The Prince Wilhelm Mansion ( Danish: Prins Wilhelms Palæ) is a historic property on the corner of

Sankt Annæ Plads Sankt Annæ Plads (English language, English: St. Ann's Square) is a Town square, public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and Frederiksstaden neighborhoods of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which e ...

and

Amaliegade Amaliegade () is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred. Amaliegade extends from Sankt Annæ Plads to Esplanaden, passing through the central pl ...

in central

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 ...

. It is owned by the property investment company Jeudan which is headquartered in the building.

History

18th century

The mansion was built from 1749 to 1752 for Wilhelm August von der Osten. It was located in the former grounds of

Sophie Amalienborg Sophie Amalienborg was a pleasure palace roughly located where Amalienborg stands today in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built by Queen Consort Sophie Amalie who lived there until her death in 1685 after her husband, King Frederick III, died a few ...

which were now up for redevelopment into the new district

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was in ...

. Robert Tuite (1746–1811), a plantation owner from

Saint Croix Saint Croix ( ; ; ; ; Danish language, Danish and ; ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands, district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an Unin ...

in the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...

, purchased the building in 1777. He also acquired the

Andreas Bjørn House The Andreas Bjørn House is a historic property located at the corner of Strandgade (No. 46) and Bådsmandsstræde in the Christianshavn neighbourhood of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built for Andreas Bjørn in 1734 and listed on the Danish reg ...

and an associated sugar refinery, Union House, in

Christianshavn Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...

. He married Mary Ann (-1807), the widow of Robert Cotton Trefusis. in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1780. The couple lived in the mansion on Sankt Annæ Plads but divorced in 1787 and Tuite moved back to Saint Croiz in 1792.

Charles August Selby Charles August Selby (24 October 1755 – 15 March 1823) was an English- Danish merchant and landowner. He built the Bækkeskov manor house at Præstø and Orupgaard on Falster. The Baron's oldest son, the politician and landowner, Charles Borre ...

, Tuite 's cousin and business partner, purchased the building in 1794. Selby had previously lived at Strandgade 24 in Christianshavn.

19th century

In 1804, Selby sold the mansion to Imperial Roman Vice consul Johan Nicolai Adam Romeis. In 1808, he sold it to Major-General

Peter Lotharius Oxholm Peter Lotharius Oxholm (10 July 1753 – 27 July 1827) was a Danish army officer and governor-general of the Danish West Indies from 1815 to 1816. He also participated in the Battle of Køge against the British troops in 1807. In 1814, Oxholm w ...

, He was the owner of several plantations on Saint Croix and served as

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

of the Danish West Indies from 1814 to 1816. In 1826, the mansion was acquired by King Frederick VI who put it at the disposal of

Prince William of Hesse-Kassel Prince William of Hesse-Kassel (24 December 1787 – 5 September 1867) was the first son of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen. He was titular Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel-(Rumpenheim) and for many years heir ...

. He lived there until his death in 1867. After that, the building came to new use. The

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

-winning medical doctor

Niels Finsen Niels Ryberg Finsen (15 December 1860 – 24 September 1904) was a physician and scientist. In 1903, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology "in recognition of his contribution to the treatment of diseases, especially lupus vulg ...

for a while lived in the building as a young student and is now commemorated with a plaque on the building's facade. In 1878, it was acquired by a restaurateur, Lars Larsen, who ran it an event venue under the name Larsens Lokaler. He later changed the name back to Prins Wilhelms Palæ which gave rise to the popular name Prins Larsens Palæ. The Medical Society for Women (Danish: Kvindelig Læseforening) was founded in the building's great hall on 28 November 1907.

20th century

In the 1920s, the building came to serve as headquarters for the oil company ''Det Danske Petroleums Aktieselskab'' (later Danish Esso) and later

Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It is primarily a petroleum company operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. In th ...

's activities in Denmark.

Architecture

Today

The building is now owned by the property company Jeudan.

References

{{Copenhagen historic houses Houses in Copenhagen Houses completed in 1751 1751 establishments in Denmark