Harsdorff House

Harsdorff House
Harsdorffs Hus

The Harsdorff House viewed from Kongens Nytorv
General information
Architectural style Neoclassicism
Location Copenhagen
Country Denmark
Coordinates 55°40′47.92″N 12°35′12.56″E / 55.6799778°N 12.5868222°E / 55.6799778; 12.5868222Coordinates: 55°40′47.92″N 12°35′12.56″E / 55.6799778°N 12.5868222°E / 55.6799778; 12.5868222
Construction started 1779
Completed 1780
Owner Karberghus
Design and construction
Architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff

The Harsdorff House is a historic property located on Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff in 1780 and was in the same time to serve as inspiration for the many uneducated master builders of the time.-

History

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff became professor of perspective at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1766. In 1770 he succeeded Nicolas-Henri Jardin as royal building master and the following year he took over his residence in the south wing of Charlottenborg Palace.The Royal Academy's secretary, C. E. Biehl, had a residence next to the palace. His daughter, Charlotte Dorothea Biehl, spend some of her childhood in the building. After Biehl's death the worn-out building was designated for demolishion and Harsdorff was consuted on the matter. He proposed that the site was given to him and he would then build a house which could serve as inspiration for the builders of the increasing number of bourgois houses in the city. Architects who had studied at the Academy were in general only used by the state and members of the aristocracy. The king accepted the offer.[1] Construction began in 1779 and was completed in 1780.[2]

The Harsdorff House photographed in 1866

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was based in the building from 1864 until 1923, hvor 1983 when it relocated to Christiansborg Palace and the Yellow Mansion in Amaliegade.[3] The building was restored by Fogh & Følner in 1999.[4]

Architecture

As Jardin's successor,c. f. Harsdorff favoured French classicism inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.[4]

The odd-shaped corner site inspired Harsdorff to build a property with three different model facades. The more monumental, central section is decorated with Ionic order pilasters and crowned by a triangular pediment with relief decoration.

The house came to serve as inspiration for hundreds of houses in the rebuilding of Copenhagen during the years after the Great Fire of 1795.[5]

Today

The building is owned by Karberghus. The tenants include the IT consultency Nine (No. 3-5, 1st floor) and Russel Reynolds Associates (No. 3, 2md floor)

References

  1. "Harsdorffs Hus, Kongens Nytorv 3-5". Selskabet for Københavns Historie (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  2. "Borgerhuset". multimediakontoret.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  3. "Kongens Nytorv 3-5". indenforvoldene.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Harsdorffs Palæ, København". aarkark.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  5. "1. Harsdorffs Hus". Golden Days (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2016.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.