Johan Conrad Ernst (16 June 1666 – 23 September 1750) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

architect and royal

master builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a precursor to the modern architect and engineer). Historically, the term has generally referred to "the head of a construction project in the ...

. He was the son of Johan Adolf Ernst, a successful linen merchant who had immigrated from

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

and had a luxurious residence on

Amagertorv Amagertorv (English: Amager Square), today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, is often described as the most central square in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is also one of the oldest, taking its name from the Amage ...

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 ...

Early life and titles

Little is known of his childhood or education but the Swedish architect

Nicodemus Tessin the Younger Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (May 23, 1654 – April 10, 1728) was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator. The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle ...

commented that the young man was sophisticated, sociable and widely traveled. At the age of 27, he already had the rank of royal master builder and became court assessor in 1703, counsellor to the chancery in 1709, counselor at law in 1716, and finally counselor of state in 1729.

Achievements

In 1696, as royal master builder, he was sent to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

to assist Tessin in completing a wooden model and plans for a new residential palace for

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

. The King intended to have it built on the Amalienborg site but nothing came of the venture. After the Great Fire in

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 ...

, Norway, on 19 May 1702, Ernst was among the architects drawn upon for the rebuilding of the city. He designed the Manufakturhuset and Hagerupgården, both completed in 1705. His early work also included

Elers' Kollegium Elers' Kollegium is a student residence located in the medieval part of Copenhagen. The dormitory or society provides living quarters for 20 students from the University of Copenhagen or from the Technical University of Denmark The Technical U ...

(1705) and a chapel in the

Church of Holmen The Holmen Church ( da, Holmens Kirke) is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having ...

(1708). The following year, under instructions from the master builder general, Vilhelm Platens (1667–1732), Ernst became responsible for extending the recently built

Frederiksberg Palace Frederiksberg Palace ( da, Frederiksberg Slot) is a Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands an impressive view over Frederiksberg Gardens, originally designed as a palace garden in the B ...

(1708–1709). On Platen's retirement, Ernst became his successor with an annual remuneration of 1,000 rigsdaler. KancBygn-grundplan-2

He had also had assignments at

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle ( da, Københavns Slot) was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bisho ...

including the construction of the Boldhus (the king's indoor ball court). From 1718 to 1721, he converted the opera house to a training school for cadets and, for a time, coordinated the construction of

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace ( da, Fredensborg Slot; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum (Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn ...

. During the same period, he designed the Gehejmearkivbygningen (1721) which is now part of the National Archives. In 1719, he constructed the Chancery Building on

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Bishop Absalon constructed the ci ...

. Together with J.C. Krieger, he designed the fourth

Copenhagen City Hall Copenhagen City Hall ( da, Københavns Rådhus) is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen. Architect ...

which was completed in 1728 but burnt down in 1795. From 1731, he spent a number of years coordinating the construction of

Hirschholm Palace Hirschholm Palace, also known as Hørsholm Palace, was a royal palace located in present-day Hørsholm municipality just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 1740s and, one of the finest buildings of its time, it ...

to the north of Copenhagen.

Family and property

On 23 April 1703, Ernst married Magdalene Foss who died in 1718. In 1719, he married Margrethe Elisabeth Weinmann, the widow of Anders Jacobsen Lindberg. Ernst was a highly respected, well-to-do gentleman. He owned the Aunsøgård estate near

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Architecture of Denmark Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst, Johan Conrad Architects from Copenhagen 1666 births 1750 deaths