Countess Henriette Danneskiold-Samsøe is the woman behind Holmegaard.
The whole history of Holmegaard Glassworks started in 1823, when Count Christian Danneskiold-Samsøe petitioned the Danish king for permission to build a glassworks at Holmegaard Mose. But the count died that same year without receiving an answer. His widow decided to pursue the project when she received royal permission to build the glassworks after the death of her husband. The glassworks was sited in a bog because there was plenty of the fuel needed to achieve and maintain high temperatures in the glass furnaces.
In 1825 began the first production on Holmegaard. To begin with the glassworks only made green bottles, but Henriette also wanted to produce clear drinking glasses, which were the preserve of Bohemian glass makers.
The Danish glass industry was therefore founded by a woman and the mother of seven children.
The history of Holmegaard Glassworks is the story of a couple of small glass factories in a peat bog that, in the course of 175 years, became part of a large, modern group. During the 20th century artists entered the picture as designers for Holmegaard's glassware. This was the start of a long and proud tradition, with the result that some of Denmark's best artists are now associated with glass production at Holmegaard.
