Christian Hasselbalch (27 February 1851 – 7 August 1925) was a Danish industrialist and merchant. He founded Hasselbalch & Co.

Early life

Christian Hasselbalch was born into a family of merchants in Randers. His parents were merchant Steen Hasselbach (1820–1861) and Caroline Margrethe Hasselbach née Hoge (1826–1893). He attended Randers Lærde Skole until 1865 and then apprenticed as a textile merchant in

Århus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

. He later became a retail clerk at Vett & Wessel's new branch in

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in De ...

until he was appointed as manager of the company's

Nakskov Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is situated in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 12,495 (1 January 2022). To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the La ...

branch in 1876.

Hasselbalch & Co.

In 1892, Hasselbalch was licensed as a merchant 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 started his own business. In 1889, he became the first manufacturer of curtains in Denmark. The company was based at first in rented rooms at Peter Bangs Vej with just one loom, but he later acquired Lyngby Søndre Mølle in

Kongens Lyngby Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site of ...

and opened a new factory at the site in 1892. It was expanded several times and became the largest employer in the town. In the 1890s, he also established curtain factories in both Sweden and Norway. In 1910, he started . He remained active in his companies until his death.

Other professional engagements

He was a member of the Maritime and Commercial Court () from 1892 to 1906. From 1909 to 1924, he chaired

Privatbanken Carl Frederik Tietgen (19 March 1829 – 19 October 1901) was a Danish financier and industrialist. He played an important role in the industrialisation of Denmark as the founder of numerous prominent Danish companies, many of which are still i ...

's bank council. He also sat on the board of

DFDS DFDS is a Danish international shipping and logistics company. It is the busiest shipping company of its kind in Northern Europe and one of the busiest in Europe. The company's name is an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (literally ...

Philanthropy

Hasselbalch was also a patron of the arts and a benefactor of several social courses. He was involved in the construction of workers' housing in Kongens Lyngby and was active in the Association for Resocialisation of Ex-convicts which was founded in 1902 as well as work among citizens with disabilities.

Personal life and legacy

Hasselbach married Marie Mathilde Frederikke Helms (23 April 1866 – 18 May 1951), daughter of merchant Ehrenreich Christoffer Ludvig Moltke Helms (1829–1902) and Caroline Hansine Horsens (1821–1913), on 22 July 1885 in St. John's Church in

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current Nørreport station ...

. The marriage was later dissolved. They had three children: Alice grevinde Danneskjold-Samsøe; Hugo Helms Hasselbalch and Erik Helms Hasselbalck Hasselbach lived in a villa at

Kristianiagade Kristianiagade is a street located close to Østerport station in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Buildings in the street include Domus Medica, a former noble town mansion which now houses the Danish Medical Association. The west ...

1 in Østerbro. He was made a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1903, a 2nd-class Commander in 1910 and a 1st-class Commander in 1921. He was awarded

Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn, also referred to as the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (post-nominals: D.Ht.), is a meritous award connected to the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. The cross was instituted by King Frederick VI of Denm ...

in 1906.

Hasselbalch died in on 6 August 1925 and is buried at

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

in Copenhagen. After his death, his company, Hasselbalch & Co. ( and ) was passed on to his son Hugo Helms Hasselbalch (1888–1957). He was also CEO of the companies AB Svenska Gardinfabriken in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

and A/S Norsk Gardinfabrik in

Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a town and a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, Rakkestad to the north and Aremark to the east, as well as the Swedish muni ...

. In 1955, the company was floated on the stock exchange. The curtain factory closed in 1962. The former head office of Hasselbalch's company is located at Kejsergade 2 in Copenhagen. The building is from 1904–1905 and was designed by Valdemar Ingemann. The curtain factory's former buildings in Kongens Lyngby are located at Gammel Lundtoftegade. The complex dates from 1898 and is built in yellow brick. It was designed by

Bernhard Ingemann Bernhard Severin Ingemann (28 May 1789 – 24 February 1862) was a Danish novelist and poet. Biography Ingemann was born in Torkilstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. While a st ...

. Lyngby Søndre Mølle's current building was built for the curtain factory by Valdemar Ingemann following a fire in 1902. The housing development for workers at the factory is today known as Hyldehaverne. Hasselbalch's former home is located at

3. The house was built in 1897–1898 according to design by

Kristoffer Varming Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

. The house is now part of the

Russian Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Russia. These missions are subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Russian Federation has one of the largest networks of embassies and consulates of any country. Russia has significant ...

. Hasselbalch's summer residence in Tungsted, villa Piniehøj, has been demolished. It was from 1899 and also designed by Varming.

References

External links

Christian Hasselbalch
at Geni {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasselbalch, Christian 19th-century Danish businesspeople 20th-century Danish businesspeople Danish industrialists Danish manufacturing businesspeople Danish textile industry businesspeople Danish merchants Commanders First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog Businesspeople from Copenhagen People from Randers 1851 births 1925 deaths