Copenhagen University Library
Encyclopedia
Copenhagen University Library (Danish
: Københavns Universitetsbibliotek) in Copenhagen
, Denmark
, is the main research library
of the University of Copenhagen
. Founded in 1582, it is the oldest library in Denmark.
The old main building of the library is located in Fiolstræde
in central Copenhagen. It was designed by Johan Daniel Herholdt
and completed in 1861. A second library, known as the Copenhagen University Library North is located in Nørre Allé and is the library for natural sciences and medicine.
Since 1989, the Copenhagen University Library has been part of the Royal Library of Denmark
but it is administrated through the KUBIS system.
which had been founded three years earlier, when its vice-rector, Peder Albertsen, donated his book collection. One of the first buildings to house the library was the House of the Holy Ghost. In 1553, the first real library building, located at the site where the university's main building stands today, was inaugurated and it served its purpose for the next hundred years.
, popularly referred to as the Builder King due to his many architectural projects. There were plans both for the construction of a university chapel and a new astronomical observatory to replace Tycho Brahe
's Stjerneborg
which had fallen into despair and been demolished after he had fallen out of favour and left the country. Ultimately the idea emerged to build one grand complex which was to hold both an observatory, a church and new premises for the university library.
Construction of the new building, known as the Trinitatis Complex, started in 1637. First to be completed was the observatory at the top of what is today known as the Round Tower
. The new university library, located above the church and accessible only by the Round Tower's spiral ramp, was taken into use in 1652. In 1656, the Trinitatis Church was completed as the last part of the new trinity of science, knowledge and faith.
Up through the 17th century, the University Library grew significantly, both with the inclusion of the Royal Historiographers' archives and Peder Hansen Resen's book collection in 1685–87. After this, the University surpassed the Royal Library
in size.
In the Copenhagen Fire of 1728
, the University Library was devastated and 30,000 volumes were lost to the flames. Only some materials which against the rules had been removed from the premises by students and professors were saved. After the fire the library was restored along with the rest of the Trinitatis Complex and steps were taken to build a new collection. In 1730, Árni Magnússon
bequeathed his book and manuscript collection to the library. It included, most significantly, an extensive collection of Icelandic and other Nordic manuscripts which has since besome known as the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection after him. The library introduced loans in 1788.
In the British terror bombing of the civilian population of Copenhagen in the Battle of Copenhagen
in 1807, the University Library was only marginally damaged when a few grenades penetrated the roof of Trinitatis Church. Ironically, they landed in the library's section for morals and politics where they damaged a corner of Marsilius of Padua
's Defensor pacis
. Fragments of the grenades are now exhibited in the Exhibition Hall on the first floor of the current University Library building in Fiolstræde.
, just behind the university's main building. The competition was won by Johan Daniel Herholdt
. Construction started in 1857 and the new building was completed in 1861. The same year the astronomical observatory also moved to a specially designed building, the Østervold Observatory
, constructed on the city's old fortifications
which were being decommissioned..
In 1867, the University Library was merged with the Classen Library, the third largest library in Copenhagen at the time with 30,000 volumes.
. Once again suffering from shortage of space, it was split into a First and Second Department in 1938. The latter moved to a new building at Nørre Allé to serve the Faculties of Science
and Medicine
. In 1989, the University Library's First Department, serving theology, the humanities and social sciences, was merged with the Royal Library. As of 1 January 2006, the University's Second Department was also merged with the Royal Library and changed its name to Copenhagen University Library North. Officially, the name was changed to the Royal Library, National Library and Copenhagen University Library.
design. Its strong use of red brick heralded a new, destinctive trend in Danish architecture
which was to characterize many of the large cultural and civic buildings of the preceding decades.
Herholdt's design is inspired by western European, particularly northern Italian, cathedral architecture. The columns with their hive
-like terminations as well as other features are inspired by the Church of San Fermo in Verona
. The building's gable towards Frue Plads is intended as a continuation of the seven triangular gables of the University which faces the square. The central hall and corridor were decorated by Georg Hilker
, one of the premier Danish decorative painters of the time.
The building was the first in Denmark to have a structural system of cast iron
. This was a requirement to prevent future fires and Herholdt was inspired by the Crystal Palace
at the Great Exhibition of 1851
in London which he had visited during a stay in England . Another source of inspiration was the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
in Paris which had been built 1843 to 1859 with a similar underlying structure.
