Anna Hansdatter Svane (died 9 October 1637) was a Danish merchant, who founded a home for poor widows called Svaneboligen that was the first of its kind in

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of the Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 64,418 (1 January 2025) and the municipality's population is 97,921 (), making it the List of cities and ...

and one of the first in Denmark.

Biography

Anna Hansdatter Svane was born in

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,367 (2025). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It is now part of the enlarged E ...

, and was the youngest of 15 children of historiographer and archdeacon Hans Svaning and Marine Sørensdatter Stage. She grew up in a household that focused on spiritual and intellectual pursuits. On 9 August 1590, she was married to the mayor of

, burgher merchant Hans Olufsen Riber (died 1615). The couple had seven children, two of whom died as infants. Her daughter Anne Svane () was married to mayor of Horsens Ernst von Baden. One son Oluf Svane (c. 1601) became mayor of Horsens like his father. Her youngest son

Hans Svane Hans Svane (Svaning) (27 March 1606 – 26 July 1668) was a Danish statesman and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen from 1635 and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1655 until his death ...

(1606–1668) would become Bishop of the

Diocese of Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a Lutheran diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into th ...

. After the death of her husband, she took over his business and managed his many properties in Horsens. She became a leading member of the then growing wealthy Danish burgher class. During the sack of Jutland by German troops during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

in 1627–29, she fled to her son Hans in

Frisia Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...

, who was studying there at the time. Allegedly during her escape, Svane swore to God that if she ever returned to Horsens, she would help those less fortunate than her. Upon her return to Denmark in 1631, she founded a home for poor widows called Svaneboligen at Fugholm 16 in Horsens. The foundation was the first of its kind in Horsens and one of the first institutions of its kind in Denmark. Anna Svane died in Horsens on 9 October 1637 and was buried at Horsens Klosterkirke.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Svane, Anna 1637 deaths People from Ribe People from Horsens Danish philanthropists Danish women philanthropists Danish merchants 17th-century Danish businesspeople Year of birth uncertain 17th-century Danish businesswomen