The History of Sophienholm
Sophienholm was built in 1769 as a country house by Theodor Holmskjold, director-in-chief of the Danish Postal Services. In 1790 it was sold to the large-scale merchant Constantin Brun, who hired the renowned French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée, and between 1800-1805 it was rebuilt and expanded to its present appearance.
Constantin Brun’s wife Friederikke Brun was at her time a well-known writer of travel books, as well as a song-writer and a poet. She was also well known for her musical and literary salons in Geneva, in Rome and not least in Copenhagen. At Sophienholm she gathered the foremost writers, poets, musicians and composers of the Danish Golden Age together with European colleagues.
In 1963 the municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk purchased Sophienholm. It was restored, and opened in 1967 to the public with an exhibition of Danish Golden Age art. It was restored again in 1994 where new floors were laid; a brand new lighting system and a new security system were installed.
The Park
The gardens of Sophienholm are unique to Danish landscape gardening tradition. From the beginning it was formed in a thoroughly romantic garden landscape style by Ramée, and though a well-preserved romantic main structure exists it has been enriched by valuable additions from some of the owners, who were especially interested in gardening. Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality has made the necessary changes and additions, in order to make the splendours of the place more accessible to a larger audience. In this way, Sophienholm has been made to more than just an excursion spot. Here you can enjoy a sensitively cultivated piece of nature with open grassy plains and wonderful, old trees. It is also a place where those with a particular interest in Danish landscape gardening have a possibility to study 200 years of its history.
Art exhibitions
Sophienholm is the exhibition hall of The Municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk. Situated in a beautiful park overlooking the Bagsværd Lake and annually showing 4-5 major art exhibitions it attracts people from especially the greater Copenhagen area. All the year round, smaller exhibitions are shown in the Cobra Room – the annex of Sophienholm, and during the summer season, various arrangements, concerts, and entertainment takes place in the Sophienholm park.
Sopienholm has an exhibition policy that focuses on relevant themes, and wants to show exhibitions with renowned artists as well as arrange arthistory-related exhibitions. The emphasis is particularly on Danish subjects but also European and indeed Scandinavian subjects are taken into account. The aim is for high quality, current interest and versatility. In other words, the interest of both a general public and a more specific public have to be considered without compromising quality. And the art has to be communicated to the public in a way that reflects the times in which they live.
Sophienholm has a large public. During recent years, the exhibitions have been seen by, on average, approximately 50 - 60,000 visitors.
Art in the surroundings
The surroundings of Sophienholm hold a number of artworks. The most distinctive work is Eremitagen og bjergbestigersken by the sculptor Hein Heinsen and the landscape architect Torben Schønherr which in 1993 was donated to the Municipality of Lyngby-Taarbæk by The National Art Foundation. Visually and philosophically the basis of the work is the Norske Hus – a cottage which during the summer, the original proprietors of Sophienholm used for social purposes.
Sculpture, landscape gardening, architecture, furniture making, literature, history and philosophy are all constituent parts of the Eremitagen og bjergbestigersken – combining to a piece of cultural and minimalistic aesthetics, triggering our imagination.