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
: Københavns Universitetsbibliotek) in 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...
, Denmark
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...
, is the main research library
Research library
A research library is a library which contains an in-depth collection of material on one or several subjects . A research library will generally include primary sources as well as secondary sources...
of the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
. Founded in 1582, it is the oldest library in Denmark.
The old main building of the library is located in Fiolstræde
Fiolstræde
Fiolstræde is a pedestrianized shopping street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Skindergade, where Jorcks Passage connects it to Strøget, to Nørre Voldgade at Nørreport Station, the busiest railway station in Denmark. On the way it passes the rear side of Copenhagen Cathedral, Vor Frue...
in central Copenhagen. It was designed by Johan Daniel Herholdt
Johan Daniel Herholdt
Johan Daniel Herholdt was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century...
and completed in 1861. A second library, known as the Copenhagen University Library North is located in Nørre Allé and is the library for natural sciences and medicine.
Since 1989, the Copenhagen University Library has been part of the Royal Library of Denmark
Danish Royal Library
The Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and university library of University of Copenhagen. It is the largest library in the Nordic countries....
but it is administrated through the KUBIS system.
Earliest history
In 1482, the University Library was established at the University of CopenhagenUniversity of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
which had been founded three years earlier, when its vice-rector, Peder Albertsen, donated his book collection. One of the first buildings to house the library was the House of the Holy Ghost. In 1553, the first real library building, located at the site where the university's main building stands today, was inaugurated and it served its purpose for the next hundred years.
The library in the Trinitatis Complex
In the first decades of the 17th century, Copenhagen experienced strong building activity under Christian IVChristian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
, popularly referred to as the Builder King due to his many architectural projects. There were plans both for the construction of a university chapel and a new astronomical observatory to replace Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
's Stjerneborg
Stjerneborg
Stjerneborg was Tycho Brahe's underground observatory next to his palace-observatory Uraniborg, located on the island of Hven in Oresund....
which had fallen into despair and been demolished after he had fallen out of favour and left the country. Ultimately the idea emerged to build one grand complex which was to hold both an observatory, a church and new premises for the university library.
Construction of the new building, known as the Trinitatis Complex, started in 1637. First to be completed was the observatory at the top of what is today known as the Round Tower
Rundetårn
The Rundetårn is a 17th-century tower located in central Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the many architectural projects of Christian IV, it was built as an astronomical observatory...
. The new university library, located above the church and accessible only by the Round Tower's spiral ramp, was taken into use in 1652. In 1656, the Trinitatis Church was completed as the last part of the new trinity of science, knowledge and faith.
Up through the 17th century, the University Library grew significantly, both with the inclusion of the Royal Historiographers' archives and Peder Hansen Resen's book collection in 1685–87. After this, the University surpassed the Royal Library
Danish Royal Library
The Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and university library of University of Copenhagen. It is the largest library in the Nordic countries....
in size.
In the Copenhagen Fire of 1728
Copenhagen Fire of 1728
The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of October 20, 1728, and continued to burn until the morning of October 23. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city , left 20% of the population homeless, and the reconstruction lasted...
, the University Library was devastated and 30,000 volumes were lost to the flames. Only some materials which against the rules had been removed from the premises by students and professors were saved. After the fire the library was restored along with the rest of the Trinitatis Complex and steps were taken to build a new collection. In 1730, Árni Magnússon
Árni Magnússon
Árni Magnússon was an Icelandic scholar and collector of manuscripts. He assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection.-Life:...
bequeathed his book and manuscript collection to the library. It included, most significantly, an extensive collection of Icelandic and other Nordic manuscripts which has since besome known as the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection after him. The library introduced loans in 1788.
In the British terror bombing of the civilian population of Copenhagen in the Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
in 1807, the University Library was only marginally damaged when a few grenades penetrated the roof of Trinitatis Church. Ironically, they landed in the library's section for morals and politics where they damaged a corner of Marsilius of Padua
Marsilius of Padua
Marsilius of Padua Marsilius of Padua Marsilius of Padua (Italian Marsilio or Marsiglio da Padova; (circa 1275 – circa 1342) was an Italian scholar, trained in medicine who practiced a variety of professions. He was also an important 14th century political figure...
