The Ivar Huitfeldt Column is a monument

Monument

A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...

 at Langelinie

Langelinie

Langelinie is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of the statue of The Little Mermaid. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen...

 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...

, built to conmemorate the death of Admiral Ivar Huitfeldt

Ivar Huitfeldt

Ivar Huitfeldt was a Dano-Norwegian naval officer who was killed in action, when he commanded the ship Dannebroge during Great Northern War 1700–1721.-Biography:...

 and his men in a naval battle off Stevns

Stevns

Stevns is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 247 km², and has a total population of 21,892 . Its mayor is Paul Arne Sørensen, a member of the Venstre political party...

 during the Great Northern War

Great Northern War

The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...

. The monument was constructed in 1886 to a design by Vilhelm Dahlerup

Vilhelm Dahlerup

Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings and landmarks of his time and has more than any other single architect contributed to the...

. Ferdinand Edvard Ring was responsible for the statue of Victoria

Victoria (mythology)

In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...

 and for the reliefs , while Carl Brummer undertook the monument’s architectonic design.

History

On 4 October 1710, the ship-of-the-line Dannebrog, which Huitfeldt commanded, was set on fire during an encounter with the Swedes. He gave orders to continue the battle, which only came to an end when the ship blew up. Huitfeldt and 497 crew members were killed.

Between 1872 and 1875 various artifacts were brought up from the wreck, including canons and the ship's anchor.

The initial plans for a Huitfeldt memorial was a much smaller monument, a sort of cairn, but after the intervention of Carlsberg brewer Carl Jacobsen

Carl Jacobsen

Carl Christian Hillman Jacobsen was a Danish brewer, art collector and philanthropist, the son of J. C. Jacobsen, who founded the brewery Carlsberg and named it after him.-Career:...

 who had already sponsored several monuments in Copenhagen, including a statue of Admiral Niels Juel

Niels Juel

Niels Juel was a Dano–Norwegian admiral. He was the brother of the diplomat Jens Juel.-Biography:Niels Juel was born the son of Erik Juel and Sophie Clausdatter Sehested, both were descendant of Danish nobility, who lived in Jutland where the father had a career as a local functionary and judge...

 next the National Bank

Danmarks Nationalbank

Danmarks Nationalbank is the central bank of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a non-eurozone member of the European System of Central Banks . The bank issues the Danish currency, the krone....

, it was decided to launch a competition. It was won by Vilhelm Dahlerup

Vilhelm Dahlerup

Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings and landmarks of his time and has more than any other single architect contributed to the...

.

The original plan was to erect the monument at the small churchyard attached to the naval Church of Holmen

Church of Holmen

The Church of Holmen is a church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the wedding between Margrethe II of Denmark, current queen of Denmark,...

, close to the main entrance in Havnegade

Havnegade

Havnegade is a waterfront promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs between Børs Brisge and the mouth of the Nyhavn canal. For most of its length, after initially passing Bank of Denmark, the street is lined with residential buildings built during the 1860s and 1870s as part of the redevelopment...

, but it was ultimately deemed too big.

Design

The monument consists of a marble column topped by a statue of Victoria

Victoria (mythology)

In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...

. Four bronze reliefs at its foot feature Huitfeldt 's portrait, his coat of arms, a ship and a text.

The design incorporates the cannon balls barrels and the ship’s anchor is attached to the plinth.