Anthonis van Obbergen (Antonius, Anthonis, Anthony, Antonie, Anton - Obberghen, Oberberg, Opbergen) (1543 in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

– 1611 in Danzig (Gdańsk)) was a

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

architect and fortifications engineer. After studying masonry in Mechelen and completing a tour to study fortification work in Germany, he initially gained experience working on the fortifications of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

(1567–71). He later worked in Denmark and Poland where he designed fortifications as well as civilian homes.Antonius van Opbergen from Encyclopedia.com
Retrieved 2 December 2009.
In German. Retrieved 2 December 2009.

Achievements in Denmark

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, he is remembered for his exceptional work on the Royal Palace of Kronborg in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

(1577–86) which he completed after another Flemish architect, Hans van Paeschen, resigned from the project in 1577. Inspired by the Flemish Renaissance style of

developed by Cornelis Floris, the building quickly gained international fame, both as an architecturally imposing building and as the largest castle in northern Europe. Although most of it was destroyed by fire in 1629,

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

had it rebuilt in accordance with van Obbergen's design. Today's castle has not changed substantially since that time. In 1585, under Frederik II, van Obbergen replaced the tower of the

Kullen Lighthouse The Kullen Lighthouse () is an operational lighthouse in Scania, located by the mouth of Öresund, at the point of Kullaberg peninsula, in Höganäs, on the south-west coast of Sweden. Kullen is one of the most prominent landmarks along the Swed ...

in the Öresund. The area is now part of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Achievements in Poland

In 1586, van Obbergen moved to Danzig where he brought a Flemish flavour to the city's architecture. In particular, he designed together with Jan Strakowski and Abraham van den Blocke the Old Arsenal, one of the great buildings in the

Flemish Renaissance The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders). Culture in the Low ...

style (1601–1609) as well as the Old City Hall (1587–1595) which displays the classic features of high quality

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

Flemish architecture. Other achievements include a number of fine houses in Danzig which he designed together with Jan Strakowski as well as work on the city's fortifications. Van Obbergen also designed the Old Town Hall in

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

, Poland, which was completed in 1603.Koto Naukowe Historyków.
In Polish, retrieved 2 December 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obbergen, Anthonis Van 1543 births 1611 deaths 16th-century architects from the Holy Roman Empire 17th-century architects from the Holy Roman Empire Renaissance architects Flemish architects Architects from the Habsburg Netherlands Expatriates in Denmark Expatriates in Sweden People from the Duchy of Prussia Kronborg

Achievements in Denmark

Achievements in Poland

See also

References