The Elephant Tower ( Danish: ''Elefanttårnet'') (also known as the Elephant Gate (Danish: ''Elefantporten'')) is the most famous

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

of the Carlsberg district in

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 ...

, the original brewery site of the

Carlsberg Breweries Carlsberg A/S (; ) is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. T ...

(the area is now under redevelopment as a new neighbourhood). The tower takes its name from four large granite elephants which flank the gate, standing back to back carrying the tower on their backs.

History

Completed in 1901, the Elephant Tower was built at the same time as the Ny Carlsberg Brewhouse. The architect was

Vilhelm Dahlerup Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup (4 August 1836 – 24 January 1907) was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings ...

, who also worked on the previous stages but not the new brewhouse which was designed by

Vilhelm Klein Vilhelm Klein (6 March 1835 – 10 February 1913) was a Danish architect who adopted the Historicist approach, frequently emulating the so-called Rosenborg style and the Italian Renaissance style. Early life Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, as the ...

. Along with the original Ny Carlsberg building and the

Dipylon The Dipylon (, "Two-Gated") was the main gate in the Themistoclean Walls, city wall of Classical Athens. Located in the modern suburb of Kerameikos, it led to the namesake ancient cemetery, and to the roads connecting Athens with the rest of Greec ...

, the tower formed the core of Ny Carlsberg complex, centred around a courtyard. The space above the tower originally served as a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

and herb silo. The new Elephant Tower marked the entrance to the brewery from the

Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, area ...

side, complementing the Dipylon which served as the entrance from the city.

Architecture

Typical of Ny Carlsberg's architecture and

's work in general, the Elephant Tower is built in a colourful

Historicist Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

style inspired by various periods and cultures.

Elephants

The elephant feature, which was Carl Jacobsen's own idea, was inspired by

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

-carrying elephant on Piazza della Minerva in Rome.Visit Carlsberg
/ref> The four elephants were created by the sculptor

Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan (1 August 1859 – 21 April 1939) was a Denmark, Danish sculptor. Early life and education Pedersen-Dan was born at Itzehoe in Schleswig-Holstein. He was the son of Ole Pedersen (1820–1902) and Elisabeth Sofie Johansen ...

, based on a sketch by Dahlerup.

The spire

The upper tower, which has a floor area of only 115 square metres, is built in red, ornamental brick. It has tall, round-arched windows and is topped by a

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

-clad

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate (drum) upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. They taper smoothly upwards to a point. It is a typical ...

Image gallery

Image:Elephant Tower (Carlsberg).jpg, The tower viewed from the west File:Carlsberg Elephant, Copenhagen.jpg, One of the elephants Image:Elefantporten (Carlsberg).jpg, Detail of the gate viewed from the west Image:Elefantporten - detail 1.jpg, Detail of one of the elephants Image:Carl and Ottilia Jacobsen (Elefanttårnet).jpg, Bust of Carl and Ottilia Jacobsen

References