Johan Daniel Herholdt (13 August 1818 – 11 April 1902) was a Danish

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 ...

, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the

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

style and had a significant influence on

Danish architecture The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking Age, revealed by archaeological finds. It was established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque architecture, Romanesque, then Gothic architecture, Gothic churches and cathedrals, wer ...

during the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. His most famous work is the Copenhagen University Library in Fiolstræde 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 ...

which heralded a new trend. The strong use of red brick in large-scale cultural and civic buildings was to characterize Danish architecture for several decades. He was a leading proponent of the "national" school in Danish architecture of the period as opposed to Ferdinand Meldahl's and Vilhelm Dahlerup's "European" school.

Early life and education

Johan Daniel Herholdt was born in 1818 in Copenhagen. He first trained and worked as a carpenter until 1840. In quiet months when work was scarce, he attended evening classes at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

and took drawing lessons in the daytime, studying first under Gustav Hetsch and later Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll. From 1841, he travelled in Denmark,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and Northern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, studying buildings and working along the way. In 1845, he returned to Copenhagen to complete his studies in architecture.

Career

Herholdt's first assignments were mainly large villas and a few manor houses. His major breakthrough came when he won the first

architectural competition An architectural competition is a type of design competition, in which an entity that intends to build new work, or is just seeking ideas, invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning scheme is usually chosen by an independent panel ...

of its kind in Denmark, for the design of a new building for the Copenhagen University Library. His winning

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

design started a trend in

which was typified by the strong use of red brick in large-scale cultural and civic buildings. It was to last for the next half century. His building was also the first in Denmark to rely on a structural system of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

. The library was completed in 1861 and the same year he became a member of the Academy. His later works include Copenhagen's second Central Station and a building for the National Bank of Denmark, both demolished, and Odense City Hall. He was responsible for the design of a building complex for the College of Advanced Technology where he also served as a teacher.

Selected buildings

* Erholm Manor,

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 ...

(1851–1854, listed) * Selchausdal,

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,659 (1 January 2025),Copenhagen University Library, Fiolstræde, Copenhagen (1857–1861) * Own Villa, 8 Ewaldsgade, Copenhagen (1858) * P. C. Skovgaard House, Østerbro, Copenhagen (1869, listed) * Villa for Johanne Luise Heiberg, Østerbro, Copenhagen (1862–1863, listed) * Grøn's Department Store, Holmens Kanal, Copenhagen (1862–1863, listed) * Enrum, Vedbæk (1862–1864, listed) * 2nd

Copenhagen Central Station Copenhagen Central Station (, ; abbreviated ''København H'', colloquially usually referred to as ''Hovedbanegården'' or simply ''Hovedbanen'') is the Central station, main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station ...

(1862–1864, demolished in 1917) * Levin House

Havnegade Havnegade is a waterfront promenade in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs along the Inner Harbour, Copenhagen, Inner Harbour between Knippelsbro and the mouth of the Nyhavn canal. Most of the street is lined with buildings from the 1860s and ...

, Copenhagen (1866, listed) * Gyldenholm Manor,

Slagelse Slagelse () is a town on Zealand (Denmark), Zealand, Denmark. The town is the seat of Slagelse Municipality, and is the biggest town of the municipality. It is located 15 km east of Korsør, 16 km north-east of Skælskør, 33 km south-east of Ka ...

(1863–64) *

National Bank of Denmark Danmarks Nationalbank (in Danish often simply ''Nationalbanken'') is the central bank of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a non-eurozone member of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). Since its establishment in 1818, the objective of the Nati ...

, Holmens Kanal, Copenhagen (1865–1870, demolished) * Michael Rosings Minde (1983) * Glasshouses,

Gisselfeld Gisselfeld, a former monastery, is Denmark's fifth-largest estate. Located between Haslev and Næstved, it extends into several municipalities but the main building is located in Braaby Parish in Faxe Municipality. The estate measures 3,850 hect ...

(1876, rebuilt by

Hans Jørgen Holm Hans Jørgen Holm (9 May 1835 – 22 July 1916) was a Danish architect. A pupil of Johan Daniel Herholdt, he became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and a leading Danish proponent of the National Romantic style. Biograp ...

in 1894, listed) * Odense City Hall,

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

(1881–1883) * Bikuben Bank, Silkegade, Copenhagen (1883–1884, listed) * Botanical Laboratory,

Copenhagen Botanical Garden The University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden (), usually referred to simply as Copenhagen Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It covers an area of 10 hectares and is particularly noted for its ext ...

, 140 Godtersgade, Copenhagen (designed 1881–1883, built 1889–1890) * College of Advanced Technology, Sølvgade, Copenhagen (1887–1890) *

Helsingør Custom House Helsingør Custom House () is a former custom house situated next to Helsingør station in central Helsingør, Denmark. Completed in 1891 to a Historicist design by Johan Daniel Herholdt, it replaced Øresund Custom House, which had played a centr ...

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

(1887–1891, listed) * Næstved Custom House,

Næstved Næstved () is a town in Næstved Municipality, the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five Primary education, elemen ...

(1887–1891)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herholdt, Johan Daniel 19th-century Danish architects 19th-century Copenhagen City Council members Historicist architects 1818 births 1902 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni

Early life and education

Career

Selected buildings

See also

References