Brolæggerstræde 5
| Company type | Brewery (historic) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Founder | J. C. Jacobsen |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen , Denmark |
| Products | Lager beer (early experiments) |
| Owner | Carlsberg Foundation |
Brolæggerstræde, also referred to as J. C. Jacobsens Bryggergård, served as the location for the inaugural brewery established by Carlsberg founder J. C. Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Denmark. After inaugurating his new facility, the Carlsberg Brewery, in Valby in 1847, Jacobsen kept ownership of this site and erected an impressive residence there in 1854. A commemorative plaque above the entrance honors that his son, Carl Jacobsen, was born here in 1842 and that J. C. Jacobsen initiated his lager brewing experiments at this very place in 1838.
The estate comprises a five-story brewery structure situated within the courtyard, a four-level residential building, and a former warehouse located at Knabrostræde 11–13. Following the Copenhagen Fire of 1795, the complex underwent reconstruction and was officially recognized and protected under the Danish registry of heritage buildings in 1945. Presently, ownership rests with the Carlsberg Foundation, while the Ny Carlsberg Foundation maintains its headquarters inside the courtyard brewery edifice.
Among its distinguished past occupants are author , composer Friedrich Ludwig Æmilius Kunzen, theologian Jens Møller, and architect Johan Daniel Herholdt.
Next to it stands the corner property Knabrostræde 9, also listed as protected in 1945 and held by the Carlsberg Foundation, featuring a plaque that marks J. C. Jacobsen’s birth there in 1811.
18th century
Initially, this location consisted of multiple smaller parcels. The corner plot was recorded as No. 131 within Snaren's Quarter in Copenhagen’s first cadastre from 1689, owned by vinegar producer Niels Pedersen. By the time of the 1756 cadastre, it was renumbered as No. 112 and held by grocer (urtekræmmer) Nikolaj Christensen. Neighboring lots included No. 113 (belonging to brewer Lorentz Jensen Smidt) and No. 74 (owned by carpenter Ole Hansen Lund), both formed through amalgamation of earlier smaller properties.
According to the 1787 census, No. 113 was owned by brewer Nicolaj Rindom who lived there along with his family and brewery employees. No. 112 was occupied by grocer Johan Casse—son of brewer and soap maker Peter Casse—and housed two separate households including workers and lodgers from overseas regions such as the Danish West Indies. No. 74 contained three households comprising a tailor, a clerk, and a flour merchant with their respective families and staff.
Nicolai Rindum and subsequent construction
The devastating Copenhagen Fire of 1795 destroyed these three properties entirely. In response, a new building on No. 113 was erected for Nicolai Rindum between 1796 and 1797. He also acquired No. 74 and utilized it to construct two storage facilities. The current corner building was built by Ernst Burmeister during 1799–1800.
At the time of the 1801 census, No. 113 accommodated 25 individuals across four households: Rindum lived there with his family and brewery workers; grocer/butcher Peder Christensen Langebeck resided in the basement with his family; composer Friedrich Ludwig Æmilius Kunzen, then musical director of the Royal Danish Orchestra, lived with his family and staff; and lecturer and author also occupied part of the building. No inhabitants were registered at No. 74 during this census.
No. 112 sheltered 43 people spread over ten households including widow Temperentia Uttendahl; merchant Falck Marcus Valentin; Hans Severin Holten, natural sciences tutor to Prince Christian Frederik; clerk Peter Martin Voigt; Jewish widow Marthe Moses with children; merchant Lorentz Juhl; and cook Jeppe Jeppesen Steenberg affiliated with the Danish Asiatic Company. The basement was home to a bricklayer and his family.
In the cadastre of 1806, former No. 113 was redesignated as No. 76 in Snaren's Quarter under ownership of Eindum's widow; No. 74 became No. 115 still held by Rindum’s widow; and No. 112 was listed as No. 75 belonging to Ludvig Caus.
