Laurits Christian Meulengracht or Laurits Christopher Meulengracht (14 February 1837 – 9 April 1903) 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 ...

businessman and

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...

who became one of the wealthiest men in Denmark in the 19th century. He received the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

and

Knight of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

. His father, Lars Christian Meulengracht, died six months before he was born so he grew up in his grandfather Harboe Meulengracht's house. At 15 years old he started an internship in the store of

Malthe Conrad Lottrup Malthe Conrad Lottrup (12 May 1815 – 21 November 1870) was a Danish merchant, politician and brewer. Biography Malthe Conrad Lottrup was born on 12 May 1815 in Holmegaard, Skals Parish, Viborg County. His father was proprietor Ole Lottrup a ...

, a local businessman who among other things owned a sizable brewery. In 1858 he was sent to

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 ...

to study trade further and in 1862 started a successful business in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. However, by 1870 his former mentor Lottrup had fallen ill and called Meulengracht home to take over management of Lottrup's

Ceres Brewery The Ceres Brewery was a beer and soft drink producing facility in Århus, Denmark, that operated from 1856 until 2008. Although the brewery was closed by its owner Royal Unibrew the Ceres brand continues, with the product brewed at other faciliti ...

. Meulengracht took over the brewery and managed it during the course of his life. Initially he rationalized and bought new technology in the form of a

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

. From 1872 to 1888, a large expansion program was undertaken which eventually made Ceres the largest brewery in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

and Meulengracht one of the wealthiest people in Aarhus. Tax records show he paid more in taxes than even contemporaries Otto Mønsted and Hans Broge. Meulengracht eventually moved into a new home on the Ceres complex which eventually became a social focal point for the local upper class. As an employer he was known for his ability to make opposing groups work together and privately Meulengracht was active in charity and advocacy work. In 1876 he was elected to the city council and held his seat for 14 years, working in numerous committees particularly on public works and infrastructure. Meulengracht was also one of the forces behind the establishment of

Aarhus Theatre The Aarhus Theatre (Danish: ''Aarhus Teater'') in Aarhus, is the largest provincial theatre in Denmark. The present theatre house was constructed in the late 19th century, as a replacement for the old theatre, nicknamed "''Svedekassen''" (The Swe ...

and he sat on the first board after it was opened. Meulengracht died 9 April 1903 after a lengthy illness and during a healing trip to

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

. He was buried in

Nordre Cemetery Nordre Cemetery (Northern Cemetery) is a cemetery in Aarhus, Denmark. It was established in 1876, east of Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital by ''Nørrebrogade''. Nordre Cemetery was established from the early 1870s to 1892 and w ...

in Aarhus.

Honors

Meulengracht had the official honorary title of ''

etatsråd was a Danish and Norwegian title, which was conferred by the king until 1909 and entailed a third-class rank in the order of precedence, and thus the right to enroll one's daughters in Gisselfeld Convent and Vemmetofte Convent. It was awarded to ...

'' and he received the

and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meulengracht, Laurits Christian Businesspeople from Aarhus Danish businesspeople 1837 births 1903 deaths Burials at Nordre Cemetery Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog