Tranekær Slot takes one company group at a time, from 8 to 30 participants, for a one-day or a day-and-a-half meeting with an overnight stay. The whole castle is reserved for that group: meeting room, dining rooms, gardens and 14 double rooms. It suits board meetings, strategy sessions and management retreats. The castle stands at Slotsgade 86 in the village of Tranekær, on the island of Langeland off Funen in Denmark.
Seminars and company events
The castle sells two business packages, a one-day meeting and a day-and-a-half meeting, both for 8 to 30 people and both including a night in the main building. Because only one meeting is held at a time, the group has the house to itself. Meeting rooms have AV equipment, a flipchart, a whiteboard and free wifi. The Knights' Hall hosts strategy meetings by day and dinners by night around an eight-meter table. Between sessions, guests can walk in the castle gardens or sit on the terrace. The estate also arranges activities on Langeland, such as pheasant shoots, sailing, riding and golf, on request. The castle also presents itself as a course center for company events with lodging on site.
Rooms and capacities
Business stays are sold for groups of 8 to 30 participants. The Knights' Hall, with its eight-meter table, is the main room for dinners and plenary discussions. The site does not list sizes for the other meeting rooms.
Accommodation
The main building has 14 double rooms, restored in 2014, each decorated differently and each with its own bathroom. For groups larger than 14, the castle can book 22 more rooms in nearby buildings. The estate also rents holiday houses a short walk from the castle.
Catering
Chef Christian Pichardt cooks with seasonal produce from Langeland. Meeting days include coffee, fruit, lunch spreads and small surprises, and evening menus run to three-course game dinners in the castle's reception rooms. Meeting menus change with the seasons. Guests can ask for specific dishes or finer wines in advance. The countess also makes a cherry wine to a family recipe from Lerchenborg.
History and setting
Tranekær is recorded from the 13th century and is described as the oldest inhabited secular house in Denmark; building remains in the cellar date from the early Middle Ages. It began as a fortified castle on a steep hill with a moat and a drawbridge. After the death of Valdemar II in 1241 it passed to the royal Abel line, and in 1358 Valdemar Atterdag took it after a 14-day siege and made it the seat of the Tranekær fief. The main buildings were restored in 1948 and 1949 and their facades painted the English red they still show. Count Christian and Countess Mette Ahlefeldt-Laurvig live here with their six children, and the count leads guided tours of the interiors. Around the house, the 1,733-hectare estate grows seed and grain, including barley for Carlsberg, and runs forestry, Christmas tree growing and pheasant rearing, with a shooting season that opens on October 1.
Getting there
Cars park on the castle square, right outside the door. A helipad at the foot of the castle can be used by arrangement.
