Johan Andreas Altenburg (1763–1824) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

merchant and shipowner. He belonged to the patriciate of the port town of

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

and was the maternal grandfather of playwright and theatre director Henrik Ibsen.

Biography

Altenburg was born at Lille Ulefos, in

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, Norway. He was the son of sawmill manager Diderik Altenburg (1719–1766) and Marichen Johansdatter Barth (1737–1769). His parents died early. After the death of his father, his mother was married in 1767 to Engebreth Christopher Blom Bertelsen Bomhoff (1737–1800). After his mother's subsequent death, he and his siblings lived with their stepfather. Johan Altenburg was originally a ship's captain, but stopped sailing at a relatively young age. Altenburg ran a lumber trade, owned several ships, a farm and a large

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

in the community of Bratsberg. He owned Altenburggården, a large manor in the center of Skien, where he lived with his family, and also owned one of Århusgårdene outside Skien, which the family used as a country house. He married Hedevig Christine Paus (1763–1848), a sister of shipowner

Ole Paus Ole Paus (born 9 February 1947; full name ''Ole Christian Paus'') is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, poet and author, who is widely regarded as the foremost troubadour of the contemporary Norwegian ballad tradition ( no, visebølgen). During th ...

and Martha Paus (married Blom). His sister,

Kristine Cathrine Ploug Kristine Cathrine Ploug (née Altenburg) (1760–1837), known as Aunt Ploug (''Faster Ploug'' in Norwegian), was a relative of playwright Henrik Ibsen, cited as the influence of some of the characters in his plays, such as The Rat-Wife in ''Little ...

, lived with him and his family following the death of her husband in 1799. He was the father of

Marichen Altenburg Marichen Cornelia Martine Altenburg (24 April 1799 – 3 June 1869) was the mother of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and is known as the model for several characters in some of Ibsen's most famous plays, including Åse in '' Peer Gynt''.Rob ...

(1799–1869) and thus the maternal grandfather of playwright Henrik Ibsen. Following his death and his daughter's marriage to Knud Ibsen in 1825, his considerable fortune passed to his

son-in-law Son-in-Law (22 April 1911 – 15 May 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses. The National Horseracing Museum says Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this co ...

, who however went almost

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

due to failed speculations in the mid-1830s. Almost the entire family fortune was lost by 1835. The

Ibsen family Ibsen is a Norwegian family of Danish extraction. Its most famous members are playwright Henrik Ibsen, his son, statesman Sigurd Ibsen, and grandson, pioneer film director Tancred Ibsen. Several other family members have been noted artists. Hi ...

had lived at the stately Altenburggården manor in central Skien, until Knud Ibsen's bankruptcy force them to move. Altenburggården manor burned to the ground in the 1886 citywide fire which also reduced much of Skien to ruins after which the center of town was rebuilt.

References

1763 births 1824 deaths Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Norwegian merchants People from Telemark Ibsen family 19th-century Norwegian businesspeople 18th-century Norwegian businesspeople {{Norway-business-bio-stub