Christian Heinrich Grosch (21 January 1801 – 4 May 1865) was a Norwegian architect. He was a dominant figure in Norwegian architecture in the first half of the 1800s.

Biography

Christian Heinrich Grosch was born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark. His family moved to Frederikshald (now Halden) in

Østfold Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...

, Norway during 1811. He was first educated by his father, Heinrich August Grosch (1763-1843) who was a painter, graphic designer and teacher. When The Royal Drawing School was established in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1818, his father gained employment there as an instructor and re-located the family. Christian Heinrich attended the Royal Drawing School from 1819 to 1820. He also studied engineering with instructors including Benoni Aubert and Theodor Broch. In 1824, he completed his training at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

in Copenhagen. Christian Grosch became Oslo's first "city conductor", which is to say he acted as the city's chief architect, planning engineer, and building inspector. He also accepted private architectural assignments and was responsible for many of the city's landmarks, including the oldest part of

Oslo Stock Exchange Oslo Stock Exchange () (OSE: OSLO) is a stock exchange within the Nordic countries and offers Norway's only regulated markets for securities trading today. The stock exchange offers a full product range including equities, derivatives and fixed ...

, the first campus at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

, the original building for

Norges Bank Norges Bank (, , ) is the central bank of Norway. It is responsible for managing the Government Pension Fund of Norway, which is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, as well as the bank's own foreign exchange reserves. History The histor ...

and the factory building of Prinds Christian Augusts Minde. During the course of his career, Grosch was responsible for the architectural design of over 80 churches scattered throughout Norway. From 1833 to his death in 1865 he was appointed state consultant (''Statlig bygningsinspektør'') for the royal buildings around Christiania. He was succeeded by

Georg Andreas Bull Georg Andreas Bull (26 March 1829 – 1 February 1917) was a Norwegian architect and chief building inspector in Oslo, Christiania (now Oslo) for forty years. He was among the major architects in the country, and performed surveying studies and ...

. The position is considered as the predecessor of the government agency

Statsbygg The Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property () is a Norwegian government agency that manages central parts of the real estate portfolio of the Government of Norway. Operation The Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction an ...

. The Grosch medal (''Grosch-medaljen'') was established by Groschselskapet as an architecture award in Norway in 2001 on the 200th anniversary of his birth.''Om Groschselskapet'' (Groschselskapet)
/ref>

Gallery

Image:Universitetet i Oslo sentrum.jpg, University of Oslo Image:Oslo Børs - Stock Exchange (14635530422).jpg, Oslo Stock Exchange Image:TromsoDomkirkeFraRWithsPlass.JPG, Tromsø Cathedral Image:Observatoriet Oslo.jpg, Observatory in Oslo File:Prinds Christian Augusts Minde 2007 cropped.jpg, Prinds Christian Augusts Minde

References

Other sources

* Aslaksby, T. & U. ''Hamran: Arkitektene C.H.G. og Karl Friedrich Schinkel og byggingen av Det kongelige Frederiks Universitet'' (1986) * Bugge, A. ''Arkitekten, stadskonduktør C.H.G.: hans slekt, hans liv, hans verk'' (1928) * Seip, E. ''C.H.G.: Arkitekten som ga form til det nye Norge'' (2001)

External links

Chr. H. Grosch 1801 - 1865, bygninger i NorgeGroschselskapet website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grosch, Christian Heinrich 1801 births 1865 deaths Norwegian urban planners Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour People from Halden Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 19th-century Norwegian architects Danish emigrants to Norway Architects from Copenhagen