Otto Valdemar Koch (20 October 1852 – 24 February 1902) was a Danish architect and local politician. He designed a number of churches 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 ...

Early life and education

Valdemar Koch was born in the parish of Sønder Kirkeby on the island of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

, Denmark. His parents were pastor Hans Peter Gyllembourg Koch (1807–1883) and his second wife Anna Oline F. Parelius (1823–1861). In 1871, he joined the drawing school of C. V. Nielsen. He was then admitted to the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

from which he graduated in 1879. The following year, he travelled to

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 ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, which he repeated in 1883, 1885 and 1886.

Career

Koch initially worked as a draughtsman for

Ludvig Fenger Ludvig Peter Fenger (7 July 1833 – 9 March 1905) was a Danish architect. He was a proponent of the Historicist style, and from 1886 to 1904 he held the title of City Architect in Copenhagen. Among his works are several churches, the Centr ...

and

Hermann Baagøe Storck Hermann Baagøe Storck (18 February 1839 – 4 December 1922) was a Denmark, Danish architect and heraldry, heraldist. As an architect, he is mainly known for the restoration of historic buildings. Among his own designs, his building for the ...

. He participated independently in the competition for the new

Copenhagen City Hall Copenhagen City Hall () is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen. Architecture The current building ...

which was held in early 1889. Despite support from the influential

Ferdinand Meldahl Ferdinand Meldahl (16 March 1827 – 3 February 1908) was a Danish architect best known for the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle after the fire in 1859. Meldahl was one of the leading proponents of historicism in Denmark. Biography He was t ...

he failed to win but later admitted that

Martin Nyrop Martin Nyrop (11 November 1849 18 May 1921) was a Danish architect. Early life and education Nyrop was born on 11 November 1849 at Holmsland Municipality, Holmsland, Ringkøbing, the son of parish priest Christopher Nyrop (1805–1879) and Helen ...

's winning proposal was more modern. Instead he entered local politics in Copenhagen, where he was a member of the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

from 1891 to 1897. As an architect, Koch specialised in the design of churches. In 1896 he also surveyed the limestone churches in the area around

Grenå Grenaa (or Grenå) is a Denmark, Danish town and seaport on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula. Tourism, education and commerce are important sectors in the economy of Grenaa. It is the only larger town on Djursland. Grenaa is the municipal ...

. Valdemar Koch received the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

in 1898 and 1900. Koch exhibited at the

Exposition Universelle (1900) The Exposition Universelle of 1900 (), better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate develop ...

at which he won the Grand Prix. Koch also designed a memorial to Svend at Grathe Heath in

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

(1892) and another one to

Canute Lavard Saint Knud, also known as Canute Lavard ( Danish: Knud Lavard; cognate with English Lord; 12 March 1096 – 7 January 1131) was a Danish prince. Later he was the first Duke of Schleswig and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a ...

at Haraldsted just north of

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately from Copenhagen. History Ringsted was the site of ''Sjællands Landsting'' (lit. ''Z ...

on central

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

(1902).

Style

Koch belonged to

Johan Daniel Herholdt Johan Daniel Herholdt (13 August 1818 – 11 April 1902) was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th ...

's Italian-Danish school as opposed to

's more internationally inclined, "European" school. His work demonstrates a thorough knowledge of architectural archaeology and history with

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

as his main source of inspiration. The

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...

in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen is an example of the Italian inspiration while the use of red brick in the interior of the Apostle Church demonstrates Danish influence.

Personal life

Koch was married to Anina Jensine Ludvigsen (1857–1910), daughter of Berthel Reinholdt Ludvigsen (1814–1879) and Sophie Louise Stoltze (1824–1869). They had one son, Knud Christian Koch (1888–1952). Koch died in 1892 and was buried at

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery (, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscaped and serves as an imp ...

in Copenhagen.

Selected works

* Capernaum Church, Nørrebro, Copenhagen (1896) * Zion's Church, Østerbro, Copenhagen (1896) * St. Luke's Church, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen (1897) *

, Vesterbro, Copenhagen (1900) * Apostle Church, Vesterbro, Copenhagen (1901) * Reersø Church, Kalundborg Municipality, Denmark (1904) * Church of Our Saviour,

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality (''Municipalities of De ...

, Denmark (1904)

Gallery

File:Sions Kirke Copenhagen.jpg, Zion's Church
(1896) File:Sankt Lukas Kirke Copenhagen.jpg, St. Luke's Church
(1897) File:Kristkirken Copenhagen.jpg, Christ Church, Copenhyagen File:Reersoe Kirke.jpg, Reersø Church
(1904) File:VejleVorFrelsers.jpg, Church of Our Saviour,

(1907) File:Kapernaumskirken Copenhagen.jpg, Kapernaum Church, Copenhagen
(1895)

References

External links

Otto Valdemar Koch
at geni.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Valdemar 19th-century Danish architects 19th-century Copenhagen City Council members Danish ecclesiastical architects Architects of Lutheran churches People from Falster 1852 births 1902 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal