Bakkehuset ( lit. "''The Hill House'') is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

on Rahbeks Allé in the

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

district of

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. Dating from the 1520s, it has served a number of functions over the years, including as a farmhouse,

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

, private home,

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

and

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

. It is particularly associated with the

Danish Golden Age The Danish Golden Age ( da, Den danske guldalder) covers a period of exceptional creative production in Denmark, especially during the first half of the 19th century.Kulturnet DanmarkGuide to the Danish Golden Age Although Copenhagen had suffered ...

when it was owned by

Knud Lyne Rahbek Knud Lyne Rahbek (18 December 1760 – 22 April 1830) was a Denmark, Danish literary historian, critic, writer, poet and magazine editor. Biography Knud Lyne Rahbek was the son of clergyman . He had always wanted to become an actor. In his yout ...

and his wife,

Kamma Rahbek Karen Margrethe "Kamma" Rahbek, née ''Heger'' (19 October 1775 – 21 January 1829) was a Danish writer, salonist and lady of letters. Biography Karen Margrethe Rahbek was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was the daughter of the official Han ...

, used it as a venue for her '' salons''.

History

Early history

Bakkehuset can be traced back to the 1520s. Strategically located on the main road from Copenhagen to

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

, it long served as an

. When Claus Wendorff died in 1649, his widow unsuccessfully tried to get an extension of the license to operate the inn. A new owner, captain Claus Wendorff, obtained a new license in 1755. Former prime minister Count

Johan Ludvig Holstein Johan Ludvig Holstein, Lensgreve til Ledreborg (7 September 1694 – 29 January 1763) was a Danish Minister of state from 1735 to 1751. The Danish colony Holsteinsborg on Greenland (now Sisimiut), was named after him. He was the ancestor of the ...

acquired the property in 1756. The land was conviently situated close to

Frederiksberg Palace Frederiksberg Palace ( da, Frederiksberg Slot) is a Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands an impressive view over Frederiksberg Gardens, originally designed as a palace garden in the ...

and his intention was to build a new country house at the site but the plans had still now been carried out when he died in 1763. Instead the property was taken over by his building master,

Johan Christian Conradi Johan Christian Conradi (1709 – 30 September 1779) was a German born, Danish master builder, contractor and architect. Early life and education Conradi was born at Gotha in the Sazon duchy of Saxe-Gotha. He moved to Denmark in 1739 where h ...

, who completed his refurbishment of the property which still served as an inn the year after. When Conradi went bankrupt in 1777 the estate once again changed owners.

was a permanent guest from 1787 until 1802 when he acquired the property and made it his private home.

The Rahbek years

Cultural venue

After the Rahbek's took over Bakkehuset, it quickly became a popular social venue for the city's literary and intellectual establishment. Among the many regular visitors were Adam Oehlenschläger, who was married to Kamma's sister Christina,

Anders Sandøe Ørsted Anders Sandøe Ørsted (21 December 1778 – 1 May 1860) was a Danish lawyer, politician and jurist. He served as the Prime Minister of Denmark in 1853–1854. Biography He studied philosophy and law at the University of Copenhagen and was ...

, who was married to Oehlenschläger's sister Sofie, Hans Christian Andersen, Jens Baggesen, Jens Collin, Rahbek's fellow director at the Royal Theatre—

Poul Martin Møller Poul Martin Møller (21 March 1794 – 13 March 1838) was a Danish academic, writer, and poet. During his lifetime, he gained renown in Denmark for his poetry. After his death, his posthumously published fiction and philosophical writings were wel ...

, Bishop Mynster and

Bernhard Severin Ingemann Bernhard Severin Ingemann (28 May 1789 – 24 February 1862) was a Danish novelist and poet. Biography Ingemann was born in Torkilstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. While a st ...

. The maintenance of a busy social life was expensive and neither Rahbek, nor Kamma had much means to make do with. They rented out rooms to supplement their incomes, and Kamma managed to make the most out of their meagre means. Later the house has served as a summer residence for people such as Johan Ludvig Heiberg,

Johanne Luise Heiberg Johanne Luise Heiberg (; née Pätges; 22 November 1812 – 21 December 1890) was a Danish actress of the 19th century. She is most famous for her work at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, where she achieved great success. Though she was cl ...

and

N. F. S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential pe ...

Kamma's garden

The Bakkehuset estate included 3.5 hectares of land. Kamma enthustically, almost scientifically, established a garden with a small pond, lawns, flowers and many rare plants on the premises. It was one of the first private English style gardens to be laid out in Denmark.

Later history

One of the originally three wings was allowed to fall into despair and was ultimately demolished. For a while the building was used as a psychiatric hospital before it moved to Ebberødgård outside Birkerød. The museum at Bakkehuset opened in 1925.

Bakkehuset today

The museum consists of a series of memorial rooms dedicated to some of the notabilities who have lived in the building over the years. The building is located next to the Carlsberg area, the former industrial site of the

Carlsberg Breweries Carlsberg A/S (; ) is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. ...

, which is now under redevelopment into a new dense district in Copenhagen. A small park will be located next to the museum.

References

External links

Official website

Source

Source
{{authority control Houses completed in the 16th century Houses in Copenhagen Historic house museums in Copenhagen Listed buildings and structures in Frederiksberg Municipality Listed residential buildings in Copenhagen Museums established in 1925 Hans Christian Andersen 1925 establishments in Denmark Biographical museums in Denmark Literary museums in Denmark