Carlsminde

Carlsminde
General information
Architectural style	Baroque
Location	Søllerød, Rudersdal Municipality
Country	Denmark
Coordinates	55°48′45.13″N 12°29′41.2″E / 55.8125361°N 12.494778°E / 55.8125361; 12.494778Coordinates: 55°48′45.13″N 12°29′41.2″E / 55.8125361°N 12.494778°E / 55.8125361; 12.494778
Completed	c. 1780
Owner	Venstre

Carlsminde is a Baroque-style mansion located at Søllerødvej 30 in Søllerød, Rudersdal Municipality, some 20 kilometres north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. The building was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1918. The political party Venstre has been based in the building since 1971.

History[]

Carlsminde originates in an old tenant farm. Courty^{[clarification needed]} physician and kancelliråd Johan Peter Homuth constructed a small country house at the land in 1751 and later expanded the estate with more land twice. The current building was built for a later owner, Peter Wasserfalls, a grocer and manufacturer, probably a few years prior to his death in 1782. Wasserfall left the estate to his son who also purchased another nearby property. Carlsminde then changed hands many times. One of the later owners was prime minister Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow who wanted a summer residence close to Copenhagen.^[1]

The property was given the Carlsminde by Bolette Rudolphine Berg (1761–1836) in memory of her late husband Carl Berg. She also completed a 3.5 hectare park in English landscape style.

Carlsminde was owned by hunting master Rasmus Petersen from 1855 to 1867. During this period Carlsminde changed status from tenant farm to ownership. The house was then owned by composer Emil Hartmann. A later owner, Valet de chambre G. F. Bentzen, changed the facade in 1894.

Carlsminde was acquired by Isak Glückstadt in 1903. He expanded the estate from 10 to 25 hectares. The park was expanded by the landscape architect Erstad Jørgensen . It was centred on a lake with pikes and tenches and was also home to two Indian elephants. In 1907 Glückstadt commissioned Carl Brummer to build a Norwegian-style cabin. It was moved to Rungsted in 1910 and to Holte in the early 1940s.

Dethlef Jürgensen owned Carlsminde from 1913 to 1947. He sold off most of the land, creating the streets Carlsmindevej and Carlsmindeparken. Jürgensen was a central figure at Klampenborg Racecourses. In 1913 he constructed the side wing with stables for nine horses.

A later owner, Erik Møller, a CEO, established a riding ground to the rear of the stables in the 1950s. Venstre acquired the property in 1970 and has been based there since 1971.

Architecture[]

The building seen from the garden

The main building fronts a large courtyard located on the southside of Søllerødsvej. A detached side wing marks the east side of the courtyard.

The side wing

The main building is 11 bays long and consists of a high cellar, bel étage and a hipped Mansard roof with blue-glazed tiles. The three-bay median risalit was adapted in the 1893. The two windows that flanked the main entrance were replaced by niches with sandstone vases. The Rococo-style Cartouche above the main entrance and the Neclassical attica was also added at this point. The combination of decorative elements from different architectural styles is a characteristic feature of the Historicist style that dominated Danish architecture in the 1890s.

The side wing contains two small apartments flanking a stable with room for nine horses. The northern gable of the side wing is integrated in the wall that partly surrounds the property.

Today[]

The secretariat of Venstre is based in the building. The garden is used for events on Constitution Day (5 June).

Further reading[]

• Drachmann, Eva: Små erindringer fra Carlsminde (Søllerødbogen 1947)
• Matz´, Tom: Carlsminde i 230 år (Søllerødbogen 1981)*
• Matz, Tom: Fin hestekultur på Carlsminde (Søllerødbogen 1981)

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carlsminde.

• Venstre