Søren Carl Theodor Marius Sørensen (24 July 1893 in

Altona, Hamburg Altona (), also called Hamburg-Altona, is the westernmost urban borough (''Bezirk'') of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864, Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Alto ...

, Germany – 12 September 1979 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 ...

, Denmark) was a Danish

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

who is considered to be one of the greatest landscape architects of the 20th century. A contemporary of Thomas Church,

Geoffrey Jellicoe Sir Geoffrey Allan Jellicoe (8 October 1900 – 17 July 1996) was an English architect, town planner, landscape architect, garden designer, landscape and garden historian, lecturer and author. His strongest interest was in landscape and gard ...

and

Luis Barragán Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín (March 9, 1902 – November 22, 1988) was a Mexican architect and engineer. His work has influenced contemporary architects visually and conceptually. Barragán's buildings are frequently visited by international ...

he was a leading figure in the first generation of Modernists in landscape design. He is best known for designing the first

Adventure playground An adventure playground is a specific type of playground for children. Adventure playgrounds can take many forms, ranging from "natural playgrounds" to "junk playgrounds", and are typically defined by an ethos of unrestricted play, the presence ...

(in partnership with Hans Dragehjelm) in

Emdrup Emdrup is a neighbourhood straddling the border between the Bispebjerg and Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located between Utterslev Mose in the west and the Helsingør Motorway in the east, just south of the border with Glad ...

, Copenhagen.

Career

Sørensen was a prolific author producing eight books, editing two volumes and writing hundreds of articles. Only one short book has been translated into English and another into German and Dutch. His books covers open space in urban life, horticulture, the history of garden art, principles of garden design, education and autobiography. Sørensen worked with Copenhagen schoolteacher Hans Dragehjelm (1875-1948) on the first ever

adventure playground An adventure playground is a specific type of playground for children. Adventure playgrounds can take many forms, ranging from "natural playgrounds" to "junk playgrounds", and are typically defined by an ethos of unrestricted play, the presence ...

, a district of the Danish capital Copenhagen in 1940. Photos from the time show children playing with bricks, digging in the mud and building dens with wood and nails. In his book ' (''Park Politics in the parish and market town''), Sørensen stated his belief that "children's playgrounds are the city's most important form of public plantation". He believed children needed sun and open space to play in and hated the trend for dark, shady courtyards as play spaces. He called them ' ("junk playgrounds"). His designs reflected the

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

movement and include strong geometric shapes and graceful landforms. He started teaching at 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 ...

in Copenhagen in 1940 and was professor of landscape architecture there from 1954 to 1963. He was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The Ec ...

in 1945 and the

Prince Eugen Medal The Prince Eugen Medal ( sv, Prins Eugen-medaljen) is a medal conferred by the King of Sweden for "outstanding artistic achievement". The medal was established in 1945 by the then King of Sweden, Gustaf V, in connection with the eightieth birthd ...

in 1972.

Major Projects

* Eidsvold Værk (garden), Norway * The Kampmann Garden * Vitus Berings Park I, Horsens * Vitus Berings Park II, Horsens * De Geometriske Haver, Herning (1983) * Klokkergården * Høstrup Park * The Church Plaza,

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Aarhus University Park * The Mølleå Canal, Åbenrå * Kogenhus Memorial Park, Viborg * The Golden Chain Garden in Middelfart * The Sonja Poll Garden (designed for his daughter in 1970), Holte * The Oval Gardens (allotment gardens),

Nærum Nærum () is a suburban district in Rudersdal Municipality in the north outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Quartered by the Helsingør Motorway running north–south and Skodsborgvej running east–west, Nærum is bounded by Jægersborg Hegn on ...

Universitetsparken (efterår) 02.jpg, Aarhus University Park Universitetsparken (november).jpg, Aarhus University Park Bakkehældet (oktober).jpg, Aarhus University Park Universitetssøerne (oktober).jpg, Aarhus University Park (the lakes) Schloss Egeskov Park 01.JPG,

Egeskov Castle Egeskov Castle ( da, Egeskov Slot) is located near Kværndrup, in the south of the island of Funen, Denmark. The castle is Europe's best preserved Renaissance water castle. History Egeskov was first mentioned in 1405. The castle structure was er ...

Park De Runde Haver - oprindeligt hus.jpg, The Oval Allotment Gardens in Nærum.The last remaining of the original houses as it looked when the Heritage Agency took over the garden in 2008.

Bibliography

* "''Om Indretning af Haver''", 1930, 1941 (with P. Wad) * "''Parkpolitik i Sogn og Købstad''", 1931 (reprint), Copenhagen 1978, * "''Om Haver''", 1939. * "''Buske og Træer''", 1948 (edited with Valdemar Jensen and H.K. Paludanred) * "''Frilandsblomster''", 1949 (edited with Valdemar Jensen and H.K. Paludanred) * "''Europas Havekunst fra Alhambra til Liselund''", 1959, 1979. * "''The Origin of Garden Art''", 1963 (reissued in: "''Havekunst, Sophienholm''", 1977) * "''39 Haveplaner. Typiske haver til et typehus''", 1966. * "''Haver. Tanker og arbejder''", 1975.

References

Literature

* Andersson, Sven-Ingvar – Hoyer, Steen (2001): ''"C.Th. Sørensen – Landscape Modernist"''. The Danish Architectural Press.

External links

Natural Play in natural Surroundings Urban Childhood and Playground Planning in Denmark
c. 1930–1950 (Ning de Coninck-Smith)
First chapter of ''Landscape Modernist''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Carl Theodor 1893 births 1979 deaths Danish landscape architects People from Altona, Hamburg Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Architects from Hamburg Playgrounds Burials at Mariebjerg Cemetery