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of the g reatest im portance to D an ish n a tion a lity , and m any
in tere sting episodes of the stage h isto ry of th is coun try have
tak en place here. T h roughou t the collection testimonies hereof
will be found. In 1826, Johan Ludvig Heiberg, one of the most
im p o rtan t poets of Denm ark , in these rooms made the acquain-
tance of his fu tu re wife, Johanne Luise Heiberg, th e greatest
actress of D enm ark , and th is meeting was to be of great im
po rtance to the lite ra tu re and stage of Scandinavia. Also
K ing F rederik V II (1808-1863) m et w ith his spouse, th e Coun-
tess of D anner, a t the dancing school of the T heatre, where
she was a pupil. L a te r on she held a position as a quasi queen
by the k ing’s side in the royal box in the centre of the dress
circle. Another stage cand idate acquired a worldrenowned
name, i. e. the fa iry -tale poet, H ans Andersen, who in his y o u th
in vain tried to become an acto r of the C ourt Theatre.
The conflagration of the Vienna R ing T hea tre in 1881 caused
the closure of th e C ourt T h ea tre. Since then it has been used
for only th ree performances in 1914. When, in 1922, the D a
nish stage celebrated its 200 y e a rs’ jubilee, th e T heatrical
Museum was inaugu ra ted . I t now comprises abou t 25.000
pictures and objects, not only from the stages of the cap ital
b u t also from those of the provincial towns. I t is the first and
greatest th eatric al museum of Scandinavia. The tendency of
the Collection is of m arkedly n a tional character, and its hi-
storical rooms form a frame in good harmony w ith its conten ts.
I t is a museum in a museum .