Equestrian statue of Absalon
The equestrian statue of Absalon on Højbro Plads in Copenhagen was unveiled in 1902 to mark the 700 years' anniversary of the death of Bishop Absalon, the city's legendary founder.
Description
The statue depicts Absalon as a military commander, mounted on a rearing horse, wearing
The lower part of the plinth is made of granite and designed for seating. The upper part is built in red brick. A
History
The statue was a gift to the City of Copenhagen from Axel Heide, managing director of Privatbanken. Vilhelm Bissen was charged with the design of the statue while Martin Nyrop designed the plinth. Heide originally wanted the statue to be unveiled on Absalon's birthday, 21 March, but it was delayed by the City Council who wanted to reserve this date for the unveiling of another Absalon statue. situated above the main entrance on the façade of the new city hall. The statue was instead unveiled on 30 November 1902. Heide also wanted Georg Brandes to give a speech at the unveiling ceremony but this was rejected by the political establishment who found his liberal views too controversial. Heide then proposed that the bishop of Zealand could also speak at the ceremony but this compromise was also rejected. When Crown Princess Louise threatened to close her accounts in Privatbanken, Heide finally accepted to cancel Brandes.[2]
See also
- Sculpture of Denmark
References
- ^ "Absalon (c. 1128–1201)". Copenhagen Municipality (in Danish). Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ "Absalon12630". Sleksabet for Københavns Historie (in Danish). Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2015.