Franziska Antoinette Hilleborg Carlsen (13 November 1817 – 28 February 1876) was a Danish writer who was particularly interested in

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small bu ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. She was also a keen collector of items of historical interest. With the publication of her pioneering ''Noget om og fra Rønnebæk Sogn med Rønnebæksholm'' (Something about and from the parish of Rønnebæk and Ronnebæakshlom Manor) in 1861, she became one of the few women of her times to publish works documenting local folklore.

Biography

Born in

Gammel Køgegård Gammel Køgegård is a manor house located just west of Køge, Denmark. History Early history Originally, Køge was located in the grounds of present-day Gammel Køgegård, approximately 1 km inland from the current town centre. Remains of ...

near

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a p ...

on 13 November 1817, Franziska Antoinette Hilleborg Carlsen was the daughter of the estate owner Christen Rasmus Carlsen (1777–1818) and his wife Else Margrethe née Nyhuus (1792–1857). She had at least two siblings: Hans Rasmussen Carlsen (1810–1887) and Marie Toft. Her sister Marie owned the Rønnebæksholm estate after the death of her first husband. Franziska spent her adult life mostly in Rønnebæksholm Manor and

Vallø Castle Vallø Castle ( da, Vallø Slot) is a manor house located 7 km south of Køge, in Stevns Municipality, on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It now serves as a residence for Vallø stift, a home for unmarried, widowed and divorced women of no ...

. While still young, she developed a particular interest in local history and began to collect material for documenting the history of the area. In 1861, she published ''Noget om og fra Rønnebæk Sogn med Rønnebæksholm'', a pioneering contribution to topographical literature which also included songs, legends and accounts of local festivals. She also embarked on a highly detailed and well researched account of the history of ''Gammelkjægegaard og Omegn'' (Gammel Køgegård and Surroundings). The first volume was published posthumously in 1876 while the second volume appeared two years later. Her accounts titled ''Om Helgene, som Kirker og Stiftelser i Kjøge og Omegn have været indviede til'' (Saints to which churches and religious foundations in Køge and surroundings have been consecrated) were published in Volumes 5 and 6 of ''Ny kirkehistorie, Samlinger''. She also published a number of studies documenting the history of Køge. Carlsen played an active part in church life and local politics. Carlsen suffered a stroke on 26 February 1876, she died two days later on 28 February. She is buried at Claras Kirkegård at Gammel Køgegård.

Works

* ''Noget om og fra Rønnebæk Sogn med Rønnebæksholm'', 1861. * ''Efterretninger om Gammelkjøgegaard og omegn'', 2 vols., 1876–1878. * "Om Helgene, som Kirker og Stiftelser i Kjøge og Omegn have været indviede til", 1871–1872.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlsen, Franziska 1817 births 1876 deaths People from Stevns Municipality 19th-century Danish women writers 19th-century Danish non-fiction writers 19th-century Danish historians Danish women historians Danish folklorists Danish women folklorists