Constantin Brun
Encyclopedia
Johan Christian Constantin Brun (27 November 1746 - 19 February 1836) was a German
-Danish
. Born in Germany, came to Denmark as Royal administrator of the trade on the Danish West Indies
and in the same time built a successful private trading empire during the early Napoleonic Wars
of the late 18th century, profiting on Denmark's neutrality.
At the time of his death in 1836, Brun was one of the wealthiest persons in Denmark, leaving an esate of more than 2 million Rigsdaler
. He was married to Friederike Brun
, a writer and prominent salonist during the Danish Golden Age.
. He moved to Lübeck
to Apprentice in Pauli, one of the local trading houses, and after showing a remarkable talent for business, his employer set him up, along with his own son, with a business in Saint Petersburg
, Russia
.
On 16 October 1777, Brun received an appointment as Danish
Consul
and this brought him to Copenhagen
. There he met his future wife, Friederike
, for the first time when he visited her father, Balthasar Münter, who was a priest at the St. Peter's Church, Copenhagen
. He was immediately struck by the young girl, and in the winter of 1782/83 he returned to Copenhagen.
's initiative, offered him a position as royal administrator of the trade on the Danish West Indies
. Brun accepted, settled in Copenhagen and proposed to Friederikke Münter, who accepted, later that same year. Under Brun, Danish trade on the West Indies passed over from the Danish West India Company
to the state. During the following decades, the trade flourished, assisted by Denmark's neutrality in the European wars which raged at the time.
Brun also ran his own private business and over the years built a colossal fortune.
In 1788-99 the Danish Government send Brun on a diplomatic mission to Russia, an allied of Denmark, with financial support for the Russian war against Sweden.
in Lyngby as a summer residence supplementing his town mansion in Copenhagen. From 1800 to 1805 he had it extended and redesigned to its present-day appearance with the assistance of the French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée
.
Over the next decade he acquired first Antvorskov Manor and later Falkensteen Manor, both located near Slagelse
, and made many progressive modernizations to the agricultural operations of the estates. He imported several families from Switzerland
and established a production of Swiss cheese
which was mainly exported to oversea markets. He also marketed chopping and threshing machine
s.
In 1810 Brun bought Krogerup Manor for his sons. The estate stayed in the Brun family until 1939.
Constantin Brun humself took no interest in these activities, routinely referring to them as "poetic madness". His parsimonious reputation is reflected in his comment that he "saw the moon as a time counter and as a good bright light which shone without the need for payment." He found Friederike's social habits extravagant, but she always got her way, and he was obviously flattered by the fact that it was his wealth which made it all possible.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Born in Germany, came to Denmark as Royal administrator of the trade on the Danish West Indies
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
and in the same time built a successful private trading empire during the early Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
of the late 18th century, profiting on Denmark's neutrality.
At the time of his death in 1836, Brun was one of the wealthiest persons in Denmark, leaving an esate of more than 2 million Rigsdaler
Danish rigsdaler
The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1873. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively....
. He was married to Friederike Brun
Friederike Brun
Friederike Brun, née Münther , was a Danish author and salonist.She was married to the affluent merchant Constantin Brun and during the Danish Golden Age of the first half of the 19th century she arranged literary salons at Sophienholm, their summer retreat north of Copenhagen.-Early...
, a writer and prominent salonist during the Danish Golden Age.
Early life and career
Constantin Brun was born into a poor family on 27 November 1746 in RostockRostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
. He moved to Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
to Apprentice in Pauli, one of the local trading houses, and after showing a remarkable talent for business, his employer set him up, along with his own son, with a business in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
On 16 October 1777, Brun received an appointment as Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
and this brought him to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. There he met his future wife, Friederike
Friederike Brun
Friederike Brun, née Münther , was a Danish author and salonist.She was married to the affluent merchant Constantin Brun and during the Danish Golden Age of the first half of the 19th century she arranged literary salons at Sophienholm, their summer retreat north of Copenhagen.-Early...
