Fødselsstiftelsen, also referred to as Fødsels- og Plejestiftelsen (antiquated spelling: Fødsels- og Pleiestiftelsen; Literal translation: Maternity and Caring Institution), was a Danish maternity institution in

Amaliegade Amaliegade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred. Amaliegade extends from Sankt Annæ Plads to Esplanaden, passing through the central plaza o ...

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 ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The institution was created for women to give birth anonymously and receiving free medical care. The purpose was to avoid

infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...

. The woman was offered ''eternal''

anonymity Anonymity describes situations where the acting person's identity is unknown. Some writers have argued that namelessness, though technically correct, does not capture what is more centrally at stake in contexts of anonymity. The important idea he ...

, however this ruling was changed in 2007, and the archive is now accessible, mostly for

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

purposes.

History

A primitive maternity house in

Gothersgade Gothersgade is a major street in the City Centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Kongens Nytorv to Sortedam Lake, passing Rosenborg Castle and Gardens, Nørreport Station and Copenhagen Botanic Gardens on the way. Every day at 11:30 am, ...

was established by

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: *Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) *Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble *Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick III, ...

in 1750. It was in 1759 moved to

Frederiks Hospital The royal Frederiks Hospital was Denmark's first hospital in the present-day meaning of the word. It was founded by king Frederik V and financed by the earnings from the Norwegian Postal Service. The buildings, situated in Bredgade in Copenh ...

. The Royal Maternity House was founded by Queen Juliane Marie on 9 April 1785 by moving it to a new building next to a new building next to the hospital. Its new building was the former home of the architect

Lauritz de Thurah Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah (4 March 1706 – 5 September 1759), was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period. As an architectural writer ...

. Fødselsstiftelsen was part of

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main buildi ...

from 1910. It gradually developed into a department for complicated births. In 1994, it became part of Rigshospitalet's Juliane Marie Center.

References

External links

Fødselsstiftelsensen's archives
at the National Archives of Denmark
Source

Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fodselsstiftelsen 1785 establishments in Denmark Hospitals established in the 1780s Listed buildings and structures in Copenhagen Defunct hospitals in Copenhagen Maternity hospitals Women's organizations based in Denmark Maternity in Denmark

History

See also

References

External links