Christopher Peter Jürgensen (30 October 1838 – 26 December 1911) was a Danish precision mechanician and instrument maker.

Early life and education

Jürgensen was born in Gesing near

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().Købmagergade Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Amagertorv on Strøget to Nørreport station, although the last section, north of Kultorvet, is part of Frederiksborggade, which continues on the ot ...

. He also attended the

Technical Institute An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

and in 1860 a scholarship enabled him to visit several leading workshops abroad.

Career

Back in Denmark, he began to work for Edvard Jünger whose company he took over in 1869. The company was located at Sortedam Dossering (No. 37). Under his management the company developed into the leading manufacturer of optical, geodetical and nautical instruments in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

. He collaborated with

Rasmus Malling-Hansen Hans Rasmus Johan Malling-Hansen (5 September 1835 – 27 September 1890) was a Danish language, Danish Invention, inventor, Preacher, minister and Head teacher, principal at the Royal Institute for the Deaf. He is famous for inventing the ...

on the development of the Writing Ball which he also manufactured. Jürgensen's instruments were noted for their precision. His customers included the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish armies and navies,

Østervold Observatory Østervold Observatory (or Copenhagen University Observatory; ) is a former astronomical observatory ( IAU code 035) in Copenhagen, Denmark owned and operated by the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet). It opened in 1861 as a repla ...

in Copenhagen and scientists both in Denmark and abroad. With the growing significance of electricity in lighting in the 1880s, Jürgensen changed the profile of his company which was responsible for many large installations. The company won a gold medal at the

International Exposition of Electricity The first International Exposition of Electricity () ran from 15 August 1881 through to 15 November 1881 at the Palais de l'Industrie on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. It served to display the advances in electrical technology since the s ...

in Paris in 1881. Two new partners joined the company and it was converted into an ''

aktieselskab (; abbr.: A/S or a/s, ; ) is the Danish name for a stock-based corporation. An ''aktieselskab'' may be either publicly traded or private. Liability The shareholders of an ''aktieselskab'' are not liable for the debts of the company. If an ...

'' in 1887. A new section for electric engines was established. It also moved to larger premises in Møllegade (No. 28). In 1890, in collaboration with

Siemens & Halske Siemens & Halske AG (or Siemens-Halske) was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens. It was founded on 12 October 1847 as ''Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske'' by Werner von Siemens and Johann Geor ...

, the company signed a contract for the construction of Copenhagen's first central power station in

Adelgade Adelgade ( lit. "Nobility Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Gothersgade in the south to Sankt Pauls Plads with St. Paul's Church in the north. The first half of the street is dominated by modern buildings while i ...

. In the 1900s, the company came into economic difficulties and went bankrupt in 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurgensen, Christopher Peter Danish scientific instrument makers Danish mechanical engineers People from Randers Municipality 1838 births 1911 deaths

Early life and education

Career

See also

References