Villa Kampen: Fit for a King

Hack Kampmann built his own family villa in Aarhus at the beginning of the 20th century. Villa Kampen set the standard for the bourgeoisie’s villa dreams, boasting a level of detail and modern luxury that even the royals didn’t have.

Architect Hack Kampmann moved to Aarhus in 1892 when he was appointed Royal Building Inspector for Northern Jutland. Here, he was not only responsible for overseeing state buildings; he also made a significant architectural mark on the city with the construction of several remarkable buildings, including Aarhus Theatre, Marselisborg Palace – and a villa for his own family.

Located on Strandvejen just south of Aarhus city center, with views of Tangkrogen and Aarhus Bay, he built an extravagant whitewashed villa in English style in 1902. Named ‘Kampen,’ the villa is set back from the road in a park-like garden that borders Marselisborg Forest. The property is separated from the road by a tall granite stone wall, which also follows the winding driveway.

The House in the Rock

Hack Kampmann raised the land towards Strandvejen, setting the house back from the busy traffic below. In collaboration with landscape architect Edvard Glæsel, Kampmann designed the outdoor area as a romantic garden with winding paths, bridges, walkways, sculptures, and seating areas.

The use of the site’s varying terrain makes the villa appear to grow out of a granite rock and the surrounding nature. The garden’s organic shape with small green hideaways creates a counterbalance to the relatively formal appearance of the building.

Kampmann’s Conceptual Thinking

The ceilings in most of the villa’s rooms are decorated with large stucco rosettes featuring classically inspired wreaths of fruits and flowers. In the stairwell, there is a grand stained-glass mosaic with floral motifs in true Art Nouveau style, designed by Kampmann himself. The house’s other details, such as doors, door handles, door fittings, railings, panels, and fireplaces, were also designed by Kampmann. These details contribute to a strong sense of unity that is characteristic of his work.

The house was equipped from the start with electricity, a toilet with a flush system, and a large bathroom with a shower – making it highly modern for its time.

Hack Kampmann built Villa Kampen at the same time as the nearby Marselisborg Palace, which he also designed. Despite this, Kampmann’s own villa was equipped with modern amenities from the beginning – features that were only added to the royal summer residence later on.

Popularity Sparks New Villas

The modern Villa Kampen drew great attention from the city’s bourgeoisie, and Frederik Nørgaard, the director of a large bank, was so impressed that he wanted an exact copy on the neighboring plot. However, Hack Kampmann refused and instead built a seemingly identical house named Restalrig. Despite the similarities, the two houses were different in their details, with Kampmann ensuring that his own villa was the finest.

The Kampmann family lived in Villa Kampen for only six years before moving to Copenhagen in 1908. Villa Kampen was listed as a protected building in 1983, while Villa Restalrig was demolished in 1962 to make way for an institutional building.