Hotel Astoria (Copenhagen)

Last updated
Hotel Astoria
Astoria Hotel at dusk.jpg
Hotel Astoria (Copenhagen)
General information
Location Copenhagen, Denmark
Coordinates 55°40′24″N12°33′47″E / 55.67333°N 12.56306°E / 55.67333; 12.56306
Opening1935;89 years ago (1935)
Owner CIC Hospitality
Technical details
Floor count3
Design and construction
Architect(s) Ole Falkentorp
Other information
Number of rooms94
Website
[www.hotelastoria.dk / Hotel web site]

Hotel Astoria is a design hotel located next to the Central Station in Copenhagen, Denmark. The building is an early example of Functionalist architecture in Denmark. [1] The hotel consists of a long slender wing forming a barrier between the urban space in front of the main entrance to the Central Station, which partly opens to the underground rail lines, and Reventlowsgade, the street on the Vesterbro side of the station. An example of architecture parlante, the building is intended to resemble a steam locomotive, It was listed in the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 2019.

Contents

History

20th century

The site photographed by Peter Elfelt in 1920. Kobenhavns 3. Hovedbanegard (1920) 01.jpg
The site photographed by Peter Elfelt in 1920.

In 1881, Tømmerpladsvej was renamed Reventlowsgade. The new Copenhagen Central Station was inaugurated on the northeast side of the street in 1908. The first section of Reventlowsgade was initially separated from Bangegårdspladsen (the space in front of the new central station) by a wall. It was later decided to use the extremely narrow site for the construction of a new railway hotel.

Hotel Astoria in 1935 Hotel Astoria 1935.jpg
Hotel Astoria in 1935

The building was designed as a station hotel for the Danish State Railways by Ole Falkentorp, who had started his career in the State Railways' design office before forming his own practice. The hotel was built from 1934 to 1935 as the first modern luxury hotel in Copenhagen. [2] [3]

The hotel was inaugurated on 6 April 1935. It contained 91 single and double rooms. DSB's travel agency was located on the ground floor. [4]

21st century

In 2007, Hotel Astoria was taken over by DGI-byen. The new owner commissioned GUBI to redesign the interior while preserving many of the original features. Relying on black and white set off by tones of deep purple and greyish blue, a new colour scheme was selected and the building was fitted out with artistically designed, custom-made furniture. [5]

On 1 July 2011 the hotel was taken over by Zleep Hotels. [6] On 1 January 2014, Brøchner Hotels took over management of the hotel. [7] On 1 October 2021, CIC Hospitality took over management of Hotel Astoria. [8]

Architecture

Hotel Astoria Astoria Hotel with winged wheel DSB logo.jpg
Hotel Astoria

The hotel consists of a long slender wing forming a barrier between the urban space in front of the main entrance to the Central Station, which partly opens to the underground rail lines, and Reventlowsgade, the street on the Vesterbro side of the station. [9]

An example of architecture parlante, the building is intended to resemble a steam locomotive, [10] with its connotations of travel and movement encapsulating the essence of the site, and as an expression of the fascination with progress and technology which was typical of the time. [2] It consists of an expressive constellation of cubist volumes, culminating in the narrow facade looking out over Vesterbrogade which is topped by a "hood ornament" in the shape of a winged wheel bearing a crown, a sculptural representation of the old logo of the Danish State Railways. [11] The vertical, exterior hotel sign is in the full height of the building. At the other end of the building, there is a cylindrical staircase tower with a helical window.

The revolving doors, the first in Denmark, are still present at the main entrance. Next to the main entrance is a relief of the hotel's logo, a winged suitcase, created by the sculptor Svend Rathsack. [4]

Great care was taken by E. Schmidt, the technical designer, in drawing up the detailed specifications for a building which was to be constructed using Asger Skovgaard Ostenfeld's recently developed deformation technique for reinforced concrete structures. The finish on the four-inch-thick walls with metal-framed windows was achieved by manual bush hammering. [12] [13]

The building was listed in the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 2019. [4]

The hotel has been an inspiration for Peter Clash's design of the RIBA Award-winning Sleeperz Hotel in Cardiff, Wales. [2] A drawing of Hotel Astoria is engraved on Ole Falkentorp's tombstone.


