Church of Holmen

Facts

From smithy to naval church

By Frank Allan Rasmussen , Cand.phil. i historie fra København Universitet. (10 stories)

King Frederik II built the anchor smithy on the Bremerholm islet in 1563. It was later inaugurated as a church for King Christian IV's naval employees in 1619. Both the navy and its crew grew. Christian IV therefore extended the church into a cruciform church in 1639-43. The church remained almost the same except that the original yellow brickwork was painted red in the 1750s. The chapel along the canal was built in 1708 and the vestry is from 1872. The church has survived wars and fires. So inside, the Church of Holmen looks as it did when it was built in the 17th century. And you might be lucky enough to glimpse of one of the royal family attending a service.

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Up and down the musical ladder

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Story written by Thomas Roland

Time / Periode 1843

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Soon after he had written his first symphony, Danish composer Niels W. Gade got himself an extremely distinguished fan. None other than Felix Mendelssohn, principal conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Germany’s music metropolis of Leipzig, was enthusing about his work. In 1843, Gade travelled to see Mendelssohn in Leipzig, and four years later he was appointed to the distinguished position of kapellmeister for the Gewandhaus Orchestra; an orchestra which is thought to have included the most talented musicians of the time. Gade had taken up the single most coveted and prestigious conductor’s appointment in Europe. Understandably his feelings were mixed when he was obliged to leave Leipzig and the orchestra following the outbreak of war in 1848, and return to the provincial musical life of Copenhagen. In the 18th-19th century, the strings of Denmark’s musical life were played by the German-speaking countries, and the evolution of Danish music is therefore framed by its German origins. Musical life in the time after around 1800 was generally flourishing, and what is conventionally referred to as classical music found increasing popularity beyond the private chambers of its royal patrons. The new and often wealthy bourgeoisie wished to be entertained like the nobility, either in private residences or in the concert halls that were being built all over Europe.