Bombebøssen is a listed property from 1896 overlooking Christianshavn Canal in the

Christianshavn Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...

neighbourhood of central

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It was built by the charity Sømandsstiftelsen Bombebøssen to provide housing for indigent seamen.

History

Sømandsstiftelsen Bombebøssen was founded on 2 November 1819 by kommandør Peter Norden Sølling. Sølling was born in 1758 in Kristianssand in Norway to Danish parents and enrolled at the Naval Academy in Copenhagen at age 12. He later worked for several of the large trading companies and served as captain on voyages to China. After the English Wars, he became a Waterscout in Copenhagen. The loss of the Danish fleet in 1807 and the national bankruptcy in 1813 led to difficult times for the Danish maritime sector and severe unemployment for the many Danish seamen. Sølling witnessed the hardships of the seamen through his work and decided to take action, asking the king for permission to collect money for the establishment of a home for indigent seamen. He converted a 200-pound bomb from the 1807 bombardment, which had been found in Dybensgade, into a

mite box A poor box, alms box, offertory box, or mite box is a box that is used to collect coins for charitable purposes. They can be found in most Christian churches built before the 19th century and were the main source of funds for poor relief. Conte ...

. The institution first opened in two rented rooms at

Wilders Plads Wilders Plads is a waterfront area located just north of Wilders Kanal, a branch of Christianshavns Kanal, in the north-western corner of the Christianshavn neighbourhood of Copenhagen, Denmark. The area is bounded by Christianshavn Canal to the ...

in 1921. In 1825, Sølling acquired a property on the corner ofDybensgade and Skvaldergade (now Nikolajgade 20/Dybensgade 20), close to St Nicolas' Church, which provided housing for 50 residents. In 1840 the institution moved to a new building in Brogade (No. 8) where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stands today. The current building on Overgaden oven Vandet No. 48 was built in 1894. In 1954, Bombebøssen moved to a new building in Dronningensgade.

Buildings

Overgaden oven Vandet 48

The building on Overgaden was designed by

Thorvald Bindesbøll Thorvald Bindesbøll (21 July 1846 – 27 August 1908) was a Denmark, Danish National romantic architect, sculptor and ornamental artist. He designed the Dragon Fountain, Copenhagen (''Dragespringvandet'') and is perhaps best known as the cre ...

and is listed. It is built in red brick and consists of three storeys and a cellar. The façade features an embedded bomb above the gate and a bas-relief of the founder created by the sculptor Otto Evens.

Dronningensgade 69

The building in Dronningensgade was designed by the architect Peter Norden Sølling, a great-great-grandson of the founder. The building is home to 20 single seamen and 7 couples.

References

External links

Official website

Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bombebossen Listed buildings and structures in Christianshavn Listed residential buildings in Copenhagen Non-profit organizations based in Copenhagen