Ejnar Mindedal, born ''Mindedal Rasmussen'' (19 June 1892 – 23 December 1975) was a Danish Neoclassical

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He was a traditionalist who adhered to the Danish '' :da:Bedre Byggeskik'' movement which emphasized traditional Danish construction practices. However he did not shy from using modern materials like

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

in, for example, his breakthrough work 'Swimming Pool in Ollerup, for which he won a Silver Medal in the Architectural Design discipline at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Education

Ejnar Mindedal was born in

Ollerup Ollerup is a town located on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, in Svendborg Municipality. Notable people * Nanna Kristensen-Randers (1864–1908) a Danish lawyer and folk high school administrator; from 1894 she assisted in running ...

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

, Denmark. He was the son of the Daniel Rasmussen (1865-1955) and his wife Thyra F. Sørensen (1862-1949). His father was an architect and the principal of Ollerup Handicraft School (''Ollerup Folkehøjskole''). He was a joiner apprentice from May 1907 to August 1908 and attended Vallekilde High School. He attended Ollerup Handicraft School and studied under

Ivar Bentsen Ivar Bentsen (13 November 1876 – 21 May 1943) was a Denmark, Danish architect and educator. He was a central figure in the Bedre-Byggeskik movement and succeeded Carl Petersen as a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts's School ...

. He was a student of the sculptor R. Mogensen in

Svendborg Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,616 (1 January 2025), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.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 ...

, School of Architecture, from where he graduated in January 1923.

Career

Ejnar Mindedal started his own practice in Ollerup in 1923. In his career he worked as, among other positions; * Architect for '' :da:Statens Jordlovsudvalg'' * Expert advisor for :da:Landbrugsministeriet, now The

Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark () is the politically appointed head of the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and a member of the Cabinet. Since 19 November 2020, Rasmus Prehn, from the social democrat ...

and :da:Indenrigsministeriet ''(Ministry for Interior Affairs)'' from 1923-1932 * Head of Ollerups Craftsman School from 1932 * Building consultant for

clergy house A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

s in Svendborg County from 1943 * Architect for Vallø

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

from 1945 * Member of '' :da:Grænseforeningens'' building committee In addition to his Silver Medal at the 1928 Olympics, he received Queen Alexandra's Grant in 1931, participated in the

Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition The Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition (''Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling'') is an annual art exhibition in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. The event is held at the Charlottenborg Exhibition Building (''Kunsthal Charlottenborg''). Kunsthal Cha ...

in 1921 and 1929 and the Charlottenborg Fall Exhibition in 1922.

Personal life

He married Margrethe Hansen (December 1, 1898 - July 8, 1978) on October 1, 1922 in Bandholm. He died in Ollerup during 1975 and was buried in Ollerup Cemetery.

Selected works

* Gymnastikhøjskolen ''(Gymnastics High School)'' in Ollerup, Svendborgvej 3,

(1920) * Villa, Øster Skerningevej 6 in Vester Skerninge (1923) * Gjellerup Church, Hammerum (1924 - with Daniel Rasmussen) * Swimming Pool, Ollerup Gymnastikhøjskole (1925 - Silver Medal at 1928 Olympics) * Villa, Øster Skerningevej 8 in Vester Skerninge (1925) * Hammerum Havebrugs School (1926 - with Daniel Rasmussen) * Villa, Assensvej 119 in Stenstrup (1926) * Municipal School in Hågerup (1926) * Municipal School in Kullerup (1928) * Villa, Klostergade 32 in Faaborg (1929) * Lem Sydsogns Church near

Ringkøbing Ringkøbing (older spelling ''Ringkjøbing'') is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Central Denmark Region, Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,830 (1 January 2025).

(1929-31 - with Daniel Rasmussen) * Stables for Dalum Agriculture School in Hjallese (1929 - with Daniel Rasmussen) * Villa, Øster Skerningevej 4 in Vester Skerninge (1931) * Ollerup Craftsman School (1932) * Clergy House in Ollerup (1935) * Clergy House in Brenderup (1937) * Clergy House in Søndersø (1939) * Clergy House in Pårup (1940) * Clergy House on the island of Drejø (1942)

References

External links

Olympic Database
* Jesper Harvest, "Ejnar Mindedal Rasmussen", in ''

Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon ''Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon'' (English: ''Weilbach's Biographical Dictionary of Artists'') is a Danish biographical dictionary A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to ...

'', Copenhagen. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Ejnar Mindedal 1892 births 1975 deaths People from Svendborg Municipality Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Danish architects Olympic silver medalists in art competitions Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Art competitors at the 1928 Summer Olympics Art competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics