By Karla Clemmensen

December 12, 2024

Several buildings designed by the renowned architect Hack Kampmann have undeniably helped elevate Aarhus. Beyond creating a summer residence for the royal family, Kampmann added multiple cultural institutions to the City of Smiles.

It’s nearly impossible for Aarhus residents to avoid encountering one of Hack Kampmann’s works. His buildings are scattered throughout the city, particularly downtown. The Custom House, Aarhus Theatre, and the Katedralskolen are just a few landmarks attributed to this great Danish architect.

These structures are now iconic Aarhus landmarks, yet many people might not know the full story behind them – namely, that one man’s drafting table was the starting point for so many of the city’s important buildings. This might be because older, historic buildings are often taken for granted, simply because we’ve never known anything else.

The Master of Humility

A 2017 biography on Hack Kampmann delves into his humility, which may explain why he isn’t widely recognized among the general public. According to the book, Kampmann was never one to seek fame, letting his buildings speak for themselves instead.

His reserved nature was often misunderstood as arrogance. Kay Fisker noted this in the architecture journal Arkitekten in 1956, commemorating Kampmann’s 100th birthday, emphasizing that this perceived arrogance was, in fact, a reflection of shyness.

Moreover, it’s hard to imagine Hack Kampmann would have had time to maintain a public persona. He was an ambitious architect who achieved an extraordinary amount in his field up until his death in 1920. Additionally, he was described as a devoted family man and an active parent, sometimes navigating life as a single father.

Photo: Julie Laurberg, Royal Danish Library

Hack Kampmann was born in the town of Ebeltoft in 1856, and about ten years later, his family moved to Hjørring, where his father had become the city’s provost. It was in Hjørring that Kampmann apprenticed as a mason, as it was then a prerequisite for admission to the Royal Danish Academy’s School of Architecture.

A Changing Denmark

After moving to Copenhagen, Kampmann graduated from the Academy in 1878. This was a transformative period in Danish history. The mid-19th century industrialization had strengthened infrastructure across the country, and railroads made it easier to travel between Denmark’s three regions.

But it took several years before Hack Kampmann returned to Jutland, however. First, he needed to find his place as an architect. The field was divided into two schools of thought: the European and the national styles, represented by prominent voices in Danish architecture. Ferdinand Meldahl championed the former, while Hans Jørgen Holm focused on traditional Danish building practices.

Photo: Royal Danish Library

Hack Kampmann worked under both influential architects. He assisted Meldahl with the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle in 1880 and later worked with Holm on projects such as Vestre Cemetery in 1887 while serving as a teaching assistant at the Academy. He became closely associated with Holm’s circle and even joined the family by marrying Holm’s daughter, Johanne, in 1888.

A National Figure

National Romanticism defined the majority of Hack Kampmann’s career. He believed that as a Danish architect, one must recognize that Southern European architecture, which had captivated many Scandinavian architects, was shaped by different climate conditions and cultural influences than those found in the Nordic region. In this context, Hack Kampmann emphasized that architecture should belong to the people, not just the architect.

Instead, he allowed himself to be inspired by and reinterpret architecture in a way that gave it a national identity along with a personal signature. This could manifest through building traditions, choice of materials, and motifs, which then seamlessly integrated into a cohesive whole.

This approach is exemplified by the State Archives in Viborg, where Hack Kampmann combined elements of the Italian Renaissance – drawn from one of his study trips – with a steadfast loyalty to Denmark’s brickmaking traditions.

Photo: Royal Danish Library

Another example is Aarhus Theatre, constructed in 1900, where Kampmann mixed Greek, Italian, and French influences with Nordic natural motifs. Eleven swans painted on the theater ceiling, referencing a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, make the building both unique and challenging to categorize.

Around 1910, Kampmann, like many of his contemporaries, shifted toward Neoclassicism, albeit with his own reinterpretations. He also drew inspiration from England and Greece during this phase.

The Capital of Jutland

Kampmann’s breakthrough came with the construction of the State Archives in Viborg in 1889. The project was so successful that, in 1892, just a year after its completion, Kampmann was appointed Royal Building Inspector for Northern Jutland. This role allowed him to supervise state buildings and design new ones, significantly influencing Aarhus.

His first task in this role was constructing a new customs house in Aarhus. Danish trade was growing, and Aarhus Harbor played a central role – something that remains true today. The building, inspired by the city’s coat of arms, is now a prominent feature of the harbor, and the area between the customs house and the quay bears his name: Hack Kampmann Plads.

Photo: Andreas Trier Moerch, Arkitekturbilleder

Initially, Kampmann and his family lived on the first floor of a villa called “Little Rosenborg” on Strandvejen 12 – very close to the place where, ten years later, he would build their grand villa.

His Very Own Villa

In 1902, the Kampmann family moved into a whitewashed villa in the English style with a beautifully designed garden on Strandvejen. Kampmann spared no effort in creating a comfortable home for his family. In fact, the modern amenities of the villa – electricity, a flush toilet, and a bathroom with a shower – outshone the royal Marselisborg Palace he was constructing at the same time. The royal family wouldn’t enjoy such facilities until years later.

Photo: Villy Fink Isaksen, Creative Commons SA 4.0

Despite the villa’s grandeur, the Kampmanns only lived there for six years before Hack Kampmann accepted a professorship at the Academy in Copenhagen. He continued overseeing projects in Jutland, primarily customs houses, post offices, and state schools, until his sudden death in 1920.

While Kampmann also designed buildings in Copenhagen – such as the Police Headquarters, now considered architectural gems – his legacy isn’t as deeply embedded in the capital’s identity as it is in Aarhus. His works have profoundly shaped Aarhus’ character and status. So, does the city owe him a debt? That’s for each resident to decide the next time they pass the Customs House, Aarhus Theatre, or one of his other iconic buildings.

One thing is certain: Hack Kampmann lives on among future architects. At the Aarhus School of Architecture, students encounter a piece of Kampmann’s legacy daily. An impressive multi-story wooden furniture system, repurposed from Hack Kampmann’s former Commercial Archives (nicknamed “The Jewelry Box”), now serves as a study area and library, bridging architecture’s past and future.