Sophienholm 4.58

Sophienholm is a former country house and exhibition venue located north on the shore of Lake Bagsværd in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark.The building was originally a country house built by Johan Theodor Holmskiold in 1769. Constantin Brun, its next owner, had it completely rebuilt at the turn of the 19th century into its present appearance, and it became a lively cultural venue during the Danish Golden Age when his wife, the writer and salonist Friederike Brun, played host to many prominent Danish and foreign cultural figures of the time.HistoryEarly historySophienholm was built from 1767 to 1768 as a country retreat for Johan Theodor Holmskiold. Originally a medical doctor and naturalist, he had just begun a successful career at the Royal Court in Copenhagen and as a director for several prominent state enterprises. He named the house after his wife Sophie Holmskjold., and owned the property until 1790 when he built himself a new and larger country home nearby.The new owner of Sophienholm was the merchant Constantin Brun. Originally from Germany, he had come to Denmark as royal administrator of trade in the Danish West Indies and made a fortune on trade during the early Napoleonic Wars, profiting from Denmark's neutrality. At the turn of the century, he commissioned Joseph-Jacques Ramée to expand and completely redesign the building. Completed in 1805, Ramée's project also redesigned the park and added several smaller buildings to the site, including a Norwegian house, a Chinese pavilion, a Swiss cottage and a gate house. Later two lateral wings were added to the main building.