Nyholm Central Guardhouse is a historic building at
Holmen in
Copenhagen,
Denmark. It was built in 1745 as part of the
Nyholm Naval Base
Naval Station Holmen ( da, Flådestation Holmen) is one of several Royal Danish Navy#Naval stations, naval stations of the Royal Danish Navy, supplementing the two Royal Danish Navy#Naval bases, Danish naval bases in Frederikshavn and Korsør.
F ...
which had been established on reclaimed land at the site in 1690.
History
The first guardhouse at Nyholm was located inside the Neptune Battery (now Sixtus Battery). When the building had become outdated and the grounds were being restructured, Naval Secretary
Frederik Danneskiold-Samsøe proposed the construction of a new building to King
Christian VI
Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...
.
The plans were approved in February 1744 and the project was assigned to
Philip de Lange
Philip de Lange (c. 1705 – 17 September 1766) was a leading Dutch-Danish architect who designed many different types of building in various styles including Dutch Baroque and Rococo.
Early life and family
Philip de Lange was probably born ...
who served as Naval Master Builder for almost 30 years and also contributed with many other buildings at Nyholm, and the building was completed the following year. It guarded the passage between the
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting c ...
and Nyholm. It was also used for receiving important guests to the naval base.
Architecture
Nyholm Central Guardhouse is built in the
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style. A typical 18th-century ''
Corps de garde'', it is open on the front side to provide shelter for guards on duty.
The most distinctive feature of the building is its large
ridge turret. The design was probably determined by the need to make room for a clock. Old engravings show it used to have a flag pole projecting vertically from the crown at the top. The clock was manufactured by clock-maker Peter in 1753 and was a personal gift from
Frederick V.
[
Due to the large crown topping the turret, the building was for many years colloquially referred to as "Under Kronen" (English: "Beneath the Crown"). The crown was copied by Thorvald Jørgensen in his design of the spire for the present (third) ]Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...
. However, in connection with a renovation in 1934, two more crowns were added to the original spire at Christiansborg, making the resemblance somewhat less obvious.
Nyholm Central Guardhouse today
The director's office is used in connection with official visits to Holmen. It is also used by the head of the Danish Navy Operative Command. The office is partly furnished with furniture from Slesvig, a former royal ship.[
]
See also
* Mastekranen
References
External links
{{Commons category, Nyholms Hovedvagt
Guardhouses
Buildings and structures in Copenhagen
Baroque architecture in Copenhagen
Infrastructure completed in 1745
Philip de Lange buildings
1745 establishments in Denmark