Marienborg

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Marienborg
Marienborg 02.jpg
General information
Architectural styleNeoclassical
LocationLyngby-Taarbæk Municipality
CountryDenmark
Coordinates55°46′32″N 12°27′53″E / 55.77556°N 12.46472°E / 55.77556; 12.46472Coordinates: 55°46′32″N 12°27′53″E / 55.77556°N 12.46472°E / 55.77556; 12.46472
Completedc. 1745

Marienborg, a mid 18th-century country house perched on a small hilltop on the northern shore of Bagsværd Lake, Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of downtown Copenhagen, has served as the official residence of Denmark's prime minister since 1962. It is frequently used for governmental conferences, summits and other official purposes, including the prime minister's new year speech.[1][2] Unlike the residences of many other heads of government and state (e.g. the White House, 10 Downing Street, La Moncloa and Élysée Palace), Marienborg does not serve as the government headquarters or contain the office of the prime minister. The Prime Minister's Office is instead located in Christiansborg on Slotsholmen in downtown Copenhagen. Marienborg was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1964.

History[]

18th century[]

Ny Frederiksdal - seen as a cluster of unnamed houses - on a map from 1767

In the 18th century, the region north of Copenhagen became popular for its scenic views and opportunities for recreation with the surrounding meadows, woods and lakes, with many summer residences being built. Marienborg is one of several properties which were sold off from the Frederiksdal estate from the middle of the 18th century and used for the construction of country houses. They were collectively referred to as Ny Frederiksdal (New Frederiksdal) and also comprised Søro, Tusculum, Sophienholm and Christianelyst. The main building was constructed in around 1745 for the naval officer and director of the Danish Asiatic Company Olfert Fas Fischer. He was the father of the much more famous naval hero Olfert Fischer.

Johan Frederik Lindencrone

In 1750, Fischer sold the estate to Peter de Windt. Windt's widow, Maria Cathrine Michaelsdatter Fabritius, a daughter of the wealthy merchant Michael Fabritius, sold the estate to Jacob Frederik Schaffalitzky de Muckadell a few years after his death. The next owner Gysbert Behagen, from 1764 to 1792, was a wealthy merchant, ship-owner and director of the Danish Asiatic Company. His city home was the Behagen House in Christianshavn. He was succeeded by Hans Werner Rudolf Rosenkrantz Giedde.

The estate was in 1795 acquired by Johan Frederik Lindencrone, the owner of the Lindencrone Mansion in Copenhagen as well as Gjorslev Manor on Stevns, who named it Marienborg after his wife Marie.

19th century[]

In 1800, Lindencrone had to sell Marienborg due to economic difficulties. The buyer, Johann Traugott Lebrecht Otto (1766-1824), had served as garrison surgeon on Saint Thomas in the Danish West Indies. In 1801, he sold the estate to Julius Ludvig Frederik Rantzau and Johan de Windt. In 1803, Marienborg changed hands again when it was acquired by Jean de Coninck (1744-1807). He was the brother of Frédéric de Coninck.

Nybrovej with Marienborg visible in the background 1876

Peter Boll Wivet (1760-1824), a Supreme Court attorney, owned Marienborg from 1809 and until his death in 1824.

Marienborg was in 1853 acquired by Vilhelm Junius Lorentz Petersen, the owner of Lorentz Petersen, a wine business with roots dating back to 1788. On his death in 1863, it was sold to Rosalie Hennings, whose husband, of Espe and Bonderup, had also just died. On her death, Marienborg remained in the hands of the Moltke family for the next 15 years.

20th century[]

Agnes Lunn: From Marienborg (1937). The artist, a cousin of David's mother, was his god mother

Oscar Wandel, owner of Carl Wandel & Søn, a wine company, purchased Marienborg in 1899. In 1815, he sold the estate to Vilhelm Skovgaard-Petersen,

Upon the death of the last private owner, barrister and patron of the arts C. L. David, Marienborg was bequeathed in 1960 to the Danish state as a summer residence for the prime minister in office.

Architecture[]

Many different owners have left their marks on Marienborg and its architecture. The interiors have also been modified repeatedly. Today, Marienborg stands out as a restored classicist estate with a few carefully selected modern accents.

Interior[]

The interior of the mansion will be refurbished in 2017. The A.P. Møller and Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation has made a DKK 3.65 million donation for new furniture and art for the mansion.[3]

List of owners[]

Modern garden pavilion
  • (1745–1750) Captain Olfert Fas Fischer[4]
  • (1750–1753) Peter de Windt
  • (1753–1755) Maria Cathrine Michaelsdatter Fabritius
  • 1755–1764: Jacob Frederik Schaffalitzky de Muckadell
  • (1764–1793) Gysbert Behagen
  • (1793–1795)Hans Werner Rudolf Rosenkrantz Giedde
  • (1795–1800) Johan Frederik Lindencrone
  • (1800–1801) Johann Traugott Lebrecht Otto
  • (1801–1803) Julius Ludvig Frederik Rantzau/Johan de Windt
  • (1803–1807) Jean de Coninck
  • (1807–1809) Estate of Jean de Coninck
  • (1809–1824) Peter Boll Wivet
  • (1824–1849) Cathrine Ernst
  • (1849) Cecilie Wivet
  • (1849–1855) Edvard Knudsen
  • (1855–1863) Vilhelm Junius Lorentz Petersen
  • 1863–1864: Estate of Vilhelm Junius Lorentz Petersen
  • 1864–1885: Rosalie Hennings
  • 1885–1899: Moltke family
  • 1899–1915: Oscar Wandel
  • 1915–1934: Vilhelm Skovgaard-Petersen
  • 1934–1960: C. L. David
  • 1960–1962: Estate of C. L. David
  • 1962–present: State residence

State ownership: Prime Ministers[]

U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen holding a joint press conference in the gardens of Marienborg, July 2005.
Saint John's Eve 2016.

References[]

  1. ^ Eva Mellbin & Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin, Nu Gælder Det Danmark! (The Danish Minister of State's New Year Speeches), Lindhardt & Ringhof (2011), ISBN 8711405260, p. 13 (in Danish).
  2. ^ Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s New Year Address 1 January 2010 - Statsministeriet. (1 January 2010). Accessed: 2 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Marienborg skal indrettes med møbler og kunst for millioner" (in Danish). Jyllands-Posten. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  4. ^ Marienborg - sammenkomster - Den Store Danske Accessed: 2 September 2012 (in Danish).

External links[]

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