Theologian Jens Møller (1779–1833), who became professor at the University of Copenhagen and earned his Doctorate in Theology in 1816, resided in one apartment here between 1812 and 1826.
Chresten Jacobsen
On 20 February 1826, the property designated No. 76/115 was acquired at auction by Chresten Jacobsen (1663–1838) for 23,240 rigsdaler for No. 76 and 9,555 rigsdaler for No. 64. Subsequently, on 10 June 1826, he obtained citizenship as an official brewer in Copenhagen, having previously operated as a tenant brewer since 1817.
Jacobsen had been leasing the nearby Gyldenfeldt's Brewery from approximately 1811. He married Caroline Frederikke Schelbeck in 1810, and their son H. C. Jacobsen was born in the premises in 1811. Following the acquisition, Jacobsen promptly embarked on modernizing and expanding the brewery's facilities.
J. C. Jacobsen
Following Chresten Jacobsen’s passing in 1835, his widow managed the brewery with their son J. C. Jacobsen serving as tenant brewer. By 1840, J. C. Jacobsen had secured ownership of the property.
The corner building at No. 75 accommodated 42 inhabitants in 1840, including master shoemakers, merchants, widows, and laborers. Carl Jacobsen was born there in 1842. The military officer and politician Anton Frederik Tscherning resided there between 1842 and 1847 and maintained a close personal relationship with J. C. Jacobsen.
In 1839, Jacobsen initiated experiments with brewing lager beer, utilizing a former gunpowder storage facility for aging.
In search of better water resources and more space, he commenced construction of a new brewery in Valby in January 1847; the inaugural batch was brewed on 10 November that year. By 1853, he had erected a villa adjacent to the brewery to serve as his home.
August Vogelius and the 1860 census
In 1857, August Vogelius took over the lease of Jacobsen’s small beer brewery located on Brolæggerstræde. A relative of Jacobsen’s wife Laura and with six years of experience at Carlsberg Brewery, Vogelius found the premises inadequate to compete with more modern breweries such as Rabeshave on Langebrogade and Tvedes Bryggeri. Consequently, he launched his own brewery on Tabneks Allé with Jørgen Christian Hauberg as a silent partner under the name A. Vogelius’ Bryggeri. Jacobsen contributed to planning this new facility on Rahbejs Allé, designed by Jens Eckersberg; it began production on 14 August 1861.
Architect Johan Daniel Herholdt resided in the building from 1856 to 1859 before relocating to a villa he designed at Ewaldsgade 9.
According to the 1860 census, No. 76 (Brolæggerstræde 5) housed a total of 25 residents. Vogelius lived on the second floor with his wife and brewery worker Jens Nielsen. Other occupants included Otto Dantzen, a bookkeeper with his family and domestic help; Viggo Collstrup, a physician affiliated with the Royal Engineering Corps; widow Nicoline Severine Tage; and barkeeper Jens Olsen along with his household staff.
No. 75 (Knabrostræde 9) was home to 29 individuals including flour merchant Lars Hansen and family; retired justitsråd Thomas Christian Teil; surveyor Cark Rejnholdt Jensen; royal lackey Lars Jørgensen; widower Rasmus Carl Lund; bookbinder Berent Kruse; customs assistant Jochum Melchior; as well as servants Jens Jensen and family.
At No. 115 (Knabrostræde 13), there were 24 residents including bookseller Johan Peter Conradsen and family; brewery worker Poul Henriksen with family; widow Thrine Levy residing with relatives; police officer Ludvig Thorin and family; master tailor Christopher Thaader Arenberg and family; plus courier Rasmus Nielsen and his household.
Subsequent History
The beer shop originally operated by J. Olsen in "Captain Jacobsen's basement" was taken over in 1871 by his nephew, Ole Vorm, who had been employed there for 18 years. Following Ole Vorm's passing on 11 May 1895, his widow and son maintained the enterprise under the name "Ole Vorm's Eftf" ("Ole Vorm's Successor") until approximately 1907.
