Architecture of Denmark

The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking Age, revealed by archaeological finds. It was established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals, were built throughout the country. During this period, brick became the construction material of choice for churches, fortifications and castles, as the country had little access to stone.
Under the influence of Frederick II and Christian IV, both of whom had been inspired by the castles of France, Dutch and Flemish designers were brought to Denmark to improve the country's fortifications. They increasingly transitioned to building magnificent royal castles and palaces in the Renaissance style. In parallel, the half-timbered style became popular for ordinary dwellings in towns and villages across the country.
Late in his reign, Christian IV also became an early proponent of Baroque which was to continue for a considerable time with many impressive buildings both in the capital and the provinces. Neoclassicism came initially from France but was slowly adopted by native Danish architects who increasingly participated in defining architectural style. A productive period of Historicism merged into the 19th century National Romantic style.
In the 1960s, Danish architects entered the world scene with their highly successful Functionalism. This evolved into designs such as the Sydney Opera House and the Great Belt Bridge, allowing Danish designers to be rewarded for excellence both at home and abroad.

Middle Ages

Viking Age

in various parts of Denmark have revealed much about the way the Vikings lived. One such site is Hedeby, located south of the Danish border near Schleswig, it probably dates back to the end of the 8th century. Oak frames were used for the walls, and the roofs were probably thatched.
Viking ring houses, such as those at Trelleborg, have a ship-like shape with long walls bulging outwards. Each house had a large central hall,, and two smaller rooms, one at each end. Those at Fyrkat, in the north of Jutland, were long, wide at the ends and in the middle, the long walls curving slightly outwards. The walls had double rows of posts with planks wedged horizontally between them. A series of outer posts slanted towards the wall were possibly used to support the building like buttresses.

Romanesque style

Denmark's first churches from the 9th century were built of timber and have not survived. Hundreds of stone churches in the Romanesque style were built in the 12th and 13th centuries. They had a flat-ceilinged nave and chancel with small rounded windows and round arches. Granite boulders and limestone were initially the preferred building materials, but after brick production reached Denmark in the middle of the 12th century, brick quickly became the material of choice. Notable examples of brick Romanesque buildings are St. Bendt's Church in Ringsted and the unique Church of Our Lady in Kalundborg with its five tall towers.
The church at Østerlars on the island of Bornholm was built around 1150. Like three other churches on the island, it is a round church. The three-storeyed building is supported by a circular outer wall and an exceptionally wide, hollow central column.
Construction of Lund Cathedral in Scania started in about 1103 when the region was part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It was the first of great Danish Romanesque cathedrals in the shape of a three-aisled basilica with transepts. It seems to have been related to earlier German buildings, though there are also traces of Anglo-Norman and Lombard influences. Ribe, which followed with its great cathedral, had close trade contacts with the Rhine region of Germany. Both the materials, sandstone and tufa, and the models were taken from there.

Gothic style

Towards the end of the 13th century, and until about 1500, the Gothic style became the norm. This resulted in rebuilding or adopting older, Romanesque churches to the Gothic style: the flat ceilings were replaced by high cross vaults, windows were enlarged with pointed arches, chapels and towers were added, and the interiors were decorated with murals. Red brick was the material of choice as seen in St. Canute's Cathedral, Odense, and St. Peter's Church, Næstved. St. Canute's presents all the features of Gothic architecture: pointed arch, buttresses, ribbed vaulting, increased light and the spatial combination of nave and chancel.
Most Gothic architecture in Denmark is found in churches and monasteries, though there are also examples in the secular field. Glimmingehus, a rectangular castle in Scania, was commissioned by the Danish nobleman Jens Holgersen Ulfstand who hired Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. The building contains many defensive features of the times, including parapets, false doors, dead-end corridors, murder-holes for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other death traps to protect the nobles against peasant uprisings.
File:Anne Hvides Gaard Svendborg.jpg|alt=Large three-storied, half-timbered house, with plaster filling.|thumb|Anne Hvides Gård, Svendborg

Half-timbered buildings

During the late Middle Ages, a slow transition began from the traditional wooden houses in towns and villages towards half-timbered properties. One of the oldest in Denmark is Anne Hvides Gård, a two-storeyed townhouse in Svendborg on the island of Funen, constructed in 1560. The building now forms part of the Svendborg Museum.
Ystad in the southern Swedish region of Scania, which was formerly part of Denmark, still has some 300 half-timbered houses, several of them of historic importance. The oldest surviving half-timbered house in Denmark, built in 1527, is located in Køge on the east coast of Sealand.
The Old Town in Aarhus, Jutland, is an open-air village museum consisting of 75 historical buildings collected from all parts of the country. They include a variety of half-timbered houses, some dating back to the middle of the 16th century.

