holland. Later on, Hessel was owned by many other known families, for example Daa, Lerche and Lüttichau. In 1966, Hessel was taken over by the then Aalborg County and converted into a museum.

A large farmer’s home in the year 1850

The old main building is preserved with almost intact furniture, and it shows what a large farmer’s home looked like approximately 150 years ago. Thus, there is both an old kitchen and a parlour where the large parties of the farm were held. Moreover, you may visit the dairy, the spinning room, the library, the garden room, bedrooms, guest rooms, farm hands’ rooms, and maids’ rooms. In the old barn there is a collection of carriages, and, on the whole, the museum shows farming methods, and the living conditions in the countryside in the old days.

Hessel is haunted

Is Hessel haunted? Yes indeed. A maid who worked on the farm had an unwanted child, and she buried it under the floor in the mangling room. One of the dogs of the farm could smell the body, and when the floor was removed, the crime was detected. The maid got a very mild punishment because it was not possible to prove that it was she who had killed and buried the child – but, nevertheless, she haunts the manor and often returns to the scene of the crime.