Christian Vilhelm Wilcken (Wilken) Kyhl (1762-1827) 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 ance ...

gunsmith and inventor. He served as Royal Armourer (''Rustmester'') at the

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

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 headed the Kronborg Small Arms Factory at

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

. He owned the property at Ny Vestergade 9 in Copenhagen from 1797 and until his death.

Biography

Kyhl was born in

. On 11 September 1797, he purchased the property at Ny Vestergade 9 in

from engraver

Hans Qvist Hans Qvist (c. 1735 – 12 February 1810) was a Danish engraver. Early life and education Qvist was probably born in Copenhagen. He apprenticed as an engraver under Jonas Haas and Odvardt Helmoldt von Lode. Haas sued him for having left his work ...

. He lived on the first floor in the front wing and his workshop was based in the eastern side wing. It had six employees. Kyhl married Ane Elisabeth Hansen (1769-1808) in circa 1809. They had five children: Marie Sophie (1799-1833), Abigael Margrethe (1801-), Thomas Herman (1803-1820), Frederik (1805-1874) and twin sisters Dorothea Johanne (1805-) and Cicilie Christiane (1806-). His wife died in 1808 and he was then married second time to Ane Dorothea Hansen (1776-1814) in July 1809, and had three more daughters: Ane Elisabeth Abigael (1810-1848), Ane Christiane (1814-) and Christiane Margrethe (1812, died as an infant). His second wife died in labour just 37 years old in 1819. Kyhl died in September 1827 and was buried from the Church of Our Lady.

Legacy

Kyhl's most significant invention was an internal gun lock. Small arms manufactured by him are relatively rare but occasionally sold by auction houses. His former property at Ny Vestergade 9 in Copenhagen was listed in the Danish Registry of Protected Buildings and Places in 1932. The relief of two crossed pistols above the gate was installed by him.

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Kronborg Geværfabrik
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyhl, Christian Gunsmiths 19th-century Danish inventors People from Helsingør 1762 births 1827 deaths

Biography

Legacy

Further reading

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