230 / 263
FJERDE BILAG
223
v a r io u s c h a se d o rn am en ta tio n s. T h e h eig h t o f th e front b u ild in g
from th e s tr e e t-le v e l to th e co rn ice is 23,23 m., to th e ca stella ted
w a ll 35,46 m. to 36,72 m ., to th e co rn er sp ire s 48,02 m. T h e h eig h t
o f th e rear b u ild in g from th e str e e t-le v e l to th e co rn ice is 17,58 m.,
to th e ca ste lla te d w a ll 28,72 m. a n d th e tw o co rn er sp ires 38,29 m.
T h e ca ste lla te d w a ll w h ic h ru n s ro u n d th e w h o le b u ild in g is
a strik in g a n d e ffe c tiv e fea tu re o f th e sk y -lin e , a n d its
ra iso n
d ’ê tre
is at o n c e p ra ctica l a n d æ sth etica l. In th e origin al sc h em e
it w a s left to th e d iscr etio n o f th e a rch itect, w h e th e r th e ed ifice
sh o u ld c o n sis t of o n e so lid b lo ck , or se v e r a l in te rd ep en d e n t b u ild
in g s. T h e c a s te lla tio n th a t c r o w n s th e w h o le ed ifice k eep s the
c om p o n e n t p a rts to g eth er , so th a t th ere is p resen ted to th e ey e
a so lid w h o le . In th e m erlo n s are fo u n d th e v en tila to rs, th rou gh
w h ic h th e v itia ted air is e x p e lle d ; th e four co rn er sp ires o f the
c a stella tio n are a lso a d a p ted for th e sam e p u rp o se.
A s th e fron t b u ild in g is h ig h er th a n th e rear b u ild in g, an d th e
w in g s o f th e fro n t b u ild in g are sh o rter th a n th o se o f th e rear
b u ild in g , th e sid e fa ca d es are u n sym m e trica l. O n th e ea st sid e,
w h ic h fa ces th e o ld to w n , th e tra n sitio n from th e front b u ild in g
to th e rear b u ild in g is m ark ed b y th e so a r in g to w e r (Fig. 174. 198),
on th e w e s t sid e th e tra n sitio n is em p h a sized b y th e slig h tly p ro
jectin g , g a b le -to p p e d stru ctu re in w h ic h is fou n d th e „ P resid en t
S ta ir c a se “. F rom th e sid e o f th is g a b le sp rin g s a little p o ly g o n
to w er, ca lled th e „ D o v e -to w e r “ o n a c c o u n t o f its to p -p a rt b ein g
d esig n ed a s a d o v e -c o t (F ig. 67. 170. 178. 279). T h e sta irca se gab le
a n d th e d o v e -to w e r , w h ic h did n o t ap p ear in th e artist’s first
d esig n , b e lo n g s w ith o u t d o u b t to th e m o st sp rig h tly an d p lea sin g
fea tu res th e b u ild in g p resen ts. T h e large d eco ra tiv e gab le is, in
a w a y , p aren t to th e fifteen sm a ll a ttic g a b les w h ic h reliev e th e
w h o le fa cad e o f th e rear b u ild in g , an d g iv e th e b u sin e ss quarters
a v e r y ch eerfu l effect. T h e w in d o w s o f th e se g a b les, as w e ll as
th e d o rm e r -w in d o w s, se r v e to g iv e ligh t to th e attic story..
T h e a rtist h a s trea ted w ith su c c e s s , n o t o n ly th e u n sy m m e
trical sid e fa ca d es, b u t a lso th e fron t a n d b a ck fa ca d es w h ic h
lik e w ise la ck sym m etr y . In th e b a ck facad e th e d ev ia tio n is
slig h ter a n d le s s a p p a ren t, a n d it w a s th e a rtist’s d esire that the
gard en o n th is sid e sh o u ld h a v e b e e n e n c lo s e d b y a w a ll, w h ic h
w o u ld h a v e g iv e n th e b a ck fa cad e grea ter b rea d th , b u t w o u ld
a lso h a v e th r o w n its irreg u la rity in to relief (Fig. 130).
