Ewert Janssen
Encyclopedia
Ewert Janssen or Evert Janssen (died c. 1692) 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 who became a royal masterbuilder in 1668. His greatest achievement was Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since its foundation in 1754...

 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...

.

Life and achievements

Ewert Janssen, along with Ernst Brandenburger
Ernst Brandenburger
Ernst Brandenburger was a Danish master builder and entrepreneur who, through his collaboration with Christof Marselis and Wilhelm Friedrich von Platen, left his mark on Danish Baroque architecture during the early reign of King Frederick IV.-History:Brandenburger was engaged as master builder...

 a few years later, was one of the great masterbuilders of the absolute monarchy which, instituted by Frederick III
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...

, played an important part in supporting architectural developments.

Stairway at Gjorslev

In 1665, Janssen completed his first major achievement with a connecting stairway at the medieval Gjorslev Castle in the south of Sealand. It appears to have been copied from an earlier design by Dutch architect Philips Vingboons
Philips Vingboons
Philips Vingboons was a Dutch architect. He was part of the school of Jacob van Campen, that is, Dutch Classicism. Vingboons was especially highly regarded in his native city of Amsterdam....

.

Skanderborg Castle

After his appointment as royal masterbuilder in 1668, he prepared a number of drawings showing how Skanderborg Castle could, for a reasonably small sum, be adapted to the style of the period, possibly for the use of Crown Princess Charlotte Amalie. The work was, however, not carried out.

Charlottenborg

His original drawings for Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since its foundation in 1754...

 appear once again to have been based on Vingboom's plans for Amsterdam's city hall which is now the royal residence. It was only thanks to Lambert van Haven
Lambert van Haven
Lambert van Haven was a Danish architect, master builder and painter. He was born in Bergen, the son of the artist Solomon van Haven who had already succeeded in winning the favour of the Danish monarchy....

's significant alterations that the building has a style of its own. Nevertheless, it is considered to be one of Denmark's architectural masterpieces.

Nysø Manor

Janssen is also credited with the design of several manor houses in southern Sealand, the most impressive being Nysø Manor
Nysø Manor
Nysø Manor, located near Præstø in the southeast of the Danish island of Sealand, was built in 1673 for Jens Lauridsen, a local functionary.-Architecture:...

, the first Baroque building of its kind in Denmark.

Other contributions

  • Manor house near Frederiksdal, Lolland
    Lolland
    Lolland is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of 1,243 square kilometers . Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland...

     (c. 1670)
  • Riding arena 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....

     (1669, demolished 1740)
  • Gjethuset: theatre on Kongens Nytorv
    Kongens Nytorv
    Kongens Nytorv is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The finest and largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with a major extension of the fortified city, and has an equestrian statue of...

     (1671, demolished 1673)
  • Søkvæsthuset, Kvæsthusgade, Gopenhagen (1684, now demolished)
  • Plans for Clausholm Castle
    Clausholm Castle
    Clausholm Castle is a large Danish country house located some 12 km southeast of Randers in eastern Jutland. It is one of Denmark's finest Baroque buildings.-History:...

    (c. 1690)
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