Hotel Royal is a historic hotel in the heart of Aarhus,
Denmark
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, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
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, in the central
Indre By
Indre By (lit. English, "Inner City"), also known as Copenhagen Center or K or Downtown Copenhagen, is an administrative district (''by'') in central Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. It covers an area of , has a population of 26,223, and a po ...
neighborhood. It overlooks
Aarhus Cathedral
Aarhus Cathedral ( da, Århus Domkirke) is a cathedral in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the longest and tallest church in the country, at in length and in height.
The construction of Aarhus Cathedral began in the 12th century and it is the main edific ...
and the large Store Torv square. The hotel is among the highest ranked hotels in Denmark with a history as the most prestigious in the city.
The hotel, which today has 64 rooms, was founded in 1838 by the innkeeper Niels Larsen from
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...
. The new hotel was constructed from two existing buildings overlooking Aarhus' central square. It quickly established a reputation for luxury with clients including royalty, politicians, writers, film stars and singers. It became the foremost hotel in the city and the place for local high society to socialize.
History
The hotel was constructed in 1838 from two existing buildings in
Neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...
. One of the two buildings was the King's House (
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
: Kongens Gaard) which was the inspiration for the name of the hotel. At the time there was only one other place for lodging in the city and Hotel Royal quickly became a popular destination. In 1881 the hotel was expanded with an extra floor and the facade was renovated in 1865 and 1868. In 1902 a new building was added by designs of Eggert Achen and Thorkel Møller. The new building faces Store Torv and Bispetorv and replaced half of the hotel.
The original owner and founder of the hotel was the innkeeper Niels Larsen from
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...
. Niels Larsen died in 1838 and left the hotel to his son Frederik Larsen who managed it until 1873 when he sold it to his brother Carl Larsen and the restaurateur Anders Vincent. In 1876 Carl Larsen became the sole proprietor but in 1894 he sold it to his brother's son Viggo Frederik Sofus Larsen. The hotel stayed in the family another 3 years until it was sold to a commercial entity in 1897.
The hotel catered to the upper-classes and from the beginning offered a number of services. When horses were the preferred means of transportation the hotel had stables, when the first rail connection to
Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).the railway station until 1907. When cars became popular fueling and cleaning services was offered.
In 1913 the Marble Room (Danish: Marmorsalen) was built as a restaurant and it became the social focal point for the upper classes in the city. In 1938 the hotel was renovated again. Through the economic crisis of the 1970s the hotel was threatened by bankruptcy and a number of new activities were attempted. In 1972 the Marble Room briefly became home to the jazz club Royal Birdland which managed to attract international artists such as
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
and Duke Ellington. It was a shortlived experiment which ended in 1973 and was replaced by other attempts such as a cinema (1973-1991), steakhouse and discoteque, all which closed again after a few years. In 1983 the hotel changed owners again and was renovated again and the Queens Garden was built and today functions as a restaurant. In 1991 a casino (Casino Royal) opened in the former Marble Room in the basement. The hotel was owned by Jens Richard Pedersen in 2016.
Architecture
The hotel appears as an intricately decorated Neoclassical white structure. In 1991 a
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
was established during an extensive renovation by the architects company 3XN. The new establishment was made visible with a new entrance. The design merges past and present with a
windbreak
A windbreak (shelterbelt) is a planting usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted in hedgerows around the edges ...
of glass with a fan-shaped roof carried by columns and 3 copper
caryatid
A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...
s made by local artist Hans Oldau Krull. The design is reminiscent of the art déco entrances of the early 20th century metro stations in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
.
Art
Hotel Royal has some 300 art works by different artists such as
Asger Jorn
Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. He was born in Vejrum, in the northwest c ...
Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...
and older genre paintings by Wennewald, Høyrup and Friis Hansen, Åge Jensen, Frederik Madsen, Wennermoes, Alex Secher and Adolf Larsen. There are also newer art works by artists who has been good friends of the hotel such as
Jørgen Nash
Jørgen Nash (March 16, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was a Danish artist, writer and central proponent of Situationism.
Life
He was born in Vejrum, Jutland, Denmark, baptized Jørgen Axel Jørgensen, the brother of Asger Jorn. He later changed hi ...
, his wife Lis Zwick, Teddy Sørensen, Tine Hind, Margit Enggaard Pedersen, Lene Noer, Axel Lind, Bent Holstein, Karl Johan Sennels, Hans Krull and Per Kramer along with works by multimedia artists such as Johnny Madsen and Peter Viskinde.
The most prolific artist is the Polish painter Andrzej Kowalczyk who has made many of the ceiling paintings and paintings along the main staircase depicting important events in the history of the city such as the inauguration of Aarhus Cathedral, establishment of Aarhus Katedralskole in 1520 and a panorama painting of Aarhus. The walls in the hotel feature paintings of the 53 Danish kings and queens going back to
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147