Renaissance

thrived during the reigns of Frederick II and especially Christian IV. Inspired by the French castles of the times, Flemish architects designed Kronborg Castle in Helsingør and Frederiksborg Palace in Hillerød. In Copenhagen, Rosenborg Castle and Børsen or the former stock exchange are recognized as important Renaissance buildings.
During the reign of Frederick II, Kronborg Castle was designed by two Flemish architects: Hans Hendrik van Paesschen who started the work in 1574, and Anthonis van Obbergen who finished it in 1585. Modelled on a three-winged French castle, it was completed as a full four-winged building. The castle burnt down in 1629 but, under orders from Christian IV, was quickly rebuilt under the leadership of Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger, son of the famous Flemish artist. It is recognized as an outstanding Renaissance castle and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Frederiksborg Palace in Hillerød is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia. Christian IV had most of Frederick II's original building pulled down to have van Steenwinckel complete a three-winged French-styled castle with a low terrace wing around a courtyard. The architectural expression and the decorative finish reflect Dutch Renaissance preferences, as evidenced by the ornamental portals and windows and especially in sweeping Italianate gables.
Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, also built by Christian IV, is another example of the Dutch Renaissance style. In 1606, the king first had a two-storey summerhouse built on a site he used as a park for relaxation. He then decided to start work on the castle, which developed in stages until the Dutch Renaissance building was completed in 1624. Predating the castle, the Renaissance-style park is Denmark's oldest royal garden.
Sponsored by Christian IV, Børsen was built from 1618 to 1624 as one of the first commodity exchanges in Europe. It was designed to emphasize Copenhagen's position as a commercial metropolis. Although inspired by the Dutch Renaissance style, the towers and garrets on the roof reflect the taste of Christian IV. The spire of the building, with four intertwined dragon tails topped by three crowns, symbolises the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
In 1614, Christian IV began work on the construction of the then Danish Kristianstad in Scania, now in the south of Sweden, completing many of its buildings in the Renaissance style. The Church of the Trinity designed by Flemish-Danish architect Lorenz van Steenwinckel is considered by many to be Scandinavia's most beautiful Renaissance church.
Christian IV also initiated a number of projects in Norway that were largely based on Renaissance architecture He established mining operations in Kongsberg and Røros, now a World Heritage Site. After a devastating fire in 1624, the town of Oslo was moved to a new location and rebuilt as a fortified city with an orthogonal layout surrounded by ramparts, and renamed Christiania. King Christian also founded the trading city of Kristiansand, once again naming it after himself.
Holbæk in northwestern Sealand began to develop towards the end of the Middle Ages. Prosperity peaked in the 17th century as corn grown locally was traded with Germany and the Netherlands. The half-timbered houses which now form the museum date back to that period, providing an insight into how the town functioned at the time.
Danish country vicarages from this period tended to be built in the same style as farmhouses, though usually rather larger. A fine example is Kølstrup Vicarage near Kerteminde in north-eastern Funen. The house itself is a thatched half-timbered building with a large rectangular courtyard flanked by outhouses.

Baroque

As during the Renaissance period, it was again principally Dutch influence which predominated in Baroque architecture, although many of the features originated in Italy and France. Symmetry and regularity were primary concerns, often enhanced by a projecting central section on the main façade.
Copenhagen's Round Tower was also one of Christian IV's projects after he provided funding for an observatory as proposed by the astronomer Tycho Brahe. Under the initial leadership of Hans van Steenwinckel who surprisingly adapted the design to Dutch Baroque, the Tower was completed in 1642 with a height of almost 40 m. The bricks, specially ordered from the Netherlands, were of a hard-burned, slender type, known as muffer or mopper. A 210-meter-long spiral ramp leads to the top, providing panoramic views over Copenhagen. The Round Tower is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. Until 1861 it was used by the University of Copenhagen, but today, anyone can observe the night sky through the tower's astronomical telescope during the winter.
Nysø Manor near Præstø, Sealand, was built for the local functionary Jens Lauridsen. It was the first Baroque country house in Denmark, replacing the earlier Renaissance style. The inspiration came from Holland and the architect was probably Ewert Janssen.
One of the foremost designers of the times was the Danish architect Lambert van Haven whose masterpiece was the Church of Our Saviour, Copenhagen which relies on the Greek cross for its basic layout. The façade is segmented by Tuscan pilasters extending up to the full height of the building. Other features such as the distinctive corkscrew spire were however not undertaken until the reign of Frederick V. It was Lauritz de Thurah who finally completed the building in 1752.
Charlottenborg, on Kongens Nytorv in the centre of Copenhagen, is said to be the most important pure Baroque building remaining in Denmark. Van Haven may have been involved in its design although Ewert Janssen is usually credited with the work. Several other mansion houses in Denmark have been based on its design.
It was Henrik Ruse, a Dutch building engineer, who was charged by Frederick III to develop the area around Kongens Nytorv, especially in connection with the Nyhavn Canal which was designed to become Copenhagen's new harbour. It was not, however, until Christian V became king in 1670 that Niels Rosenkrantz completed the work. Over the next few years, numerous town houses were built along the northern or sunny side of the canal. The oldest, Number 9, was completed in 1681, probably by Christen Christensen, the harbour master.
Clausholm Castle near Randers was designed by the Danish architect Ernst Brandenburger with assistance of the Swede Nicodemus Tessin who was invited to decorate the facade.
The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, designed by Elias David Häusser and completed in the 1740s, was certainly one of the most impressive Baroque buildings of its day. Although the palace itself was destroyed by fire in 1794, the extensive showgrounds and riding arena completed by Niels Eigtved have survived undamaged and can be visited today. Fredensborg Palace, the royal residence on the shore of Sealand's Lake Esrum, with its exquisite Chancellery House, is the work of Johan Cornelius Krieger who was the court gardener at Rosenborg Castle. The park at Fredensborg is one of Denmark's largest and best preserved Baroque gardens.
After the turn of the 18th century, architecture developed into the late Baroque style. Among the major proponents were Johan Conrad Ernst who built the Chancery Building or Kancellibygningen on Slotsholmen and Lauritz de Thurah who designed the Eremitage Palace in Dyrehaven, just north of Copenhagen. Even more ambitious was de Thurah's work at Ledreborg near Roskilde, where he succeeded in working the components into a well-balanced and cohesive Baroque palace.