, for the first time when he visited her father, Balthasar Münter, who was a priest at the St. Peter's Church, Copenhagen
St. Peter's Church, Copenhagen
St. Peter's Church is the parish church of the German-speaking community in Copenhagen, Denmark. Built as a single-nave church in the mid-15th century, it is the oldest building in central Copenhagen. It is also notable for its extensive complex of sepulchral chapels.-History:St...
. He was immediately struck by the young girl, and in the winter of 1782/83 he returned to Copenhagen.
Career in Denmark
The Danish Government had become aware of his eminent talent for business and, presumably at Count von SchimmelmannErnst Heinrich von Schimmelmann
Ernst Heinrich von Schimmelmann was a German-Danish politician, businessman and patron of the arts. His father was Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann.-Early life and career:Ernst von Schimmelmann was born in Dresden...
's initiative, offered him a position as royal administrator of the trade on the Danish West Indies
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
. Brun accepted, settled in Copenhagen and proposed to Friederikke Münter, who accepted, later that same year. Under Brun, Danish trade on the West Indies passed over from the Danish West India Company
Danish West India Company
The Danish West India Company or Danish West India-Guinea Company was a Danish chartered company that exploited colonies in the Danish West Indies. It was founded as the Danish Africa Company in 1659 in Glückstadt by a German Hendrik Carloff and two Dutchmen Isaac Coymans and Nicolaes Pancras....
to the state. During the following decades, the trade flourished, assisted by Denmark's neutrality in the European wars which raged at the time.
Brun also ran his own private business and over the years built a colossal fortune.
In 1788-99 the Danish Government send Brun on a diplomatic mission to Russia, an allied of Denmark, with financial support for the Russian war against Sweden.
Properties
Brun also owned several large estates and prominent homes. In 1790 he bought SophienholmSophienholm
Sophienholm is a former country house and exhibition venue located north on the shore of Lake Bagsværd in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark....
in Lyngby as a summer residence supplementing his town mansion in Copenhagen. From 1800 to 1805 he had it extended and redesigned to its present-day appearance with the assistance of the French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée
Joseph-Jacques Ramée
Joseph-Jacques Ramée var a French architect, interior designer, and landscape architect working within the neoclassicist idiom. In his lifetime, he worked in France, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and the USA...
.
Over the next decade he acquired first Antvorskov Manor and later Falkensteen Manor, both located near Slagelse
Slagelse
Slagelse, a town in east Denmark, is in Slagelse municipality on the island of Zealand. It is about 100 km southwest of Copenhagen. The population is 31,979 ....
, and made many progressive modernizations to the agricultural operations of the estates. He imported several families from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and established a production of Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is a generic name in North America for several related varieties of cheese which resemble the Swiss Emmental. Some types of Swiss cheese have a distinctive appearance, as the blocks of the cheese are riddled with holes known as "eyes". Swiss cheese has a piquant, but not very sharp,...
which was mainly exported to oversea markets. He also marketed chopping and threshing machine
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
s.
In 1810 Brun bought Krogerup Manor for his sons. The estate stayed in the Brun family until 1939.
Family and private life
His wife, Friederike Brun, was a writer and played host to many prominent Danish artists and intellectuals of her day. Particularly her salons at Sophienholm enjoyed great popularity. She also socialized and kept up a correspondence with many leading cultural figures around Europe.Constantin Brun humself took no interest in these activities, routinely referring to them as "poetic madness". His parsimonious reputation is reflected in his comment that he "saw the moon as a time counter and as a good bright light which shone without the need for payment." He found Friederike's social habits extravagant, but she always got her way, and he was obviously flattered by the fact that it was his wealth which made it all possible.
Children
- Carl Friedrich Balthasar Brun (20 April 1784 – 14 November 1869), Chamberlain
- Charlotte Brun (1788)
- Augusta Brun (1790)
- Adelaide Caroline Johanne Brun (20 September 1792 - 23 November 1857)