Brøndums Hotel, in the little harbor town of

Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...

in the north of

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 ...

, is remembered for its close associations with the late 19th-century artists colony known as the

Skagen Painters The Skagen Painters () were a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered in the village of Skagen, the northernmost part of Denmark, from the late 1870s until the turn of the century. Skagen was a summer destination whose scenic nature, local mi ...

. It still operates as a hotel today.

History

The hotel originated in a farmhouse which Ane Kirstine Houmann (1785–1858) had inherited from her stepfather Chresten Jensen Degn (1760–1839). After the death of her husband Anders Eriksen Brøndum (1781–1835), her son Erik Andersen Brøndum (1820–1890) helped her to run the grocery shop and guest house which she established in the old farmhouse. Erik and his wife Anne Hedvig Sørensdatter Møller (1826–1916) later ran the business together until it was taken over by their son Christen Degn Brøndum (1856–1932) who converted it into guest rooms and in 1891 gave it the name of Brondums Hotel. Their daughter, the painter Anna Ancher (1859–1935) was born in the hotel. The architect Ulrik Plesner was called upon to expand the hotel in 1892."Historien"
, Brøndums Hotel. Retrieved 13 October 2013. It was further expanded in 1909 and 1916, latterly with an extension known as Admiralgården. The interior of the dining-room 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 ...

in 1906. The hotel was run by Degn Brøndum until his death in 1932 when he left it to Skagens Museum. The hotel was damaged by fire in 1954 and 1959. Repairs together with the cost of modernization after the Second World War brought the concern into debt and led to its sale in 1966. The hotel was a place of staying for

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

and

Karen Blixen Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...

The painters' venue

The

had close associations with Brøndums Hotel. Michael Ancher arrived in Skagen in 1874 where he struck up a close relationship with the Brøndoms, marrying their daughter Anna in 1880. He encouraged his friends

Karl Madsen Carl Johan Wilhelm Madsen, commonly known as Karl Madsen, (22 March 1855 – 16 April 1938) was a Danish painter and art historian with close connections to the Skagen Painters. Early life and education Born in Copenhagen on 22 March 1855, Mad ...

and

Viggo Johansen Viggo Johansen (3 January 1851 – 18 December 1935) was a Danish painter and active member of the group of Skagen Painters who met every summer in the north of Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische H ...

to join him in 1875. More artists followed, many staying in the Brøndums' guest house. Key members of the group included the author

Georg Brandes Georg Morris Cohen Brandes (4 February 1842 – 19 February 1927) was a Danish critic and scholar who greatly influenced Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind ...

and the painter P.S. Krøyer, their unofficial leader The Brøndums' dining-room became the centre of the artists' social life and was filled with the paintings they donated to cover the cost of board and lodging."Skagen and Brøndum's Hotel"
Kulturarv.dk. Retrieved 13 October 2013. File:Ved Frokosten Krøyer 1883.jpg, P.S. Krøyer: ''Ved Frokosten'' (1883), the painters lunching in the hotel File:Anna Palm - A game of L'hombre in Brøndum's Hotel - Google Art Project.jpg, ''A Game of L'hombre in Brøndum's Hotel'' by Anna Palm de Rosa File:Brøndums Hotel 1891-92.jpg, The hotel dining-room with portraits of the Skagen Painters File:Skagens Museum - Brøndums spisesal.jpg, The dining-room today, now in Skagens Museum

References

Literature

* * Jacobsen, Claus (2003): ''Brøndums Hotel: stedet og maden'', Aschehougs Forlag. . * Voss, Knud (1989): ''Hos Brøndums i Skagen 1780-1930'', Forlaget Gyldendal. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Brondums Hotel Buildings and structures in Skagen Hotels in Denmark Skagen Painters Year of establishment missing