Kvindelig Læserforening ( English: Women Readers' Association) was a membership-based, private library for women which existed from 1872 until 1945 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 ...

. Its former building on Gammel Mønt (No. 1) is designed by Ulrik Plesner. It now houses the newspaper

Weekendavisen ''Weekendavisen'' (meaning ''The Weekend Newspaper'' in English) is a Danish weekly broadsheet newspaper published on Fridays in Denmark. Its circulation (as of 2007) is approximately 60,000 copies, about ten per cent of which cover subscription ...

History

Kvindelig Læserforening was founded at the initiative of Sophie Petersen (née Alberti) on 1 October 1872 and was inspired by Läsesalong för Damer in Sweden. The library initially comprised 1,007 volumes. The number of members quickly grew and it outgrew its premises several times. In 1910, the Women Readers' Association purchased a lot at the corner of Gammel Mønt and Antonigade. A four-storey building designed by Ulrik Plesner and Aage Langeland-Mathiesen was completed at the site in 1910. It contained reading rooms, a lending department, restaurant as well as hotel rooms reserved for women on the top floor. The latter was inspired by the

Martha Washington Hotel The Martha Washington Hotel (later known as Hotel Thirty Thirty, Hotel Lola, King & Grove New York, and The Redbury New York) was a hotel at 30 East 30th Street (later 29 29th Street (Manhattan), East 29th Street) in the NoMad, Manhattan, NoMa ...

in Nyew York City. The association gained increased momentum and became a power factor in the 1900s. With 100,000 volumes, its library developed into the largest private collection of fiction 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 ...

in the 1930s. In the late 1940s, the number of members began to decline and the association experienced economic difficulties. In 1941, it sold its building to

Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, 'Berling's Times'), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' is ...

. The Women Readers' Association closed in 1945. The building has later housed

Presidents

* 1875-1879: Kirstine Frederiksen * 1935–1945: Else Zeuthen

References

External links

Kvindelig Læserforening

Renderings
in the

Danish National Art Library The Danish National Art Library is the national research library for architecture, art history, visual arts and museology in Denmark. It was founded in 1754 as part of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and has been located at Charlottenborg' ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvindelig Laeseforening 1872 establishments in Denmark 1945 disestablishments in Denmark Libraries established in 1872 Libraries in Copenhagen Organizations based in Copenhagen Women's organizations based in Denmark

History

Presidents

Further reading

References

External links