Læssøesgade School ( Danish: Læssøesgade Skole) is a public primary school in the

Frederiksbjerg Frederiksbjerg is a borough in Aarhus, Denmark. Frederiksbjerg is part of the postal district Aarhus C and is located just south of the historical city centre, separated from it by a broad railway yard and connected by three bridges. Despite bein ...

district of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

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 school offers reception classes, 1 through 10 grades and after-school activities in the ''Skolefritidsordning'' (Sfo).

History

In 1916 it was decided to build a new co-ed school in southern Aarhus in response to rapid population growth. The site chosen was what at the time was the edge of the city. The architect Ludvig Petersen had previously and recently worked on the Samsøgade School from 1914 and was chosen for the new project. The school was finished in 1921 and inaugurated on 16 April. The new school proved an expensive project at 1.5 million

Danish Kroner The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; currency sign, sign: kr.; ISO 4217, code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common ...

compared to the 400.000 the Samsøgades school had cost. Lassøgade School was larger but the causes of the cost difference can mainly be found in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the ensuing inflation. The school initially had 31 class rooms and between the years 1930 and 1960 it had an average of 1000 to 1300 students. The student body has since grown steadily smaller and by 1999 it was down to 350 students across 31 class rooms. Co-ed classes were not introduced until 1946. In 1961 Læsseøgade School became the first school in Aarhus to offer the optional and voluntary 10th grade. From November 1942 during the

occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself Neutral countries in World War II, neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from Military occupation, occupying the country soon after the outbreak of ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the school buildings were used to house German troops. Students were moved to Ingerslevs Boulevards School where they were taught under difficult conditions. In spring of 1945 Ingerslevs Boulevards School also had to be closed and school activities were suspended. However, in June the occupation was over and Læssøgde School had been cleaned, renovated and restored. In 1920 Aarhus City Council gave permission to move a zoological collection, hosted by the

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

s in a building in Christiansgade, to Læssøgade School. Between 1923 and the fall of 1939 the school hosted the collection on the top floor of the building. The collection was finally moved when a new museum building had been completed on the

university campus A campus traditionally refers to the land and buildings of a college or university. This will often include libraries, lecture halls, student centers and, for residential universities, residence halls and dining halls. By extension, a corpor ...

where it remains to this day as the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

Architecture

Læssøgade School is a three-story building constructed of red brick on a base of granite in the

National romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

with elements of

Baroque revival The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (in ...

. The corners of the building are accentuated as

avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( or , plural , , ), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than other parts of the building.Curl, James Stev ...

with shadow joints and lesenes. The school was constructed as a 4-winged structure around an atrium similar to the Samsøgade School, completed a few years earlier. However, in Læssøgade School the atrium roof is at the same level as the roofs of the rest of the buildings and not at the 1st floor like in Samsøgade School. This difference creates an imposing spacious atrium which at the time was an unusual feature. In 1969 the school was expanded with toilet buildings in the school yard and an additional, smaller building to the north.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laessoesgades School Primary schools in Aarhus School buildings completed in 1921 1921 establishments in Denmark Baroque Revival architecture National Romantic architecture in Aarhus