Johan Conrad Ernst
Encyclopedia
Johan Conrad Ernst was a 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...

 architect and royal master builder. He was the son of Johan Adolf Ernst, a successful linen merchant who had immigrated from Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

 and had a luxurious residence on Amagertorv
Amagertorv
Amagertorv , today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, is often described as the most central square in central Copenhagen, Denmark...

 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...

.

Early life and titles

Little is known of his childhood or education but the Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
Nicodemus Tessin the Younger
Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle-most generation of the brief Tessin dynasty, which have had a lasting influence on...

 commented that the young man was sophisticated, sociable and widely traveled. At the age of 27, he already had the rank of royal master builder and became court assessor in 1703, counsellor to the chancery in 1709, counselor at law in 1716, and finally counselor of state in 1729.

Achievements

In 1696, as royal master builder, he was sent to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

 to assist Tessin in completing a wooden model and plans for a new residential palace for Christian V
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

. The king intended to have it built on the Amalienborg site but nothing came of the venture.

After the Great Fire in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

, Norway, on 19 May 1702, Ernst was among the architects drawn upon for the rebuilding of the city. He designed the Manufakturhuset and Hagerupgården, both completed in 1705. His early work also included Elers' Kollegium (1705) and a chapel in the 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,...

 (1708). The following year, under instructions from the master builder general, Vilhelm Platens, Ernst became responsible for extending the recently built Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace is a Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands an impressive view over Frederiksberg Park, originally designed as a palace garden in the Baroque style...

 (1708–1709). On Platen's retirement, Ernst became his successor with an annual remuneration of 1,000 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 had also had assignments at Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle was a castle on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen, Denmark, built in the late 14th century at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace....

 including the construction of the Boldhus (the king's indoor ball court).

From 1718 to 1721, he converted the opera house to a training school for cadets and, for a time, coordinated the construction of Fredensborg Palace
Fredensborg Palace
Fredensborg Palace, , is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn residence, and is often the site of important state visits and events in the Royal Family...

. During the same period, he designed the Gehejmearkivbygningen (1721) which is now part of the National Archives.

In 1719, he constructed the Chancery Building on Slotsholmen
Slotsholmen
Slotsholmen is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. Bishop Absalon constructed the city's first castle on the island in 1166-67 at the site where Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament lies today...

. Together with J.C. Krieger, he designed the fourth Copenhagen City Hall
Copenhagen City Hall
Copenhagen City Hall is the headquarters of the Municipal Council as well as the Lord mayor of the City of Copenhagen, Denmark. The building is situated on The City Hall Square in central Copenhagen....

 which was completed in 1728 but burnt down in 1795.

From 1731, he spent a number of years coordinating the construction of Hirschholm Palace
Hirschholm Palace
Hirschholm Palace, also known as Hørsholm Palace, was a royal palace located in present-day Hørsholm municipality just north of Copenhagen, Denmark...

 to the north of Copenhagen.

Family and property

On 23 April 1703, Ernst married Magdalene Foss who died in 1718. In 1719, he married Margrethe Elisabeth Weinmann, the widow of Anders Jacobsen Lindberg. Ernst was a highly respected, well-to-do gentleman. He owned the Aunsøgård estate near Kalundborg
Kalundborg
Kalundborg is a city with a population of 16,434 in Kalundborg municipality in Denmark and the site of its municipal council. Kalundborg is on the main island Zealand, with Copenhagen, but opposite on the far western edge....

and maintained a luxurious home in Copenhagen's Stormgade. He died in 1750 and was buried at Viskinge churchyard in Kalundborg.
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