Stephen Hansens Palæ (Helsingør)
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The Stephan Hansen Mansion ( Danish: Stephen Hansens Palæ) is a listed town mansion overlooking Wibroes Plads and the Øresund in Helsingør, Denmark. It was built by
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 bor ...
and represents the transition from
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 ...
to Rococo architecture.


History


Hansen and van Deurs families

Stephen Hansen Stephen Hansen (28 September 1701 – 22 January 1770) was a Danish industrialist, businessman and General War Commissioner. He is most known for his involvement with Kronborg Rifle Factory in Hellebæk and for building Hellebækgård as well as t ...
acquired an older building at the site in 1756. It was located next to Øresund Custom House. Hansen had taken over the weapons factory in
Hellebæk Hellebæk is a town located on the coast five kilometres northwest of Helsingør, North Zealand, some 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has merged with the neighbouring community of Ålsgårde to form an urban area with a population of ...
in 1743 and was one of the wealthiest men in the city. Hansen demolished the house in Strandgade in 1759 and commissioned
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 bor ...
to build a new house. Lange had already worked for him on
HellebækgÃ¥rd HellebækgÃ¥rd (English: Hellebæk House) is a Rococo-style mansion in Hellebæk, Helsingør Municipality, North Zealand, located 5 km northwest of Helsingør and some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate is associated the form ...
in 1747. To which extent the house was built for his own use or for his daughter and son-in-law is unclear. They had recently been married and Hansen also bought another house where they could live until the new one was completed. Most of his own time was spent at Hellebækgård. The construction of the new house had almost been completed when it was interrupted by the threat of war against Russia and Prussia. Hansen's daughter and son-in-law moved into the house in 1764. Hansen's daughter died in 1876 and the son in law Jean Christopher van Deurs then bought the house for borrowed money.


Classen family

Jean Cheristopher van Deurs ran Salig van Deur's Enke in partnership with his brother-in-law Andreas Classen. The company was later continued by the latter's son Jean Jacob Classen. He constructed the neighboring
Classen Mansion The Classen Mansion (Danish: ''Det Classenske Palæ'') is a Neoclassical manor house situated on Strandgade in Helsingør, Denmark. It was built for a prosperous businessman in the 1790s and now houses the local Odd Fellows Lodge. The house ove ...
. In 1795, he also acquired the Stephan Hansen Mansion.


Borries

Johann Christian Nicolaus Borries was employed as managing director of the firm when Jean Classen died in 1806. In 1809, he married Classen's sister Mariane. In 1816, when the old company was liquidized and Arent van Deurs & Co. was created by him in its place, he also acquired the Stephan Hansen Mansion. Borries died in 1857. The company closed in 1862.


Later history

Jean Christopher van Deurs also ran his business from the house. He was active as a " ship handler" and owned the van Deurs Trade House. The latter had been owned in an equal partnership with Andreas Classen since 1756. Andreas Classen's son Jean Jacob Classen, who took over his father's share in the company and constructed the adjacent
Classen Mansion The Classen Mansion (Danish: ''Det Classenske Palæ'') is a Neoclassical manor house situated on Strandgade in Helsingør, Denmark. It was built for a prosperous businessman in the 1790s and now houses the local Odd Fellows Lodge. The house ove ...
(Strandgade 93) in 1791. purchased the Stephen Hansen Mansion in 1809. The English wars brought difficult times for the shipping industry and the trading company went bankrupt in 1816. Part of the company was saved but the abolishon of the
Sound Dues The Sound Dues (or Sound Tolls; da, Øresundstolden) were a toll on the use of the Øresund, or "Sound" strait separating the modern day borders of Denmark and Sweden. The tolls constituted up to two thirds of Denmark's state income in the 16th a ...
in 1857 was another hard blow for Helsingør's maritime sector and it had to close in 1862.
Bank of Denmark Danmarks Nationalbank (in Danish often simply ''Nationalbanken'') is the central bank of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a non-eurozone member of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). Since its establishment in 1818, the objective of the Nat ...
took over the building but sold it to the merchant Peter Christian Winecken in 1866. The buildings surroundings changed when the adjacent Øresund Custom House was demolished in connection with an expansion of the harbor. Winecken divided the house into three apartments. In 1881, it was acquired by Peter Carl Jessen Holsøe, a barrister, whose family owned it until 1927. The new owner was Christian Krøyer, an architect, who sold it to Helsingør Municipality in 1938. Helsingør Port Council used the building from 1947. DSB purchased the building in 1976 but sold it again in 1990.


Architecture

The main building represents the transition from Baroque to Rococo architecture. Its front has a three-bay central projection tipped by a triangular pediment but otherwise few decorations. It is likely that the building has originally stood in blank brick, similarly ro what is seen on its rear side. The building has
Sash window A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned window (architecture), paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double gla ...
s, a very rare sight in Danish architecture but once quite normal in Helsingør although the Stephen Hansen Mansion is the only building in the city where they have survived. Sash windows have also been used by Philip de Lange on other buildings, including Møinichen's Mansion on Købmagergade in Copenhagen. The roof is vlad with black-glazed tiles. The main wing's gate is flanked by two rough iron lamps. The gate opens onto a cobbled courtyard. The gate in the wall on Sofie Brahe Gade was created by Christian Krøyer in the 1920s. The half-timbered building in the courtyard contained stables and room for several carriages. The upper floors served as servants quarters.


Cultural references

The house appears in the 1958 drama film ''
Styrmand Karlsen ''Styrmand Karlsen'' is a 1958 Danish film directed by Annelise Reenberg. Cast * Johannes Meyer – Captain Vilhelm Hammer * Frits Helmuth – First mate Knud Karlsen * Dirch Passer – Valdemar Bøgelund * Ove Sprogøe – Ole Olsen * Ghita ...
''.


See also

* Fairyhill (Helsingør)


References

{{Helsingør Listed buildings and structures in Helsingør Municipality Rococo architecture in Denmark Houses completed in 1764 1764 establishments in Denmark