Løvenskiold (noble family)

File:Lovenskiold 02.JPG

Løvenskiold-Vækerø headquarters in Oslo

File:Loevenborg.png

Løvenborg Castle in Holbæk

Løvenskiold is a Dano-Norwegian noble family. Members of the family now live primarily in Norway. Of German origin and originally named Leopoldus, it was one of the first patrician Norwegian families to be ennobled, in 1739, when it was also given the name Løvenskiold.

History

The Løvenskiold family descend from merchant Herman Leopoldus (died 1696), who immigrated from Lübeck to Christiania. His son, also named Herman Leopoldus (1677–1750), became very rich and was in 1739 ennobled by letters patent. At the same time, he received the name Løvenskiold (lit. ‘Lion Shield’). His son Severin was made a baron (Norwegian: baron or friherre) and owned Løvenborg Castle in Holbæk, Denmark.

In Norway, there is a family mansion west of Bærums Verk in the municipality of Bærum near Oslo, one in Skien and one at Ask, near Hønefoss in the municipality of Ringerike.

The name is also given to the family's privately owned company Løvenskiold-Vækerø, headquartered at Ullern. The holding company owns vast tracts of woodland in and around Oslo, Akershus and Telemark county, as well as the building materials retail chain Maxbo.

Coats of arms

• 

  Coat of arms of Løvenskiold.

• Coatofarms-Baron Loevenskiold.jpg

  Coat of arms of Barons of Løvenskiold.

Notable family members

See Category:Løvenskiold family.

See also

• Danish nobility
• Norwegian nobility

Literature

• Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon (Copenhagen: J H Schultz Forlag, second edition. 1915 to 1930).
• Danmarks Adels Aarbog, Copenhagen 1949
• Axel Løvenskiold and Herman L. Løvenskiold: Slekten Løvenskiold gjennom 300 år i Norge, Oslo 1974
• Hans Cappelen: Norske Slektsvåpen (Norwegian Family Coats of Arms) with an English Summary, Oslo 1969 (2nd ed. 1976), p. 31 and 161

External links

• Løvenskiold official website
• Løvenborg Castle