Karen Blixen - Museum and final resting place

Karen Blixen - Museum and final Resting Place

*A Part of the Danish Cultural Heritage*

Karen Blixen - Museum and final Resting Place north of Copenhagen

Return previous

Karen Blixen
Museum and final Resting Place - Rungsted Kyst

Online & Onsite Sightseeing beyond Copenhagen

A five star attraction and sightseeing experience

Karen Blixen's burial place and gravestone - where she rest in peace under the shade of a huge old beech tree at the foot of "Ewald's Hill" at Rundstedlund.

Karen Blixen - Pen name "Isak Dinesen" (April 17. 1885 to September 7. 1962)

The Baroness and Author
Baroness and famous author Karen Blixen was born at the family residence Rungstedlund April 17 - 1885 and died at her home at Rungstedlund on September 7 - 1962. In 1913 Karen Dinesen was engaged to a distant Swedish cousin - Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke - and inherited the title Baroness after her marriage whit him.

Pas photo of Karen Blixen from around 1930 - taken just a year before she left Africa to her homeland Denmark in 1931 - where she started her authorship under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen. Karen Blixen Museum.

Karen Blixen at her estate Rungstedlund around 1960s - situated beautifully on the coastline of Rungsted and to the Oresound strait. Among friends and family her pet name was “Tanne”. Karen Blixen Museum.

Short biography of Karen Blixen - "Isak Dinesen"
Karen Blixen (1885-1962) is the best known - and possibly the greatest Danish writer of the twentieth century. Her reputation as an author rests on several books written in English under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen including: Seven Gothic Tales (1934) Winter's Tales (1942) Out of Africa (1938) and Babette's Feast from 1952. Out of Africa was adapted into an Oscar-winning film in 1985 - directed by Sydney Pollack. The movie Out of Africa (1985) celebrates her life as a pioneer coffee farmer in Kenya from 1914 to 1931. Babette's Feast was the first Danish film of a Karen Blixen story - and was also the first Danish film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Babette's Feast was released as a film in 1987.

Breakthrough in the US
Her very first book - Seven Gothic Tales - won great recognition and was her breakthrough especially in America. The book was published in the US in 1934 under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen. Later the publication of the book in the UK and Denmark followed. Out of Africa - her second book was published successfully 1937 and definitely established her reputation as an author. Her writing during most of the 1940s and 1950s consisted of tales in the storytelling tradition and in 1959 - during her tour to the US Karen Blixen met famous writers and celebrities like Ernest Hemingway and Truman Capote as well as Arthur Miller - E. E. Cummings and Pearl Buck plus the greatest actress and movie star Marilyn Monroe.

During a tour to the US in 1959 - Karen Blixen meets with playwright and essayist Arthur Miller and movie star Marilyn Monroe at the home of novelist Carson McCullers for luncheon. Karen Blixen Museum.

Karen Blixen's very first book - Seven Gothic Tales - was published in the US under the pseudonym "Isak Dinesen" in 1934 and became a great success. Later the book was introduced in the UK and Denmark. Karen Blixen Museum.

Karen Blixen in Africa
After Karen Blixen’s marriage with her cousin Baron Bror Blixen-Finecke - the couple went to Kenya in 1913 and used family money to establish a coffee plantation. After a few years as man and wife - they were divorced in 1921. Together with her African workers - Karen Blixen ran the plantation by herself - and with the falling price of coffee and unproductive harvest - she closed down the production facilities and returned to Denmark in 1931 - where she lived for the rest of her life.

Out of Africa
Karen Blixen's years in Kenya are depicted in OUT OF AFRICA (1937) - "I had a farm in Africa - at the foot of the Ngong Hills". This opening also sets the tone of the autobiography - nostalgic - calm and stoic. The book ends with a view to the same hills: "The outline of the mountain was slowly smoothed and levelled out by the hand of distance."

First book
It was on the coffee-farm Karen Blixen started to write her first book - Seven Gothic Tales (1934) - but it appeared first three years after African memoir.

Karen Blixen museum in Kenya
Karen Blixen's Kenya Mansion was acquired by the National Museums of Kenya and opened as a museum in 1986.

Karen Blixen's mansion at the coffee farm in Kenya - at the foot of the Ngong Hills. The estate opened as a museum in 1986 - and is a great attraction - counting many thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. Karen Blixen Museum.

Karen Blixen at her beloved coffee farm in Africa. The coffee grinder and dryer is still intact at the Karen Blixen Museum in Kenya and can be experienced by the visitors. There are plans to reconstruct her coffee factory. Karen Blixen Museum.

The “Rungtedlund” residence and Museum
Karen Blixen lived most of her life at the family estate “Rungstedlund” that belonged to her father and acquired in 1879. The mansion is situated 25 km north of Copenhagen and is situated right on the coast of the Oresound with a main building surrounded by a beautiful park - meadows and grove. The 40 acres of land is preserved as a bird sanctuary in harmony with Karen Blixen’s wishes and the entire area is open to the public. “Rungstedlund” was opened as a museum in 1991 - and since over one million people has visited the museum.

Karen Blixen's life and work
The museum exhibits the life and work of Karen Blixen together with her original scripts - drawings and paintings as well as biographies and letters.

The Karen Blixen estate "Rungstedlund" houses the museum - where Karen Blixen's life and work is exhibited. Since the opening in 1991 - more than one million people have visited the premises - the beautiful parkland - and bird sanctuary.

The famous study at "Rungstedlund" called "Ewald’s Room" - with a splendid view to the waters of the Sound. It was here that Karen Blixen wrote many of her internationally renowned stories surrounded by her many artefacts from Africa.

Karen Blixen's Burial plot
Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke dies on 7. September 1962 and on 11. September 1962 - the nearest relatives and closest friends take leave of Karen Blixen after a short ceremony in the drawing-room at “Rungstedlund”. The coffin is then carried out to the courtyard - and taken by a horse-drawn wagon through the woods and up to the burial plot at the foot of "Ewald's Hill" in the beautiful landscape gardens of “Rungstedlund”. (Top Photo)

Karen Blixen was portrayed twice on Danish stamps. In 1980 and 1996. Post & Tele Museum.

Karen Blixen was exposed on a 50 kroner banknote in 1999 - which was drawn from circulation in 2012.

Karen Blixen honoured on Danish stamps and banknote
Karen Blixen is portrayed on a Danish 50 Kroner banknote - and has been exposed on a Danish stamp twice. (The only non-royal person to receive such an honour)

Visiting Karen Blixen's Museum - parkland and final resting place.

The Karen Blixen Museet - "Rungstedlund" - Rungsted - North Sealand.

"On our Inbound Travel Service Tours to North Sealand we normally make a stopover at The Karen Blixen Museum and also witness the beautiful park area at "Rundstedlund".

Rundstedlund - Karen Blixen Museum

To be updated!

Return previous