Hans Holtermann (c. 1709 – 1781), also known as Hans Henrik Holtermann or Hans Henriksen Holtermann, was a Norwegian businessman and landowner.

Biography

Hans Holtermann was from a family of traders and whole merchants on the west coast of Norway. Holtermann's great-grandfather, Coert Holtermann, is believed to have first immigrated from

Rothenburg Rothenburg is a German language placename and refers to: Places *Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany *Rothenburg, Oberlausitz, Saxony, Germany *Rothenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany *Rothenburg, Switzerland, Canton of Lucerne, S ...

in Germany to

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

with his son Henrich Holtermann (1650-1730). They acquired citizenship in 1676 and became involved in trading. Hans Holtermann's father, Henrik Holtermann (1683-1728), acquired trading rights in Bergen. At that time there was no market town ('' kjobstad'') in

Sunnmøre Sunnmøre (, en, South- Møre) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities ( no, kommuner) of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal ...

and the Holtermans extended their privileges to Borgund and set up a trading post at Brunholmen that eventually became the nucleus of the town of Ålesund. Hans Holtermann operated as a trader in

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

and later at Vegsund in Borgund (now Ålesund). He may also have introduced

dried and salted cod Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export ...

(''klippfisk'') production and trade to the area. His first marriage was to Margaretha Knudsdatter Wiig (from Vik in Ørsta, 1692–1743). His second marriage was to Ingeborg Catharine (a.k.a. Cathrina, Cathrine) Hagerup (August 30, 1730 – 1796), the daughter of Bishop Eiler Hagerup. Holtermann was the brother-in-law of the magistrate

Melchior Falch Melchior Michaelsen Falch (1720 – September 14, 1791) was a Norwegian jurist and magistrate in the municipality of Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. He was interested in promoting fisheries, and in 1775 he received an award for a work on Norw ...

, who was married to a younger daughter of Bishop Hagerup. His son, Knut Holtermann, became a supreme court judge 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 ...

(then also the capital of Denmark-Norway). Austraatt 1770

Hans Holtermann purchased parts of the Giske estate circa 1750, and in 1760 Austrått manor in Ørland. Holtermann is believed to have paid 26,000

riksdaler The svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thaler. ...

for Austrått. The Austrått manor also included part or full ownership of a large number of smaller farms in the Ørland region. Hans Holtermann hosted king

Christian VI of Denmark-Norway Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

on the King's famous journey through Norway in 1733. Upon purchasing the Giske estate (''Giskegodset''), Holtermann had also become the owner of

Giske Church Giske Church ( no, Giske kyrkje) is a 12th-century marble parish church of the Church of Norway in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the south side of the island of Giske, about northwest of the town of Ål ...

, and together with

Hans Strøm Hans Strøm (25 January 1726 – 1 February 1797) was a Norwegian clergyman. He also became a prominent zoologist and naturalist. He is best associated with his topographical description of the traditional district of Sunnmøre. Life Hans S ...

he carried out a major restoration of the dilapidated building. After the restoration, Hans Strøm had an epitaph written, including the following praise of Holtermann:Tennø, Karl, & Knut Ekroll. 1914. Litt om Giske kapel. ''Tidsskrift for Sunnmøre Historielag'', vol. 6 (Aalesund). ''Sikkert var gudshuset faldt, / glemt som det var alverden, / hadde ei Holtermann faat, / den gjæve eier og værge, / reist dig til fordums magt. / Og kongen har arbeidet bifaldt. / Nu, o kirke, vil du, / frelst kunne synge Guds pris.'' (Certainly this house of worship fell, / Forgotten by the whole world, / A Holtermann received it, / A princely owner and guardian, / And raised thee to thy former might. / And the king approved of the work. / Now, oh Church, saved, / May you sing God's praises.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holtermann, Hans Norwegian businesspeople People from Møre og Romsdal Norwegian landowners 1781 deaths 1709 births Norwegian people of German descent