The Elephant Tower (

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 ance ...

: ''Elefanttårnet'') (also known as the Elephant Gate (Danish: ''Elefantporten'')) is the most famous

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

of the Carlsberg district in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

, the original brewery site of the

Carlsberg Breweries Carlsberg A/S (; ) is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. ...

(the area is now under redevelopment as a new neighbourhood). The tower takes its name from four large granite elephants which flank the gate, standing back to back carrying the tower on their backs.

History

Completed in 1901, the Elephant Tower was built at the same time as the

Ny Carlsberg Brewhouse The Ny Carlsberg Brewhouse (Danish: Ny Carlsberg Bryghus) is a historic, listed building in the Carlsberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark, on the border between Vesterbro and Valby. History The Ny Carlsberg Brewhouse was built by Carl Jacobsen as ...

. The architect was

Vilhelm Dahlerup Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup (4 August 1836 – 24 January 1907) was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings a ...

, who also worked on the previous stages but not the new brewhouse which was designed by

Vilhelm Klein Vilhelm Klein (6 March 1835 – 10 February 1913) was a Danish architect who adopted the Historicist approach, frequently emulating the so-called Rosenborg style and the Italian Renaissance style. Early life Born in Copenhagen, Denmark as the ...

. Together with the original Ny Carlsberg building and the

Dipylon The Dipylon ( gr, Δίπυλον, "Two-Gated") was the main gate in the city wall of Classical Athens. Located in the modern suburb of Kerameikos, it led to the namesake ancient cemetery, and to the roads connecting Athens with the rest of Greece. ...

, the tower formed the main Ny Carlsberg complex, centred around a courtyard. The space above the tower originally served as a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conjun ...

and herb silo. The new Elephant Tower marked the entrance to the brewery from the

Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with singl ...

side, complementing the Dipylon which served as the entrance from the city.

Architecture

Typical of Ny Carlsberg's architecture and

's work in general, the Elephant Tower is built in a colourful

Historicist Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...

style inspired by various periods and cultures.

Elephants

The elephant feature, which was Carl Jacobsen's own idea, was inspired by

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

-carrying elephant on

Piazza della Minerva Piazza della Minerva is a piazza in Rome, Italy, near the Pantheon. Its name derives from the existence of a temple built on the site by Pompey dedicated to Minerva Calcidica, whose statue is now in the Vatican Museums. Features Facing this ...

in Rome.Visit Carlsberg
/ref> The four elephants were created by the sculptor

Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan (1 August 1859 – 21 April 1939) was a Danish sculptor. Early life and education Pedersen-Dan was born at Itzehoe in Schleswig-Holstein. He was the son of Ole Pedersen (1820-1902) and Elisabeth Sofie Johansen (1821-1890 ...

, based on a sketch by Dahlerup.

The spire

The upper tower, which has a floor area of only 115 square metres, is built in red, ornamental brick. It has tall, round-arched windows and is topped by a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish ...

-clad

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. These bulbous structures taper smoothly to a point. It is a ty ...

Image gallery

Image:Elephant Tower (Carlsberg).jpg, The tower viewed from the west File:Carlsberg Elephant, Copenhagen.jpg, One of the elephants Image:Elefantporten (Carlsberg).jpg, Detail of the gate viewed from the west Image:Elefantporten - detail 1.jpg, Detail of one of the elephants Image:Carl and Ottilia Jacobsen (Elefanttårnet).jpg, Bust of Carl and Ottilia Jacobsen

References