Astoria Hotel (Copenhagen) 01.jpg
The hotel viewed from Banegårdspladsen.

Today

One of the luxury rooms has been maintained exactly as it was in 1935. The former ground-floor premises of DSB's travel agency is now occupied by a pizzaria.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copenhagen Metro</span> Rapid transit railway in Copenhagen, Denmark

The Copenhagen Metro is a 24/7 light rapid transit system in Copenhagen, Denmark, serving the municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, and Tårnby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copenhagen Central Station</span> The main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen Central Station is the main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station in Denmark. With more than 100,000 travellers every day, it is the second busiest station in Denmark after Nørreport station. It is located in central Copenhagen, situated between the districts of Indre By and Vesterbro with entrances from Bernstorffsgade, Banegårdspladsen, Reventlowsgade and access to platforms from Tietgensgade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valby</span> District of Copenhagen

Valby ( ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single-family houses and allotments, plus the remaining part of the old Valby village, around which the district has formed, intermingled with past and present industrial sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nørreport station</span> Main line, commuter and rapid transit railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark

Nørreport station is an S-train, metro and main line railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in the district of Indre By, and is named after the historic Nørreport city gate, at the original location of which it is located. It is one of the busiest railway stations in Denmark, serving 165,000 people daily. The entire station is underground, with three pairs of platforms: one for S-trains, one for main line trains and one for the metro. The station is located on the Boulevard Line of the S-train and main line network. Several bus lines run through and start from Nørreport above ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesterport Station</span> Railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark

Vesterport Station is a S-train station in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. The station is located in the district of Indre By, and is named after the historic Vesterport city gate, although it is located quite a distance from the original location of the city gate. It opened in 1934. The station is situated below ground level on the Boulevard Line, just before the tunnel connecting Copenhagen Central Station and Østerport Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kystbanen</span> Railway line in North Zealand, Denmark

Kystbanen is a regional railway line between Helsingør (Elsinore) and Copenhagen in Denmark. It was opened in 1897, and is one of the busiest railway lines in Denmark. Kystbanen is operated by Danish State Railways (DSB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordhavn station</span> Commuter and rapid transit railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark

Nordhavn station is a commuter rail and rapid transit railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Istedgade</span> Street in Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark

Istedgade is a 1-kilometer straight street in the district of Vesterbro in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. It starts at Copenhagen Central Station and runs parallel to Vesterbrogade to Enghave Plads and Enghaveparken. From the station in the cheap hotel district, it runs through the porn, prostitution and drugs area to modern Vesterbro, where 1900s tenement style blocks have undergone significant modernisation. It is generally considered the heart of Vesterbro and was a main traffic artery until 2013 where the street had traffic reducing measures installed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesterbrogade</span> Street in Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark

Vesterbrogade is the main shopping street of the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The 1.5 km long street runs from the City Hall Square in the east to Pile Allé in Frederiksberg in the west where it turns into Roskildevej. On its way, it passes Copenhagen Central Station as well as the small triangular square Vesterbros Torv. It is one of four such -bro streets, the other being Nørrebrogade, Østerbrogade and Amagerbrogade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nørre Voldgade</span> Street in Copenhagen, Denmark

Nørre Voldgade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs north-east from Jarmers Plads for approximately 600 metres to Gothersgade where it turns into Øster Voldgade. The succession of Nørre Voldgade, Øster Voldgade and Vester Voldgade together forms a traffic artery which arches around the Zealand side of the central and oldest part of Copenhagen. Nørreport Station, Denmark's busiest railway station, is located in the street.

Ole Falkentorp was a Danish architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elijah's Church</span> Church in Copenhagen, Denmark

Elijah's Church is a Church of Denmark parish church located on Vesterbros Torv in the heart of the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Completed in 1908 and designed by Martin Nyrop, who has designed Copenhagen City Hall, it was the largest church to be built by the Copenhagen Church Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalvebod Brygge</span>

Kalvebod Brygge is a waterfront area in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The name also refers to a section of the Ring 2 ring road which follows the waterfront from Langebro in the north to the H. C. Ørsted Power Station in the south. The area is dominated by office buildings, Tivoli Conference Center, several hotels and the shopping centre Fisketorvet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sølvgade Barracks</span>

Sølvgade Barracks is a former military facility from 1771 located on the corner of Sølvgade and Øster Voldgade in central Copenhagen, Denmark. The barracks closed in 1926 and the large Baroque complex designed by Nicolas-Henri Jardin then served as headquarters for DSB, the Danish state railways, until 2013, when the building was converted into student apartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernstorffsgade</span>

Bernstorffsgade is a street located next to Central Station and Tivoli Gardens in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Vesterbrogade in the northwest to Kalvebod Brygge on the harborfront in the southeast, and marks the boundary between the districts Indre By and Vesterbro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helgolandsgade</span>

Helgolandsgade is a one-way street in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Vesterbrogade in the northwest to Halmtorvet in the southeast and is intersected by Istedgade. Located close to Copenhagen Central Station, the street is dominated by hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colbjørnsensgade</span>

Colbjørnsensgade is a street in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Vesterbrogade in the northwest to Tietgensgade in the southeast and is intersected by Istedgade. Located just one block from Copenhagen Central Station, the street is completely dominated by hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tietgensgade</span>

Tietgensgade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from H. C. Andersens Boulevard in the northeast to Kvægtorvgade at the Meat-Packing District in the southwest, linking Stormgade in the city centre with Ingerslevsgade and Halmtorvet/Sønder Boulevard in Vesterbro. The street follows the rear side of Tivoli Gardens and Copenhagen Central Station. The viaduct that carries it across the railway tracks at the central station is known as Tietgensbro. A series of staircases and lifts provides direct access from the viaduct to the station platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingosgade</span>

Kingosgade is a street straddling the border between Vesterbro and Frederiksberg in Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Vesterbrogade in the south to Frederiksberg Allé in the north, linking Enghavevej with Alhambravej.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reventlowsgade</span> Street in Copenhagen

Reventlowsgade is a street in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark, which follows the "Vesterbro side" of Copenhagen Central Station, between Vesterbrogade to the northwest and Tietgensgade to the southeast. One of the entrances to the Copenhagen Central Station City Circle Line metro station is located in the street. The street was refurbished in conjunction with the opening of the metro station, with new trees, seating and facilities for bicycle parking.

References

  1. ↑ "Ole Falkentorp" (in Danish). gravsted.dk. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cardiff's Dream Machine" (PDF). bdonline.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  3. ↑ "Astoria", HotelBoard. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Hotel Astoria, København". Kulturstyrelsen (in Danish). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "Pennalhuset på Vesterbro" (in Danish). Berlingske. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Zleep Hotels handlede hurtigt og overtager Hotel Astoria", takeoff.dk, 13 July 2011, (in Danish). Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  7. ↑ "Københavnsk hotel skifter atter forpagter". standby.dk (in Danish). 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "Norsk hotelkoncern overtager drift af luksushotel i København: Direktør vil indtage det danske marked". 2 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Location- Hotel Astoria" . Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  10. ↑ "Top 10: Danmarks fedeste designhoteller" (in Danish). Politiken. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  11. ↑ "Hotel Astoria". Royal Danish Art Academy Library. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  12. ↑ "Proceedings, American Concrete Institute, Volume 33", 1937, p. 530.
  13. ↑ Karl-Eugen Kurrer, "The history of the theory of structures: from arch analysis to computational mechanics", Ernst & Sohn, 2008, p.755.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.