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 a ...
: Frihedsstøtten), located in front of
Central Station
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
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 = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, 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 deve ...
(Danish:
Stavnsbåndet).
Design
The 20 metre tall obelisque is made of sandstone from
Nexø
Nexø, sometimes spelled Neksø ( sv, Nexö), is a town on the east coast of the Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
*Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Pruss ...
on
Bornholm 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 was charged with the design of the monument. The four statues and two reliefs were created by
Johannes Wiedewelt,
Nicolai Dajon and
Andreas Weidenhaupt.
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
Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
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 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
Andreas Peter Bernstorff (28 August 173521 June 1797), also known as Andreas Peter Graf von Bernstorff, was a Danish diplomat and Foreign Minister. He was a guardian of civil and political liberty.
Background and early career
Bernstorff was bo ...
,
Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow and
Christian Colbjørnsen, three of the driving forces behind the peasant reforms. In 1999, it was reinaugurated after another renovation.
See also
*
Sculpture of Denmark
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