119 / 165
31 THE CASTLE SQUARE 1729
Frederik IV was n ot satisfied w ith the non-hom ogeneous
appearance o f the old Castle, and consequently he had it
totally rebuilt in order to create a more modern residence.
This happened 1 7 2 4 -2 7 ; some o f the w in gs w ere entirely
torn down, others o n ly p a rtia lly so. A hom ogeneous fa
cade was made in w h ich w in d ow s, cornices, and roofridge
were in line all the w a y round the buildings, and at the
same time a certain m onum ental sym m etry w as achieved
by the conversion o f B låtårn (the blue tower) into a gate
tower. J. C. Ernst and J. C. K rieger w ere in charge o f this
difficult rebuilding. Since the m edieval grund-plan re
mained practically unaltered, the result o f the m oderniza
tion did not turn out w ell, and consequently the Castle
was not allowed to stand more than four years in its new
shape. The C han cellery on the le ft is rendered w ith its
final segmental pedim ent (see cat. no. 27).
32 VIEW OF THE DOCK 1739
On May 26th, 173 9 the n ew d ry dock on Christianshavn
was opened. It w as constructed b y J. H. Dum reicher and
considered a technical master-piece, and as such also often
reproduced. Imm ediately after the in au gu ration the w a r
ship Christianus Sixtus put in to be repaired, and w e see
it here at the n ew dock in the centre o f the picture. The
wooden tower on the right is the pump house, w h ile the
noble structure w ith the big w a v in g flag on the left is the
pavilion from w h ich the R oyal fam ily could w atch the
work. In the background, betw een the masts of the w ar
ship, we see V or Frelsers kirke (the Church of O u r Saviour)
which had not acquired its tw isted spire yet. A little to
the right - partly hidden behind a sail - the recently built
assembly hall of the A sia tic C om p an y can be made out.
Reproduced p. 33.
33
CHR ISTIAN SBORG 174 0
Although Frederik IV had ju st undertaken a thorough
modernization of the old C astle (see cat. no. 3 1), his son
Christian VI decided to have all the buildings pulled down
sh ortly after his accession to the Throne. D uring the next
decade a modern residence, from 174 1 called Christians
borg, was constructed. This view is the first picture of the
new palace as it looked before the fire in 1794. Possibly
it is the entry of the Royal fam ily in November 1740
w hich is here portrayed. The part of the Palace facing the
square is completed on the outside - inside it was still
imperfect, and behind it the marble bridge and pavilions
had not yet been built. The gouache is among Bruun's
early and inexpert view s.
34 COPENHAGEN FROM THE NO RTH EA ST c. 174 1
The artist must have been onboard a ship on the outer
roads, and the part of town which he describes is the
stretch from the Stock Exchange to Rosenborg Castle. The
bastions to the right in the foreground must be those of
the Citadel. Behind and between these, just to the left of
Rundetårn (the round tower), we see the spireless Vor
Frue kirke (the Church of O ur Lady). The old spire had
been destroyed in the fire of 1728, and it was not replaced
until 1745.
35 BJØRNS PLAD S 174 1
1735 the merchant "prince" Andreas Bjørn obtained ad
m ission to reclaim and develop a large lot southeast of the
dock on Christianshavn, the building of w hich had on ly
just begun (see cat. no. 32). Here he placed the shipyard
Bjørnsholm , and the whole district was called Bjørns
plads. The draw ing show s the launching of the warship
"K jøbenhavns Slot" (the Castle of Copenhagen) on N o
vember 30th, 174 1. In 1762 Bjørn's w idow sold the ship
yard to the merchant Carl W ilder, whose name the area
carries now.
113