Dragestil ("Dragon Style") is a style of

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

that originated in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and was widely used principally between 1880 and 1910. It is a variant of the more embracing

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 ...

and an expression of

Romantic nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

History

The foremost sources of inspiration for the Dragestil style were the

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

and

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

art and architecture of Scandinavia. It had roots in the preservation of

stave churches A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...

and the recent excavation of historic relics such as the Tune,

Gokstad The Gokstad Mound (Norwegian: Gokstadhaugen) is a large burial mound at Gokstad Farm in Sandefjord (formerly Sandar municipality) in Vestfold County, Norway. It is also known as the King's Mound (''Kongshaugen'') and is where the 9th century Go ...

and Oseberg ships. It often featured Norse motifs, such as

serpent Serpent or The Serpent may refer to: * Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes Mythology and religion * Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature * Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts * Serp ...

s and

dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, hence its popular appellation. Important proponents in the modern era included Norwegian architects

Holm Hansen Munthe Holm Hansen Munthe (1 January 1848 – 23 May 1898) was a Norwegian architect. He was a leading representative of dragon style architecture (''Dragestil'') which originated in Norway and was widely used principally between 1880 and 1910 ...

and

Balthazar Lange Balthazar Conrad Lange (25 March 1854 - 13 September 1937) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life He was born in Asker as a son of customs treasurer and lieutenant colonel Christopher Andreas Lange (1808–1888) and Anne Birgithe Falsen. He ...

.''Arkitekter:Balthazar Conrad Lange (1854–1937)''
/ref> In Germany, the in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

and the

Rominten Hunting Lodge __NOTOC__ The Rominten Hunting Lodge (german: link=no, Jagdschloss Rominten) was the residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II in the Rominter Heath in East Prussia. History The electoral Hunting Lodge of Rominten ("Kurfürstliche Jagdbude Rominten") ...

were erected for

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

Characteristic features

* Exposed timber walls, often tarred on the exterior with varnished interiors * Decoration in the form of dragon heads * Often steep roofs and big

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...

Gallery

Image:Villabalderslund.jpg, Villa Balderslund in

Balestrand Balestrand is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Balestrand. Other villages in th ...

(erected 1907) File:NOR-2016-Oslo-Frognerseteren restaurant.jpg,

Frognerseteren Frognerseteren is a neighborhood of Oslo, Norway, located within Nordmarka. It is a popular starting point for recreational hiking and skiing in Oslo. Frognerseteren Station is the terminal station of the Holmenkollen Line of the Oslo Metro. Fro ...

restaurant (erected 1890–1891) File:Dalen Hotell IMG 4773.jpg,

Dalen Hotel Dalen Hotel is a historic hotel located at Dalen in the municipality of Tokke in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. The luxury Dalen Hotel, once a popular locale for European royalty, is one of the largest wooden buildings in Norway and one of the b ...

Kviteseid Kviteseid is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative ...

File:Stationshuset boden.jpg, Boden Central Station File:Gravdal-Buksnes-Stabkirche-16-2019-gje cropped.jpg,

Buksnes Church Buksnes Church ( no, Buksnes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vestvågøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Gravdal on the island of Vestvågøya. It is the church for the Buksnes pari ...

Vestvågøy Vestvågøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Leknes. Some of the villages in the municipality include Ballstad, Borg, B� ...

, Norway

References

Other sources

* Tschudi-Madsen, Stephan (1981) ''Veien hjem, Norsk arkitektur 1870–1914'' (Oslo: Norges kunsthistorie) * Tschudi-Madsen, Stephan (1993) ''Dragestilen'' (Oslo: Honnør til en hånet stil) * Tschudi-Madsen, Stephan (1993) ''Vandringer på en utstilling og i en jaktvilla'' (Oslo: Honnør til en hånet stil)

External links

Dragestil på St. Hanshaugen
{{Revivals Revival architectural styles Architecture in Norway Art Nouveau architecture