Strandmøllen (literally "The Beach Mill") is a former

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

located at the mouth of the

Mølleåen Mølleåen, also Mølleå, sometimes translated as the Millstream, is a small river in North Zealand, Denmark, which runs from the west of Bastrup Sø near Lynge to the Øresund between Taarbæk and Skodsborg. The valley contains several coun ...

river in the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...

coast north of

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 ...

History

Origins

The first watermill at the site was built as a paper mill in the 16th century and was later used as a

fulling mill Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate (lanolin) oils, dirt, ...

Drewsen family

In 1718, Strandmøllen was acquired by Christian Drewsen. He used it as a paper mill. Strandmøllen was after his death continued by his son,

Johan Christian Drewsen Johan Christian Drewsen (23 December 1777 – 25 August 1851) was a Danish paper manufacturer, agronomist and politician. He owned Strandmøllen north of Copenhagen. Early life and education Drewsen was born at Strandmøllen, the son of paper ...

, under whose management it became the leading Danish paper manufacturer of its day. The company was later continued by his sons Christian Drewsen and Michael Drewsen. The latter founded a paper mill at

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Niels Sigfred Nebelong Niels Sigfred Nebelong (14 October 1806 – 9 October 1871) was a Danish architect who worked in the Historicist style. He was city architect in Copenhagen from 1863 and also designed many lighthouses around Denmark in his capacity as reside ...

designed a residence for the Drewsen family which was completed in 1850. The house was frequented by many leading Danish literary figures of the day.

De Forenede Papirfabrikker

In 1889, Strandmøllen merged with several other paper mills under the name De Forenede Paperfabrikker ("United Paper Mills"). The company decommissioned the Strandmøllen complex in 1898.

Later history

Most of the industrial complex was demolished in 1918 but immediately thereafter restored by the architect

Carl Brummer Carl Harald Brummer (12 July 1864 – 14 February 1953) was a Danish architect who was influential in the design of homes at the beginning of the 20th century. Early life and education Brummer was born in Bogense as the son of Hans Frederik Brum ...

. In 1920–21, Christian Nielsen established a production of

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

and

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

at Strandmøllen. The company, A/S Strandmøllen, has been owned by a foundation since 1967 and is still based at the site.

In popular culture

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

's 1949 fairytale ''The Shirt-Collar'' was inspired by Strandmøllen.

References

External links

A/S Strandmøllen
Buildings and structures in Rudersdal Municipality Pulp and paper companies of Denmark Watermills in Denmark Industrial buildings in Copenhagen Pulp and paper mills {{Denmark-struct-stub