According to the 1906 census, only ten individuals resided at Brolæggerstræde 5–7. Among them were Jacobine Helene Gottlieb (née Holst), daughter of Lauritz Daniel Christian Holst, Carl Jacobsen's uncle; engineer and managing director Otto Wolff; the widow Barbra Christiane Holm along with her family; and Karen Marie Brunniche, a cleaning woman, with her son.
In 1913, Carl Jacobsen gifted the entire building complex to the Carlsberg Foundation.
The complex was officially protected when it was listed on Denmark’s registry of historic buildings in 1945. A significant restoration led by Viggo Steen Møller between 1950 and 1951 earned a City of Copenhagen commendation in 1952. Later, from 1973 to 1975, architect Vilhelm Wohlert transformed the former brewhouse into new premises for the Ny Carlsberg Foundation, which garnered another municipal award in 1976.
Brolæggerstræde 5
Brolæggerstræde 5 is a three-level structure situated above a walk-out basement. The facade spans seven bays and is characterized by a belt course above the ground floor, a sill course beneath the first-floor windows, and a cornice adorned with modillions. The plastered exterior is painted blue-grey at street level and white on the upper stories. On the rightmost bays, an arched gateway features a keystone inscribed with the old cadastral number (No. 113) and the year of construction (1797). Above this entrance is a stone plaque commemorating Carl Jacobsen’s birth there in 1842 and his early experiments brewing lager beer in 1838. The basement entrance, now bricked up, once had a hood mould supported by corbels. Entry to the main staircase is gained through a door within the gateway. The roof is clad with red tiles and includes five dormer windows facing the street. A six-bay side wing extends from the rear along one side of the courtyard, connected to the front wing via a canted corner bay. The courtyard facades are finished with lime mortar tinted iron vitriol yellow.
Knabrostræde 11–13
Knabrostræde 13 is a four-storey former warehouse building featuring seven bays and retail space on its ground floor. Its pale grey facade is complemented by white window frames, a white-painted belt course above street level, and a wide cornice decorated with modillions. The main entrance at the center is framed by a portal painted sandstone color. The red tile roof contains four dormer windows, while on the courtyard side there is a two-bay gabled wall dormer.
Knabrostræde 11 is a narrower building with three bays across four floors. Its facade incorporates red coloring on the ground floor with yellowish tones on the upper levels. Initially designed for horse stabling, its ground floor currently functions as garage space. The upper stories include glazed central openings fitted with French balconies. A gabled wall dormer featuring cornice returns was added during the 1820s.
In 1952, interior renovations combined Knabrostræde 11 and 13 into single apartments on each floor and introduced a new staircase to serve both buildings.
Knabrostræde Brewery Building
Situated at the far end of the courtyard, the former brewery initially consisted of three floors before Chresten Jacobsen expanded it to five levels in the late 1820s. During the period from 1867 to 1886, a gabled wall dormer equipped with a pulley beam was incorporated. The central apertures have since been fitted with glass and feature French balconies. This structure is linked to the side wing of Knabrostræde 13 and extends to Brolæggerstræde through a slender five-storey passageway. A light well provides separation from Knabrostræde 15. The facade is adorned with several wall anchors and crowned by a roof covered in red tiles.
Knabrostræde 9
Knabrostræde 9 comprises four storeys above a walk-out basement, presenting a seven-bay frontage on Knabrostræde and four bays along Brolæggerstræde, which includes a chamfered corner. This architectural layout adheres to the post-fire reconstruction principles established by Jørgen Henrich Rawert and Peter Meyn, designed specifically to enable fire brigades to maneuver long ladder trucks effectively.
Today
Currently, the Carlsberg Foundation holds ownership of the entire complex, with its headquarters located at H. C. Andersens Boulevard 35. The Ny Carlsberg Foundation, associated with it, operates out of the former brewery building within the courtyard. The majority of the remaining structures are rented out as residential units.
Further reading
- Strømstad, Poul (editor): J. C. Jacobsens bryggergård i Brolæggerstræde