's Defensor pacis
Defensor pacis
The tract Defensor pacis laid the foundations of modern doctrines of sovereignty. It was written by Marsilius of Padua , an Italian medieval scholar. It appeared in 1324 and provoked a storm of controversy that lasted through the century...
. Fragments of the grenades are now exhibited in the Exhibition Hall on the first floor of the current University Library building in Fiolstræde.
The library in Fiolstræde
Up through the 19th century it became clear that the library's premises in the Trinitatis Complex were outdated. They had become too small and the unusual access along the Round Tower's helical corridor was also impractical. In 1956, the university held an architectural competition for the design of a new library on a site in FiolstrædeFiolstræde
Fiolstræde is a pedestrianized shopping street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Skindergade, where Jorcks Passage connects it to Strøget, to Nørre Voldgade at Nørreport Station, the busiest railway station in Denmark. On the way it passes the rear side of Copenhagen Cathedral, Vor Frue...
, just behind the university's main building. The competition was won by Johan Daniel Herholdt
Johan Daniel Herholdt
Johan Daniel Herholdt was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century...
. Construction started in 1857 and the new building was completed in 1861. The same year the astronomical observatory also moved to a specially designed building, the Østervold Observatory
Østervold Observatory
Østervold Observatory is a former astronomical observatory in Copenhagen, Denmark owned and operated by the University of Copenhagen . It opened in 1861 as a replacement for the University's old observatory at Rundetårn....
, constructed on the city's old fortifications
Fortifications of Copenhagen (17th century)
The fortifications of Copenhagen underwent a comprehensive modernization and expansion in the 17th century. The project was commenced and largely masterplanned by Christian IV in the early 17th century but continued and completed by his successors...
which were being decommissioned..
In 1867, the University Library was merged with the Classen Library, the third largest library in Copenhagen at the time with 30,000 volumes.
The library in the 20th century
In 1930, the University Library became an independent institution directly under the Ministry of EducationEducation Minister of Denmark
Minister Children and Education of Denmark is a Danish minister office currently held by Christine Antorini .The office was created in 1916 when the post Kultus Minister was split up into the posts of Education Minister and Church Minister...
. Once again suffering from shortage of space, it was split into a First and Second Department in 1938. The latter moved to a new building at Nørre Allé to serve the Faculties of Science
University of Copenhagen Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen consists of both mathematical and natural sciences, and is divided into 11 institutes including the Natural History Museum of Denmark...
and Medicine
University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences
The University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences houses ten academic departments that focus on the theoretical aspects of research and teaching. Clinical research and teaching are carried out at University hospitals in the Copenhagen area and are co-ordinated by the University Clinical...
. In 1989, the University Library's First Department, serving theology, the humanities and social sciences, was merged with the Royal Library. As of 1 January 2006, the University's Second Department was also merged with the Royal Library and changed its name to Copenhagen University Library North. Officially, the name was changed to the Royal Library, National Library and Copenhagen University Library.
Architecture
Herholdt's University Library is built to a Neo-GothicGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
design. Its strong use of red brick heralded a new, destinctive trend in Danish architecture
Architecture of Denmark
The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking period, richly revealed by archaeological finds. It became firmly established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country...
which was to characterize many of the large cultural and civic buildings of the preceding decades.
Herholdt's design is inspired by western European, particularly northern Italian, cathedral architecture. The columns with their hive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
-like terminations as well as other features are inspired by the Church of San Fermo in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
. The building's gable towards Frue Plads is intended as a continuation of the seven triangular gables of the University which faces the square. The central hall and corridor were decorated by Georg Hilker
Georg Hilker
Georg Hilker was a Danish decorative painter active during the Danish Golden Age in the first half of the 19th century. He collaborated with Constantin Hansen.-Early life and career:...
, one of the premier Danish decorative painters of the time.
The building was the first in Denmark to have a structural system of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. This was a requirement to prevent future fires and Herholdt was inspired by the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
at the Great Exhibition of 1851
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
in London which he had visited during a stay in England . Another source of inspiration was the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève
The Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève inherited the writings and collections of one of the largest and oldest abbeys in Paris. Founded in the sixth century by Clovis I and subject to the rule of St. Benedict Abbey, initially devoted to the apostles Peter and Paul, in 512 received the body of the St...
in Paris which had been built 1843 to 1859 with a similar underlying structure.