Carl Christian Martens (1754-1820), variously referred to as Christian Martens and C. C. Martens, was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

master bricklayer and architect. He was elderman of the Bricklayers' Guild in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and contributed to the rebuilding of the city in the years after the

Copenhagen Fire of 1795 The Copenhagen Fire of 1795 (''Københavns brandes 1795'') started on Friday, 5 June 1795, at or around 3 pm by the Navy's old base south east of Kongens Nytorv on Gammelholm, in the Navy's magazine for coal and timber, the so-called Dellehave. ...

. Most of his surviving buildings have been listed on the Danish Registry of Protected Buildings and Places.

Early life and education

Martens was born in 1754 to Joachim Christian Martens and Johanne Kirstine Arhellig(e). He was trained as a bricklayer and attended the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dan ...

' Building School in 1768 and 1775, He won the Academy's small silver medal in 1771 and its large silver medal in 1775. He registered for the competition for the gold medal in 1775.

Career

Martens was granted

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

as a master bricklayer in Copenhagen in 1777. He was

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

of the Bricklayers' Guild in 1793–99. He was also active in

Copenhagen Fire Department The Greater Copenhagen Fire Department ( da, Hovedstadens Beredskab, formerly ) forms the largest municipal fire brigade in Denmark with more than 1000 employees, this includes firefighters, ambulance personnel, administration and service workers ...

(as was typical for the city's master craftsmen at the time). He contributed to the rebuilding of Copenhagen in the years after the Great Fire of 1795.

Personal life

Martens married Ernestine Wegener on 10 November 1784 in Copenhagen. He died in 1820 and is buried in Asminderød Cemetery at

Fredensborg Fredensborg () is a railway town located in Fredensborg Municipality, North Zealand, some 30 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is most known for Fredensborg Palace, one of the official residences of the Danish Royal Family. As of 1 Janu ...

Works

Martens constructed and designed the following buildings: *

Knabrostræde Knabrostræde is a street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Strøget (Vimmelskaftet/Nygade) in the northwest to Nybrogade at Slotsholmen Canal in the southeast, crossing Strædet (Kompagnistræde) on the way. History The st ...

12 Copenhagen (1795–96) * Brolæggerstræde 8/

(1796–97; listed in 1950) *

Bremerholm Gammelholm ( lit. "Old Islet") is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in the city centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is bounded by the Nyhavn canal, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal, Niels Juels Gade and the waterfront along Havnegade. For ce ...

33/ Laksegade 17m Copenhagen (1796–97, demolished) * Laksegade 31, Copenhagen (demolished) *

Holmens Kanal Holmens Kanal is a short street in central Copenhagen. Part of the main thoroughfare of the city centre, it extends from Kongens Nytorv for one block to a junction with a statue of Niels Juel where it turns right towards Holmens Bro while the thro ...

6, Copenhagen (1798, demolished) *

8, Copenhagen (1798, demolished) * Studiestræde 21, Copenhagen (1797, heightened in 1890; listed in 1951) * Studiestræde 8, Copenhagen (1798; listed in 1996) *

Larsbjørnsstræde Larsbjørnsstræde is a street in the Latin Quarter of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Vestergade in the south to Sankt Peders Stræde in the north, linking Kattesundet to Teglgårdsstræde. Many of the buildings in the street date from t ...

16/ Studiestræde 23, Copenhagen (1798; listed in 1964) * Læderstræde 16, Copenhagen (1799-1800) *

Amagertorv Amagertorv (English: Amager Square), today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, is often described as the most central square in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is also one of the oldest, taking its name from the Amage ...

15, Copenhagen (1799-1800) * Kattesundet 18/

Lavendelstræde Lavendelstræde ( lit. "Lavender Street") is a street in the old town of Copenhagen, Denmark). It runs from Kattesundet- Hestemøllestræde in the northeast to Vester Voldgade in the west, linking Slutterigade and Nytorv and at Regnbuepladsen and ...

2 (1802, listed in 1964) * Kronprinsensgade 5, Copenhagen (1803–05; listed in 1918) *

Nørre Voldgade Nørre Voldgade ( lit. "North Rampart Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs north-east from Jarmers Plads for approximately 600 metres to Gothersgade where it turns into Øster Voldgade. The succession of Nørre Voldgade, ...

20/Teglgårdstræde 15 (1808–09)

References

External links

Carl Christian Martens
at

Kunstindeks Danmark ''Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon'' (Weilbach's Biographical Dictionary of Artists) is a Danish biographical dictionary of artists and architects. The current edition, which is also freely accessible online, contains the biographies of some 8,000 Danis ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martens, Carl Christian 1754 births 1820 deaths 18th-century Danish architects 19th-century Danish architects Danish bricklayers Architects from Copenhagen