Network Activities

ENCOUNTER facilitates meetings, seminars and conferences about different themes on the field of manorial and country house studies.

The network produces applications for larger-scale activities such as common research and education projects, heritage projects, public initiatives and other common interests of the network.

The members of the network share updates on network activities and news. To join the mailing list or suggest updates of interest to network members please contact The Danish Research Centre for Manorial Studies at dch@gammelestrup.dk.

 

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Servants, Labourers, and the Manorial World: Alternative Perspectives

 October 9-11, 2025
 Ledreborg Manor, Denmark

This conference explores the social structures of manors and country houses, focusing on the lives of servants, labourers, and rural communities from 1500 to the present. Join scholars and heritage professionals in examining hierarchies, conflicts, and transformations within the manorial world.

 Conference registration is now open 

 

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Previous meetings and seminars

Manors at War

From June 13–15, 2024, the KAMU Espoo City Museum in Finland hosted the 8th ENCOUNTER conference

Nordic symposium on manors and manor museums

From September 21–23, 2023, Gjestestuene på Bygdøy hosted in Norway the 7th ENCOUNTER conference

The Country House and Modernity

From June 1–4, 2022, Julita manor in Sweden, the 6th ENCOUNTER conference

Servants in the eighteenth-century European country house

Online seminar 28. October 2021 with Kristine Dyrmann

Hunting and the Country House

Online Research Seminar, 19. oct., 2. nov, 16. nov., 30. nov. and 14. dec. 2020 with Daniel Menning (University of Tübingen)

The Country House and the City

October 2. 2019, Luther Museum Amsterdam, the 5th ENCOUNTER conference

Managing Manorial Heritage

From October 5–7, 2018, Europa Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, hosted the 4th ENCOUNTER conference

Castles, Manors and Religion

From May 3–4, 2018, the third ENCOUNTER workshop was held at Erkebispegården in Trondheim, Norway

A Manorial World

From September 21–23, 2017, Gammel Estrup Manor in Denmark hosted the ENCOUNTER conference

The Nordic Country House at King’s Manor

From September 20–21, 2016, King’s Manor in York hosted the second ENCOUNTER workshop on the Nordic Country House

European Encounters. Estates and Landscapes

From 6th to 7th October 2015 Gammel Estrup – the Manor Museum hosted the international conference ‘European Encounters. Estates and Landscapes

First ENCOUNTER Publication

May 20th 2019 the first ENCOUNTER publication entitled ‘Estate Landscapes in Northern Europe’ was published. 

The edited volume is divided into 9 chapters covering the estate landscape characteristics across the Northern European region. The volume contains contributions from six different countries and is the first book by the European Network for Country House and Estate Research (ENCOUNTER).

Researchers from The Danish Centre for Manor House Research have edited the book in collaboration with the University of York.

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Video impression international ENCOUNTER conference | Dutch Castle Foundation