The Hercules Pavilion ( Danish: Herkulespavillonen) is a former royal

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

now operated as a café in

Rosenborg Castle Gardens Rosenborg Castle Gardens (Danish: ''Kongens Have''; literally ''The King's Garden'') is the oldest and most visited park in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in the early 17th century as the private gardens of King Christian IV of Denmark, ...

in central

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 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 ...

. Its history dates back to the foundation of the park in 1606 but it was adapted to its current

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff Caspar Frederik (Friedrich) Harsdorff (26 May 1735 – 24 May 1799), also known as C.F. Harsdorff, was a Danish neoclassical architect considered to have been the leading Danish architect in the late 18th century. Early life and training ...

in 1773 after the gardens had been opened to the public. The pavilion takes its name from a statue of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

positioned in a deep niche in its facade. The sculpture was created by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

sculptor

Giovanni Baratta Giovanni Baratta (1670–1747) was an Italian sculptor of the late-Baroque period. He was born in Carrara, but active in Florence and Livorno. He was a pupil of Giovanni Battista Foggini. He has sculptures in church of San Ferdinando, Livor ...

from whom it was acquired by King

Frederik IV Frederick IV ( Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Early life ...

during his visit to Italy.

History

The Hermitage

Then known as the Blue Pavilion, the pavilion was originally built by King

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 ...

in connection with the foundation of the gardens in 1606. As at Rosenborg Castle, it was built with concealed sound ducts which allowed the king and his guests to listen to music in privacy on the first floor while the orchestra played on the floor below. In 1671, King

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the de ...

converted the pavilion into a hermitage, a place where the royal family could dine in the absence of servants. An elegant kitchen with Dutch tiles on the walls and floor was installed on the lower floor. Here the table was set and then hoisted up to the first floor through a hatch. From about 1710, after

Frederiksberg Palace Frederiksberg Palace () is a Baroque architecture, Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands a view over Frederiksberg Gardens, originally designed as a palace garden in the Baroque style. ...

had been built, Rosenborg Castle, as well as its gardens, was largely abandoned by the royal family. The gardens were opened to the public but the Hermitage gradually fell into a state of disrepair.

The Hercules Pavilion

In 1773, after it had been decided to renovate the neglected gardens,

was commissioned to redesign the pavilion. He introduced the current design with the niches and the statues which gave rise to its current name. Towards the end of the century, a small ale house opened in the pavilion and in 1810 confectioner H. C. Firmenich received a licence to serve tea, punch, lemonade and other refreshments to the garden's visitors. The Swiss confectioner also baked sweet pretzels and occasionally there was entertainment on the roof terrace. Around 1840, the popularity of the gardens experienced a boost when

Georg Carstensen Johan Bernhard Georg Carstensen (31 August 1812 – 4 January 1857) was a Danish army officer and one of the developers of Tivoli Gardens. He spent most of his childhood in the Near East. He travelled widely and had a career in the military Roya ...

and composer

Hans Christian Lumbye Hans Christian Lumbye (; 2 May 1810 – 20 March 1874) was a Danish composer of waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and galops, among other things. Beginnings As a child, he studied music in Randers and Odense, and by age 14 he was playing the trumpet ...

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli (), is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

fame became responsible for entertainment at the pavilion. In the 20th century the pavilion was used as residence for the head gardener, and later as a storeroom by a folk dancing club.

Architecture and statues

The Hercules Pavilion is built in

. The facade is dominated by

's statue of

from which it takes its name, which is located in a deep niche flanked by Tuscan columns and two smaller niches with statues of

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

, also designed by Baratta and brought home by Frederick IV.

The Hercules Pavilion today

In 1999 the pavilion was refurbished once again and converted back into ''Café Herkules'', which combines a café on the ground floor with facilities for cultural activities on the first floor.

References

External links

Café Herkules

External links

Official website
{{Caspar Frederik Harsdorff Caspar Frederik Harsdorff buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1773 Heracles Listed garden and park buildings in Copenhagen Neoclassical architecture in Copenhagen