Hercules von Oberberg (1517–1602) was a Dutch-Danish

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

architect. He was mainly active in the

Duchy of Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been div ...

Biography

In his early years Hercules von Oberberg worked for Johann of Brandenburg-Küstrin but on 17 July 1557 he became Royal Building Master, succeeding Martin Bussert, but he only stayed in the position for two years. During that time he worked on

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle () was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bishop Absalon (c. 112 ...

and

Koldinghus Koldinghus is a Danish royal castle in the town of Kolding on the south central part of the Jutland peninsula. The castle was founded in the 13th century and was expanded since with many functions ranging from fortress, royal residency, ruin, mu ...

(minor renovations),

Sønderborg Castle Sønderborg Castle ( German: ''Schloss Sonderburg''; ) is located in the town of Sønderborg, Denmark on the island of Als in South Jutland. It houses a museum focusing on the history and culture of the area. The castle is located in the middle ...

(planning and commenced rebuilding), the

Fortifications of Copenhagen The fortifications of Copenhagen is the broad name for the rings of fortifications surrounding the city of Copenhagen. They can be classified historically as follows: * The medieval fortifications dating from the 12th century * The bastioned for ...

and

Krogen Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...

(the bastioned fortifications). On 29 August 1559 he was employed by Duke Hans the Elder in

Haderslev Haderslev (; ) is a Denmark, Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,405 (1 January 2025).Hansborg Haderslevhus (or Hansborg) is the name of a castle that once stood in the Danish city of Haderslev, until destroyed by a fire in 1644. History Like most of the medieval cities of trade, Haderslev had a royal castle, which was called Haderslevhus ...

with two new wings and a tower. During Duke Hans' last years he was also responsible for the reconstruction and fortification of Tønderhus. In 1591 he worked on

Gottorf Castle Gottorf Castle (, , Low German: ''Slott Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and has been rebuilt and expanded severa ...

, where he is credited for the gables of the northern wing. In 1598

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 ...

charged von Oberberg, by then an oldman, with the huge tower and castle church at Koldinghus.

Aftermath

Introduced the Floris style in Denmark, seen today at Sønderborg Castle, which he transformed from a medieval fortress into a Renaissance castle for

Christian III Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

. The style is particularly characteristic of the castle church. It was also seen in the gables of Sønderborg Castle and Gottorp Castle's northwing as well as thouse of Tønderhus and Tønning Palace. As a military architect von Oberberg was fairly old-fashioned, relying mainly on Direr's theories.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberberg, Hercules Von Danish architects Dutch architects Renaissance architects 1517 births 1602 deaths