Læssøesgade School (

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 ...

: Læssøesgade Skole) is a public primary school in the

Frederiksbjerg Frederiksbjerg is a borough in Aarhus, Denmark. Frederiksbjerg is part of the postal district Aarhus C and is located just south of the historical city centre, separated from it by a broad railway yard and connected by three bridges. Despite bein ...

district of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

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 ...

. The school offers reception classes, 1 through 10 grades and after-school activities in the ''Skolefritidsordning'' (Sfo).

History

In 1916 it was decided to build a new co-ed school in southern Aarhus in response to rapid population growth. The site chosen was what at the time was the edge of the city. The architect

Ludvig Petersen Ludvig Adolph Petersen (31 May 1848 – 10 April 1935) was a Danish architect, teacher, and a founding member and board member of the Danish Association of Architects. Petersen primarily worked as an architect in Vejle and Aarhus. Career Pete ...

had previously and recently worked on the Samsøgade School from 1914 and was chosen for the new project. The school was finished in 1921 and inaugurated on 16 April. The new school proved an expensive project at 1.5 million Danish Kroner compared to the 400.000 the Samsøgades school had cost. Lassøgade School was larger but the causes of the cost difference can mainly be found in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the ensuing inflation. The school initially had 31 class rooms and between the years 1930 and 1960 it had an average of 1000 to 1300 students. The student body has since grown steadily smaller and by 1999 it was down to 350 students across 31 class rooms. Co-ed classes were not introduced until 1946. In 1961 Læsseøgade School became the first school in Aarhus to offer the optional and voluntary 10th grade. From November 1942 during the

occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the school buildings were used to house German troops. Students were moved to

Ingerslevs Boulevard Ingerslevs Boulevard is a street in Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in t ...

s School'' where they were taught under difficult conditions. In spring of 1945 Ingerslevs Boulevards School also had to be closed and school activities were suspended. However, in June the occupation was over and Læssøgde School had been cleaned, renovated and restored. In 1920 Aarhus City Council gave permission to move a zoological collection, hosted by the

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

s in a building in Christiansgade, to Læssøgade School. Between 1923 and the fall of 1939 the school hosted the collection on the top floor of the building. The collection was finally moved when a new museum building had been completed on the

university campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

where it remains to this day as the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

Architecture

Læssøgade School is a three-story building constructed of red brick on a base of granite in the

National romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

with elements of

Baroque revival The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...

. The corners of the building are accentuated as

avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...

with shadow joints and

lesene A lesene, also called a pilaster strip, is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief vertical pillar on a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital. It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building s ...

s. The school was constructed as a 4-winged structure around an atrium similar to the Samsøgade School, completed a few years earlier. However, in Læssøgade School the atrium roof is at the same level as the roofs of the rest of the buildings and not at the 1st floor like in Samsøgade School. This difference creates an imposing spacious atrium which at the time was an unusual feature. In 1969 the school was expanded with toilet buildings in the school yard and an additional, smaller building to the north.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laessoesgades School Primary schools in Aarhus School buildings completed in 1921 1921 establishments in Denmark Baroque Revival architecture National Romantic architecture in Aarhus