Hovdala was mentioned for the first time in 1130, but the buildings that visitors can see today were mainly constructed during the early 16th century.

The squire Magnus Rabek is mentioned in written sources as having owned the estate sometime before the Black Death.

At the end of the century, the estate passed to the Laxmand family, who erected the oldest of the presently visible buildings.

During the ownership of Sigvard Grubbe, an educated man who stood close to the king, Christian IV of Denmark, and who had studied in Wittenberg and Basel, the castle was besieged twice by Swedish troops during the Kalmar War.

[1][3] After the death of Sigvard Grubbe, the castle passed between different owners until it became the property of Jens Mikkelsen (Michelsen), an officer in the Danish army, in 1651.

[3] The main, representative rooms of the former living quarters have been restored, including the family library, and are open to the public via guided tours.

[3] In 2009, the municipal library of Hässleholm received a donation of about 3,500 books, mainly about the history of the district in which Hovdala Castle is located.

They were donated by the former ambassador, minister without portfolio and Social democratic politician Sven-Eric Nilsson.

[7] The landscape surrounding Hovdala Castle is largely rural, with a mix of forests, fields, lakes and creeks.

The castle used to feature a park or garden laid out in French style, but it stopped being maintained due to a lack of resources.