Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder
Encyclopedia
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
-Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and sculptor. He worked on a large number of the most important Danish buildings of his time, although the exact scope of his contributions in many cases remains uncertain and much have been demolished or redesigned later. The father of Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger
Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger
Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger was a Flemish-Danish architect who specialised in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of prestigious Danish buildings from the first half of the 17th century...
and Lorenz van Steenwinckel
Lorenz van Steenwinckel
Lorenz van Steenwinckel was a Flemish-Danish architect and sculptor, son of Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder and brother of Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger. From 1613, he was responsible for numerous projects commissioned by Christian IV...
, he also founded a dynasty of architects and sculptors in Denmark.
Biography
Hans van Steenwinckel was born in Antwerpen c. 1550. The family fled to EmdenEmden
Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
, East Frisia
East Frisia
East Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony....
, where his father, Lourens van Steenwinckel, became master builder. later city architect, and designed the Town Hall from 1567 onwards, later destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Hans van Steenwinckel trained under his father, and it is known that he received payment for a design for the Town Hall's stairs and tower in 1574.
In 1578 he travelled to Denmark, most likely as one of the master bricklayers which his countryman Anthonis van Obbergen
Anthonis van Obbergen
Anthonis van Obbergen was a Flemish architect and fortifications engineer...
invited to Denmark to assist him building Fredericj II
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
's Kronborg Castle
Kronborg Castle
Kronborg is a star fortress situated near the town of Helsingør on the extreme northeastern tip of Zealand at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound between Denmark and Sweden...
at Elsinore. Hans only worked on Kronborg for around a year before he, with royal permission, went on the island of Hven
Hven
Ven is a small Swedish island in the Öresund strait, between Scania and Zealand . It is situated in Landskrona Municipality, Skåne County. The island has 371 inhabitants and an area of . During the 1930s, the population was at its peak, with approximately 1,300 inhabitants...
to work for the destinguished astronomer Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, who had for life been granted the island by the King as well as funds for the construction of a house and observatory on the premises. Hans van Steenwinckel probably worked both on Uraniborg
Uraniborg
Uranienborg was a Danish astronomical observatory operated by Tycho Brahe; built circa 1576-1580 on Hven, an island in the Øresund between Zealand and Scania, which at that time was part of Denmark. The observatory was shortly after its construction expanded with an underground facility,...
and the subsequent Stjerneborg
Stjerneborg
Stjerneborg was Tycho Brahe's underground observatory next to his palace-observatory Uraniborg, located on the island of Hven in Oresund....
observatory, both of which were demolished after Brahe's death in 1601. From 1585 he lived and worked in Copenhagen but his presence on Hven is documented several times in the 1580s and last in 1590. He studied theoretical renaissance architecture and Brahe taught him both astronomy and geometry.
In 1582 he had been named Royal Building Master and in the 1580s he designed Slangerup Church. He also worked on a number of churches in Copenhagen, including St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church, Copenhagen
St. Peter's Church is the parish church of the German-speaking community in Copenhagen, Denmark. Built as a single-nave church in the mid-15th century, it is the oldest building in central Copenhagen. It is also notable for its extensive complex of sepulchral chapels.-History:St...
and possibly also the towers at the Churches of Saint Nicolai and the Church of the Holy Ghost
Church of the Holy Ghost, Copenhagen
The Church of the Holy Ghost in Copenhagen, Denmark, is one of the city's oldest churches.-Background:The first abbey in Copenhagen was a Franciscan monastery founded in 1238, just 12 years after the death of Francis of Assisi. Prior to that, Archbishop Eskil had founded two Cistercian...
although this remains uncertain.
Hans van Steenwinckel also built and rebuilt a number of manor houses around the country, including Berritzgaard
Berritzgaard
The Berritzgaard estate and manor house is one of the largest and best preserved manor houses on the island of Lolland in Denmark. The estate can be traced back to 1382, to its first owner, Markvard Pøiske. The estate developed from a village called "Berith", situated where the Berritzgaard manor...
, Näsbyholm
Näsbyholm Castle
Näsbyholm Castle is a castle in Skurup Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. Näsbyholm Castle is situated approximately west of Skurup, and was known since the 14th century as a fortified manor house. The current castle corps de logis was erected 1957 on the old castle land lot, a castle that...
and Orebygård.
In 1588 the new King Christian IV
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
appointed him Government Architect and from this date his main task was to modernize the fortifications in many Danish towns and strongholds in Sweden and Norway. These included Bohus Fortress
Bohus Fortress
Bohus Fortress lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches...
, Varberg
Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
, Halmstad
Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
and Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
. He was also responsiple for the lay out of the completely new town of Christianopel
Kristianopel
Kristianopel is a village in Karlskrona Municipality in the southeastern Swedish province of Blekinge.-History of the town:Kristianopel is located in the easternmost part of Blekinge, which was the easternmost part of Denmark in beginning of the 17th century...
. According to his gravestone he was himself most proud of the fortifications of Halmstad, where he died in 1601 and is buried at St. Nicolai's Church.
Projects
- UranienborgUranienborgUranienborg can be:*Uranienborg, Norway*Uraniborg , the astronomical/astrological observatory of Tycho Brahe on the island of Hven....
(1576–80) - StjerneborgStjerneborgStjerneborg was Tycho Brahe's underground observatory next to his palace-observatory Uraniborg, located on the island of Hven in Oresund....
(1584) - NäsbyholmNäsbyholm CastleNäsbyholm Castle is a castle in Skurup Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. Näsbyholm Castle is situated approximately west of Skurup, and was known since the 14th century as a fortified manor house. The current castle corps de logis was erected 1957 on the old castle land lot, a castle that...
- BerritzgaardBerritzgaardThe Berritzgaard estate and manor house is one of the largest and best preserved manor houses on the island of Lolland in Denmark. The estate can be traced back to 1382, to its first owner, Markvard Pøiske. The estate developed from a village called "Berith", situated where the Berritzgaard manor...
(1586) - Orebygaard (1578–1587)
- LundehaveMarienlyst CastleMarienlyst Castle, Danish Marienlyst Slot, is a palacial residence located in Helsingør, Denmark. It was named after King Frederik V of Denmark's second wife, Juliana Maria the queen consort of Denmark and Norway. The building formerly served as a royal pavilion of Kronborg Castle and was mostly...
(1587) - Slangerup Church (1588)
- Fortifications including Bohus FortressBohus FortressBohus Fortress lies along the old Norwegian - Swedish border in Kungälv, Bohuslän, Sweden, north east from Hisingen where the Göta river splits into two branches...
, HalmstadHalmstadHalmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
, VarbergVarbergVarberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
, AkershusAkershus- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
(1588-) - ChristianopelKristianopelKristianopel is a village in Karlskrona Municipality in the southeastern Swedish province of Blekinge.-History of the town:Kristianopel is located in the easternmost part of Blekinge, which was the easternmost part of Denmark in beginning of the 17th century...
(1599)