T h e p rin cip a l fa ca d e, fla n k ed b y th e p rom in en t tow er, w a s
u n sym m e trica l from th e first, a n d h ere a lso it w a s th e artist’s
id ea to h a v e e n c lo s e d th e ga rd en b y a w a ll, so that th e facade
w o u ld h a v e th e a p p ea ra n ce o f greater b read th ; th e vertica l lin es
o f th e big to w e r w o u ld b e co u n te r b a la n ced b y the h orizon tal
lin e s o f th e g a rd en w a ll. T h e th ree fa ca d es o f th e front b u ild
in g are strik in g ly c om m a n d ed b y th e im p o sin g tw o -sto r y b a y -
w in d o w s, w ith th eir sto n e m u llio n s an d fram es. T h e b a se o f th is
lin e o f w in d o w s is form ed b y th e lea f-a d o rn ed co rn ice band,
w h ilst, a b o v e, th e r e lie v in g a rch es h a v e th e effect o f h eig h te n in g
th e tier o f w in d o w s w h ic h a b so rb th e w h o le of th e u p p er se m i
sto ry (F ig. 224-26). O n th e fron t fa cad e th e lin e o f w in d o w s is re
lie v e d b y tw o b o ld ly p ro tru d in g b a y s. In su c h w is e th e artist h a s
u n m ista k a b ly in d ica ted th a t b eh in d th e se w in d o w s are th e p rin
cip al a p a rtm en ts o f th e fron t b u ild in g. — F rom th e plan o f the
tw o co u rts it is a p p a ren t th a t th e artist h a s dep arted from the
strictly sym m etrica l. T h e fa ca d es o f th e o p en cou rt p resen t a v a
riety o f trea tm en t. In th e o p en cou rt th e tw o larger sid es, h o w
ev er, resem b le ea ch oth er, b u t th e sm a ller sid e s are different, as
th e sid e o f th e cen tra l b u ild in g is treated w ith a b o ld n e ss and
d ecisio n w h ic h m ark s th e p rin cip a l fa ca d e (Fig. 172-73). In the
co v ere d co u rt o f th e C o u n cil H a ll, th ree sid e s are in a g reem en t
o n e w ith a n o th er, b u t h ere a gain th e sid e o f th e cen tral b u ild in g
is m ade th e p rin cip al faca d e, a n d th e se c o n d sto ry w in d o w s o f the
C ity C o u n c ils ch am b er sta n d o u t from a g ro u n d o f rich ly co lo u red
facin g, w h ils t th e se c o n d sto r y o f th e o th er th ree sid e s is d is
tin g u ish e d w ith a ro w o f c o lu m n s (F ig. 234-35. 2
5
I- 280); an d it is
o b ser v a b le , that, in m a n y o f th e ap a rtm en ts, — ord in ary b u sin e ss
o ffices a s w e ll a s th e m ore h a n d som e ch am b ers, — the artist in
h is treatm en t o f sp a c e s h a s str iv e n to a v o id m o n o to n o u s u n i
form ity b y th e v a r ie ty to b e fou n d in d issim ilarity.
T h e p rin cip a l e n tr a n c e s to th e C ity H a ll are four in n um ber.
T h e ch ief en tra n ce to th e rea r-b u ild in g is th e „W a lru s G a te“,
th u s ca lled b e c a u se th ere is a gra n ite figure of a w a lr u s on each
sid e o f th e d o o r (F ig. 132-33). F rom th e g ro u n d floor a d o u b le
sta irca se lea d s to th e first floor. T h ro u g h th e w h o le o f th e rear-
b u ild in g there is a corridor 53,36 m. in len gth and 8,79 m. in w id th ,
w h ic h is ligh ted from a d ou b le g la ssro o f ab ove. E ach story h as
a g allery the len g th of the w a ll, from w h ich there are doors to the
o ffices, w h ich look ou t to the court and a lso to the street; in the
w in g s there is a sin g le su ite of offices w h ich face the street only.
C om m u n ication b etw een the sto ries of the ligh ted corridor is
m ade by m ea n s o f granite sta irca ses and a lift a lw a y s in m otion.
T h e d iversified , pain ted d ecoration s h a v e the effect of en liv en -
in g th e corridors, and d isp ellin g all kind of ted io u sn ess; the
u p p erm o st sto ry in particular, b ein g a sp ecia lly in terestin g e x
am ple of tim ber con stru ctio n (Fig. 134-152). T h e corridors of the
w in g s, w h ich d iverge from the ligh ted hall, h av e b een treated
b y b oth th e arch itect and th e decorator in different m anners, run-
n in g a s th ey do b esid e the open court, and affording a series of
in terestin g v ie w s of th is attractive part, beautified b y the „B ear-
fo u n ta in “, th e jo in t w o rk of Joakim S k ovgaard and T h. B in d es-
b oll (Fig. 176). T h e office fittin gs are of Am erican pitch-p in e,
b u t th e larger p ieces of furniture in the apartm ents of the ch ief
d iv isio n a l officials are of tea k , w h ilst the n o b lest cham bers —
th o se o f th e m ayors etc. — h a v e tall oak p an els, and the furni
ture is o f m ah o ga n y (Fig. 153-59). In each of the w in g s of the rear
b u ild in g there is a carriage w a y in to the op en court, from w h ich
tw o broad gran ite sta ir-ca ses, w h o se ch eek b lo ck s are orn a
m en ted w ith granite b a silisk s, lead to the C ou n cil H all (Fig. 171.
