The Liberty Memorial (

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 ance ...

: Frihedsstøtten), located in front of Central Station 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 ...

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 ...

, is a 20 meter tall obelisque erected in memory of the peasant reforms in 1788 which led to the abolition of

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which develop ...

(Danish: Stavnsbåndet).

Design

The 20 metre tall obelisque is made of sandstone from Nexø on

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

and its base is made of Norwegian marble. The four female figures at the base of the obelisque symbolise Bravery, Civic Virtue, Fidelity and the Industrious Cultivation of Land.

History

The architect and painter

Nicolai Abildgaard Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (11 September 1743 – 4 June 1809) was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen ...

was charged with the design of the monument. The four statues and two reliefs were created by

Johannes Wiedewelt Johannes Wiedewelt (1 July 1731 – 17 December 1802), Danish neoclassical sculptor. He became a court sculptor, introducing neoclassical ideals to Denmark in the form of palace decorations, garden sculptures and artifacts and, especially, mem ...

Nicolai Dajon Nicolai Dajon (21 January 1748 – 14 December 1823) was a Danish sculptor. He served as director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1818 to 1821. Life Early life and education Dajon was born on 21 January 1748 in Copenhagen, the son of ...

and

Andreas Weidenhaupt Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The name ...

. The foundation stone was set by Crown Prince Frederick (VI), on 21 September 1792 and it was completed in September 1797. The column was renovated for the first time in 1850–51. It was dismantled in connection with the construction of the current Central Station and the

Boulevard Line The Boulevard Line ( da, Boulevardbanen) is a long partly underground railway between Copenhagen Central Station and Østerport Station in Copenhagen, Denmark. The quadruple track railway carries today one dual track for the Copenhagen S-train s ...

in the 1900s and a copy executed by the sculptor Kens Lunde was later installed 5 metres to the east of its original location. The adjacent streets

Bernstorffsgade Bernstorffsgade is a street located next to Central Station and Tivoli Gardens in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Vesterbrogade in the northwest to Kalvebod Brygge on the harborfront in the southeast, and marks the boundary between the di ...

and Reventlowsgade, running on each their side of the central station, and Colbjørnsensgade, situated one block further to the west, were named for Andreas Peter Bernstorff,

Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow Christian Ditlev Frederik, Count of Reventlow (11 March 1748 – 11 October 1827) was a Danish statesman and reformer, the son of Privy Councillor Christian Ditlev Reventlow (1710–1775) by his first wife, baroness Johanne Sophie Frederikke von B ...

and

Christian Colbjørnsen Christian Colbjørnsen (29 January 1749 – 17 December 1814) served as the Chief Justice of Denmark-Norway from 1802 until 1814. Background Christian Colbjørnsen was born in Sørum, Akershus, in the traditional region of Romerike, Norway. ...

, three of the driving forces behind the peasant reforms. In 1999, it was reinaugurated after another renovation.

References

External links

{{coord, 55.6742, 12.5633, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Listed monuments and memorials in Copenhagen Obelisks in Denmark Buildings and structures completed in 1797

Design

History

See also

References

External links