Johan Bernhard Georg Carstensen (31 August 1812 – 4 January 1857) was one of the developers of Tivoli Gardens and a Danish army officer. He spent most of his childhood in the Near East

Near East

The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...

. He travelled widely and had a career in the military Royal Guards, reaching the rank of lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

. He attended boarding school

Boarding school

A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...

 at Herlufsholm kostskole

Herlufsholm kostskole

Herlufsholm School and Estate is a private day and boarding school for boys and girls , founded in 1565 by Admiral Herluf Trolle and his wife Birgitte Gøye....

.

In 1839, Carstensen moved to Copenhagen permanently and published the periodical publications Portefeuillen and Figaro

Figaro

-Literature:* Figaro, the central character in:** The Barber of Seville by Beaumarchais***Il barbiere di Siviglia , the opera by Paisiello based on Beaumarchais' play...

.

Between 1843 and 1848, Carstensen was active in the development of Tivoli Gardens after which he joined the war at Schleswig

Schleswig

Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...

. He learned that he was no longer required in Tivoli shortly after he returned. He was thought to have abandoned the project as he didn't extend the license of the construction.

Following the disagreement with the Tivoli Gardens management, Carstensen travelled to 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 joined the army there. He subsequently spent time in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 where he designed the New York Crystal Palace

New York Crystal Palace

New York Crystal Palace was an exhibition building constructed for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City in 1853, which was under the presidency of Mayor Jacob Aaron Westervelt...

 – an exhibition building constructed for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations

Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations

Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations was a World's Fair held in 1853 in New York City, in the wake of the highly successful 1851 Great Exhibition in London. It aimed to showcase the new industrial achievements of the world and also to demonstrate the nationalistic pride of a relatively young...

 in 1853 – in collaboration with the German architect Charles Gildemeister.

Alhambravej

In 1855, Carstensen returned 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...

 and attempted to construct an establishment to rival Tivoli Gardens, the Alhambra

Alhambra

The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...

 in Frederiksberg

Frederiksberg

Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...

. The only reminiscent left of this failed project is a street named Alhambravej. The establishment failed to be completed during Carstensen's lifetime. He died 4 January 1857 at age 44 and was buried in Garnison's Churchyard in Copenhagen.

Relatives

Georg's sister, Annette Adelaide Christine Carstensen, was the mother of Sir Robert Hay-Drummond-Hay, whose second wife Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay

Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay

Grace Marguerite, Lady Hay Drummond-Hay was a British journalist who was the first woman to travel around the world by air, in a Zeppelin...

 was the first woman to travel airborne from Europe to the US as well as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in the air. Both of these were achieved aboard a Zeppelin

Zeppelin

A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...

.