[2] Herlufsholm is built on the site of a Benedictine monastery, founded in 1135, of which the church and a few other remnants are preserved and in daily use by the students and staff.

[3] Danish naval officer and hero, Admiral of the Fleet Herluf Trolle (1516–1565) and his wife Birgitte Gøye (1511–1574) took possession of the monastery in 1560 in exchange of their home Hillerødsholm (which later became Frederiksborg Palace).

The couple changed the name into Herlufsholm and founded the school in May 1565, but Herluf Trolle never saw their dream materialise because he was fatally wounded on sea during the Great Northern War; he died in Copenhagen in June 1565.

Klosterbygningen consists of the church (in which the students gather in the morning), two dining halls, a ballroom, the provost apartment, music studies, washing facilities and other amenities.

A day at Herlufsholm is structured around the three daily meals, school before and after midday, and the private 2 hour study session on either side of the evening dinner; boarding students furthermore have specific timings for going to bed depending on their year.

Every morning after the first session of lectures, the school gathers in the church or the gym hall to get an update on current matters of interest and sing from their personal songbooks.

Students are required to wear jackets on special occasions, e.g. exams and traditional festivities, but many choose to do so on other days as well for practical reasons such as cold weather.

Though, denim is not accepted in class, the students are otherwise free to wear clothes of their liking as long as it is without large prints, patterns and logos.

The correct full galla, consists of a dark blue, double-breasted suit or with a comely skirt, and the Gøyeslips on a white shirt.

This uniform is used at the Trollemorgen and formal school dinner parties, where the tie is replaced with a bowtie for boys; or as a whole for girls who wear galla dresses.

For instance "svælling" (cygnet), which had not previously featured as a word in Danish, is originally Herlovian for Svane + Ælling (Swan + duckling).

[6][7][8][9] In response, Education Minister Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil was summoned to a closed session of parliament,[10] and the school's board sacked its principal and abolished the prefect system.

[11] The entire board resigned the following month after sanctions and strong criticism from Denmark's National Agency for Education and Quality.