Christian IX Statue, Esbjerg on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
An equestrian statue of Christian IX stands on the market place in the centre of
An equestrian statue of Christian IX stands on the market place in the centre of Esbjerg
Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)
, Denmark. Designed in bronze by Ludvig Brandstrup
Ludvig Brandstrup (16 August 1861 – 13 May 1935) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered above all for his equestrian statue of Christian IX in Esbjerg but was also one of the most competent portraitists of his day.
Early life and education
...
, it was completed in 1899.
Background
After the port of Altona had been lost to the Germans in theSecond Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
in 1864, King Christian IX
Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein- ...
signed a bill from the Danish Parliament in 1868 for the establishment of a harbour in Esbjerg, thus being recognized as Esbjerg's founder. The statue was commissioned by the city's citizens when the town was raised to the status of a municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in ...
in 1899 but the base stood empty until the following year as the result of a strike.
Statue
Seated on his horse with one of its hoofs raised, Christian IX is positioned gazing over the harbour from the centre of the square. The bronze statue was created byLudvig Brandstrup
Ludvig Brandstrup (16 August 1861 – 13 May 1935) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered above all for his equestrian statue of Christian IX in Esbjerg but was also one of the most competent portraitists of his day.
Early life and education
...
(1861–1935) who designed a similar work which stands in Slagelse
Slagelse () is a town on Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Kalundborg and 14 k ...
.
The base of the statue carries the inscription: ''Til Aere for Byens Grundlaegger rejste Borgere i Esbjerg dette Mindesmaerke'' (In Honour of the founder of the town, the citizens of Esbjerg raised this monument). It also bears the Danish coat of arms with the king's motto ''Med Gud for ære og ret'' (With God for honour and justice).
References
External links
* {{Coord, 55, 27, 59, N, 8, 27, 08, E, type:landmark_region:DE-HB, display=title Buildings and structures in Esbjerg Christian IX, Esbjerg Monuments and memorials in Denmark Outdoor sculptures in Denmark Sculptures of men in Denmark Sculptures by Ludvig Brandstrup