The Harsdorff House (''Harsdorffs Hus'') is a historic property located on

Kongens Nytorv Kongens Nytorv ( lit. "The King's New Square") is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with ...

in central

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 ...

. It was built by

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff Caspar Frederik (Friedrich) Harsdorff, also known as C.F. Harsdorff, (26 May 1735 – 24 May 1799) was a Danish neoclassical architect considered to have been the leading Danish architect in the late 18th century. Early life and training ...

in 1780 and was in the same time to serve as inspiration for the many uneducated master builders of the time. The

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

was based in the building from 1864 to 1923.

History

Background and construction

(1735–1799) became professor of perspective 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 Dani ...

in 1766. In 1770 he succeeded

Nicolas-Henri Jardin Nicolas-Henri Jardin (22 March 1720 – 31 August 1799) was a French architect. Born in St. Germain des Noyers, Seine-et-Marne, Jardin worked seventeen years in Denmark–Norway as an architect to the Danish royal court. He introduced neoclassicis ...

(1720–1799) as royal building master and the following year he took over his residence in the south wing of

Charlottenborg Palace Charlottenborg Palace ( da, Charlottenborg Slot) is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the R ...

. The Royal Academy's secretary, Christian Æmilius Biehl, had a residence next to the palace. His daughter,

Charlotte Dorothea Biehl Charlotta Dorothea Biehl (June 2, 1731 – May 17, 1788) was a Danish author, playwright and translator. Biography Charlotta Dorothea Biehl was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her parents were Christian Æmilius Biehl and Sophie Hedevig Brøer ...

(1731–1788) spend some of her childhood in the building. After Biehl's death the building was designated for demolition and Harsdorff was consulted on the matter. He proposed that the site was given to him and he would build a house which could serve as inspiration for the builders of the increasing number of bourgeois houses in the city. Architects who had studied at the Academy were in general only used by the state and members of the aristocracy. The king accepted the offer. Construction began in 1779 and was completed in 1780. The building was never actually used by Harsdorff personally.

Tenants

Frenchman, Eugen Vincent, who had previously served as cook for Prince Ferdinand, opened Restaurant Vincent in the building in the first half of the 19th century. The restaurant was later operated by his widow Eva Severine Vincent (née Rasmussen) and son Alexander Vincent under the name Madame Vincent. It was visited by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

during his visit to Copenhagen in 1861. The merchant and politician Alfred Hage (1803-1872) lived in the building from 1862 and until his death in 1872. Court photographer Jens Petersen (1829-1905) operated a photographic studio in the building from 1865 to 1875. Udenrigsministeriet by Peter Elfelt

The

was based in the building from 1864-1923. It was then based at

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...

and the Yellow Mansion 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 ...

until its new building at

Asiatisk Plads Asiatisk Plads is a waterfront area in the Christianshavn neighbourhood of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is bounded by Torvegade to the south, next to Knippel Bridge, Strandgade to the east and the Old Dock area to the north. It takes its name from Da ...

was completed in 1983.

Architecture

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff favoured French classicism inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. The odd-shaped corner site inspired Harsdorff to build a property with three different model facades. The more monumental, central section is decorated with Ionic order pilasters and crowned by a triangular pediment with relief decoration. The house came to serve as inspiration for hundreds of houses in the rebuilding of Copenhagen during the years after the Great Fire of 1795.

Today

The building was restored under the direction of architectural firm Fogh & Følner in 1999. The building is now owned by real estate company Karberghus A/S. The tenants include the Harsdorffs Hus Office Club.

References

Other sources

Architectural renderings
from the

Danish National Art Library The Danish National Art Library is the national research library for architecture, art history, visual arts and museology in Denmark. It was founded in 1754 as part of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and has been located at Charlottenborg' ...

External links

Harsdorffs Hus Office Club websiteKarberghus website
{{Caspar Frederik Harsdorff Gammelholm Houses in Copenhagen Caspar Frederik Harsdorff buildings Houses completed in 1780
Source