175-77. 187-88). S ta irca ses from the carriage en tra n ces lead to the
grou n d floor ap artm en ts of the w in g s; through the adjacent tw o
p o ly g o n sta ir-to w ers there is com m u n ication b etw een the v a
rio u s sto ries; and sta irca ses from the carriage en tran ces lead
a lso to th e grou n d floor in th e front b u ild in g and to the adjacent
principal sta irca ses the „ T o w n sm e n S ta irca se“ in the great tow er
and the „ P resid en t S ta irca se“ im m ed iately op p osite. B o th th ese
S ta ir ca ses h av e step s of granite. In the oak railing of the „ T o w n s
m en S ta ir ca se“ are carved figures of craftsm en etc., ex ecu ted from
d esin g s b y H arald S lo tt-M o ller (Fig. 200-201). On the w a lls,
w h ere the stairca se en d s, there are p ain tin gs rep resen tin g v ariou s
a sp ec ts of C o p en h a g en b ased on old en gravin gs, as w ell as p ic
tu res o f celeb rated D a n ish m en. R ou n d abou t the door to the C en
tral b u ild in g there is a pain ted rep resen tation of the old C ity H all
o f C o p en h ag en ; ab o ve the door is a plaster-figu re by B u n d gaard
called the „Sw ord -b ea rer“. T h e railing of the „ P resid en t S ta irca se“
is o f teak and b rass. R igh t a b o v e the en tran ce to the C entral b u ild
ing, there is a rep resen tation in colou red F a ien ce tiles of „Æ gir
and h is d a u g h ters“ after a d raw in g by L o ren s F rolich (Fig. igg-
209). In th e C entral b uilding, on the seco n d floor, is situ ated the
C ity C o u n cils cham ber, 20,09 m - l ° n g> io j
35
m - to sh o u t 12,55 m -
w id e, and about 8,79 m. in height. T h e w a lls are of w h ite stu cco ,
w ith h igh oak p an ellin g, and a h ea v y raftered ceiling. On three
sid e s o f the apartm en t there are galleries for the accom od ation
o f the p u b lic and rep resen ta tiv es o f the p ress. T h e chairm an’s
sea t is d istin g u ish ed b y a can op y and an ornate back in g co n si
stin g of a fabric em broidered w ith w o o l and silk. C o n tig u o u s to
th e C o u n cils cham ber are the lo b b ies, cloak -room , and k itchen.
T h e an te-ro om s h a ve a little d ecorated loggia w ith co lum n s
lo o k in g on th e h a ll, w h ile tow a rd s the op en court there is a
b a lco n y . T h e pu b lic and p ress reach the galleries by the stair
to w e r s in the o p en cou rt (Fig. 210-21).
T h e fourth and la st principal en tran ce is the round-arched
d o o r-w a y in th e m iddle of the front facade. T h e little door ab ove
co n d u cts to the b an q u etin g hall, and se rv es to bring in to pro
m in en ce the sp a cio u s p rop ortions of the facade. T h e door lead s
to a sm a ll b a lco n y w ith a w ro u g h t-iro n lattice flanked by tw o
b ron ze arm our-bearers, after m od els by V ilhelm B isse n (lug.
94-96). O ver the door, there is a figure in ch ased copper, e x e
cu ted after a m odel b y B isse n , of A b sa lo n , B ish o p of R oskild e,
A rch b ish o p of L u n d , and founder of C op en h agen , attired in e c
clesia stica l v estm en ts, w ith sw o rd and crosier, stan d in g against
an orn am en ted b ackground, and covered by a can op y (Fig. 223 -24).
In the m iddle of the parapet of the facade of the front b uilding
is p laced the arm s o f C op en h agen , ex ecu ted in copper; at the
sid e s are six figures of w a tchm en w h o con stituted the police in
a n cien t tim es, ex ecu ted in bronze after m odels by Carl Aarsleff.
B e sid e s th e colou r of the v a riou s m aterials, su ch as tiles, lim e
sto n e, granite, copper, bronze, and the sla tes o f the roof, the effect
is further h eig h ten ed by rich gild ing (Fig. 73. 100. 127).
T h ro u g h the m ain door o n e en ters a sp aciou s, vau lted vcsti-