Varna Palæet (
Lit.: Varna Palace) or Odd Fellow Palæet Varna (Odd Fellow Palace Varna) is a building in
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus 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 ...
situated in the
Marselisborg Forests
Marselisborg Forests (), or simply Marselisborg Forest, is a forest to the south of Aarhus City in the Kingdom of Denmark. Many present day sources now includes the forest of Fløjstrup, as part of the Marselisborg Forests, upping the total area ...
on ''Ørneredevej''. Varna Palæet was built in 1908 by designs of the Danish architect
Eggert Achen in
Neoclassical style
Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...
for the
Danish National Exhibition of 1909
The Danish National Exhibition of 1909 or The National Exhibition in Aarhus 1909 ( Danish: Landsudstillingen i Aarhus) was an industry, crafts and culture exhibition held in Aarhus, Denmark in 1909 from 18 May to 3 October. The exhibition displayed ...
. Today the building is owned by the
Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in 18th-cen ...
society which use it for activities within the organization. The building houses a restaurant on a lease basis and it is a well-known landmark in Aarhus and its southern forests.
History
The name of the building can be traced back to 1829 when the owner of a mill on the site advertised for "Varna Mill" (Varna Mølle) in
Ã…rhus Stiftstidende
''Ã…rhus Stiftstidende'' (colloquially ''Stiften'') is a Danish language, Danish newspaper based in Aarhus, Denmark, focusing largely on local topics.
The independent newspaper with a bourgeois character has suffered a considerable decline in ci ...
. The name was given to the mill by Christian A. Gersdorff, the
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
of
Marselisborg Manor, who had served as a general in the army of the
Russian Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
on the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
coast. He encountered the names
Varna
Varna may refer to:
Places Europe
*Varna, Bulgaria, a city
** Varna Province
** Varna Municipality
** Gulf of Varna
** Lake Varna
**Varna Necropolis
* Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy
* Varna (Å abac), a village in Serbia
Asia
* Var ...
and
Silistria there and named two mills on his property after them. Both names refer to cities in modern northeastern
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, then under
Ottoman rule, that were subjected to prolonged Russian sieges during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29.
In 1877 the mills were abandoned.
In 1909 Aarhus was the host of the
Danish National Exhibition of 1909
The Danish National Exhibition of 1909 or The National Exhibition in Aarhus 1909 ( Danish: Landsudstillingen i Aarhus) was an industry, crafts and culture exhibition held in Aarhus, Denmark in 1909 from 18 May to 3 October. The exhibition displayed ...
and it was decided to build a number of restaurants in the
Marselisborg Forests
Marselisborg Forests (), or simply Marselisborg Forest, is a forest to the south of Aarhus City in the Kingdom of Denmark. Many present day sources now includes the forest of Fløjstrup, as part of the Marselisborg Forests, upping the total area ...
to the south of the city to host some of the many guests. Varna Palæet is a result of this decision and it was completed in time for the exhibition along with another pavilion, Ørnereden (English: Eagles Nest). Onlye Varna Palæet remains today as Ørnereden burnt down in 1980.
The first host of Varna Palæet was S.P. Nielsen who put a lot of focus on entertainment in order to lure people away from the established entertainment venues in the city. In the first years the Varna Soiré (Varna-Soiréen) started in 1913 was the best known tradition featuring known actors, musicians, cabaret- and opera singers and poetry recitals. Excursions to Varna quickly became popular partly because the Marselisborg Forests already was a popular destination. In 1913 12.000 people traveled on the two boats "Turisten" and "Marselisborg" from the
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
to Varna and ''Ørnereden''.
In 1919 S.P. Nielsen was superseded by Adolf Kragh-Hansen as the host of Varna where he remained for 23 years. The venue continued being popular and in 1936 some 20.000 people attended the summer "solstice" celebrations with entertainment by orchestras,
tango
Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the RÃo de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
-contests, gypsies and operetta. In 1942 Kragh-Hansen retired and Marinus Nielsen took over the venue. Until 1970 Varna Palæet was owned by
Aarhus Municipality
Aarhus Municipality (), known as Ã…rhus Municipality () until 2011, is a ''Municipalities of Denmark, kommune'' in the Central Denmark Region, on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark.
The municipality covers an area of , and ...
but with the advent of television in the 1960s entertainment changed and venues such as Varna became less popular. Varna was hit especially hard since its success was premised on its ability to attract visitors for entertainment and exhibitions. The pavilion became increasingly costly to run and in 1970 it was sold to the
Odd Fellows
Odd Fellows (or Oddfellows when referencing the Grand United Order of Oddfellows or some British-based fraternities; also Odd Fellowship or Oddfellowship) is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in 18th-cen ...
which renamed it to Odd Fellow Palæet Varna.
In 1971, the pavilion was extensively renovated and the 1st floor made into meeting rooms for the society.
Verner Panton
Verner Panton (13 February 1926 – 5 September 1998) is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, espec ...
was tasked with decorating the ground floor which continued as a public restaurant. The classical decorations were removed in favor of psychedelic patterns in aubergine, orange, red and purple and furniture in steel and plastic. The new design lasted five years until the walls were painted white again in 1976. The restaurant has since been leased by various restaurateurs. In 1984 and 2010 Varna Palæet was renovated again.
Architecture
The building was designed by the architect
Eggert Achen who also designed Ørnereden, the other pavilion in the Marselisborg Forests. The initial plans spanned a small, simple bar to a large hotel and resort. The final plans were accepted by the city council on 16 January 1908 and Eggert Achen quickly began construction so the building could be completed for the opening of the National Exhibition in May 1909. The pavilion is in two floors and has two characteristic octagonal towers. The towers are inspired by the
Coat of arms of Aarhus but were initially criticized for being too pompous and a bad fit for the surrounding nature. The pavilion is predominantly of wood and designed in Neoclassical style.
In 1915 Varna Palæet had a pavilion of glass added to better serve outdoor during the summer. In 1916 Aarhus Municipality added electrical lighting and in 1930
central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat.
A central heating system has a Furnace (central heating), furnace that converts fuel or electricity to heat through processes. The he ...
which expanded the season with a few months.
External links
Official website*
Varna Palæet on Wikimedia Commons
1971: Information and pictures on the interior design of Verner Panton at the design agency TAGWERC
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varna Palaeet
1908 establishments in Denmark
Buildings and structures in Aarhus
Neoclassical architecture in Aarhus
Odd Fellows buildings
Restaurants in Aarhus