Prologue
Ever since Bishop Absalon founded his castle by the harbour in 1167, which was since named Copenhagen, the city has been pivotal in the making of history. It is in the heart of this metropolis that you find one of the world’s oldest hotels, Hotel D’Angleterre, which has survived wars and times of turmoil, thriving not only as a choice place of gathering for Copenhageners but featuring as one of the finest hotels in Scandinavia.
The hotel neighbours the Renaissance district of Christian IV with its many palaces as well as the 18th century residential homes of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie erected under the rule of Frederik V. The 19th century saw the enlargement of the city beyond the city ramparts, yet Copenhagen still seems small and well balanced.
Amidst its historical setting, the 250-year Hotel D’Angleterre with its remarkably rich history is older than many states and nations. Today the hotel is more magnificent than ever and features as a five-star deluxe hotel of Victorian style with 123 individually decorated rooms.
The beginning
Hotel D’Angleterre was not only founded on masonry, mortar, and oak piles. It is the result of the love and dreams of two young people.
In the mid 18th century, a young hairdresser called Jean Marchal came to Copenhagen with a travelling theatre troupe. He was so enchanted by the town that after his performances he decided to settle here. Jean Marchal became the personal valet to one of the most illustrious libertines at the time, Count Conrad Danneskiold Laurvig. As a valet he was naturally enrolled in the household of the Royal Court, where he met Maria Coppy, the daughter of the Royal Chef. Jean Marchal fell in love with this young girl, who was a veritable master chef. Her talents in the kitchen were well reputed, and he was skilled in the fine art of waiting on nobility. This is where the story of Hotel D’Angleterre begins.
In the spring of 1755, Mr and Mrs Marchal set up a business by the city lakes where they opened the restaurant called *The Strong Man’s Garden*. The following autumn they moved to Vingårdsstræde near Kongens Nytorv square, close to the metro entrance of the Magasin
du Nord department store. This was where Hotel D’Angleterre was founded, although 30 years were to pass before this name was adopted.
In 1787, the restaurant was sold to the restaurateur Gottfried Rau, who was a talented and visionary man. He was also the host of *The English Club* in Copenhagen and the rules of the club were soon applied to his new establishment. Following the fashion of the day, he changed the name to the French-spoken, Hotel D’Angleterre.
In 1795, the hotel burnt to the ground. Gottfried Rau considered rebuilding it to be too costly, so instead he purchased Grams Gård, the site where Hotel D’Angleterre stands today, just a few metres from the ruins of the original hotel.
During the following years, Hotel D’Angleterre changed hands a couple of times, but the outer appearance remained the same. On the 11th of February 1840, the Danish composer H.C. Lumbye held his debut concert à la Strauss at the hotel, which now became the new concert venue in the city. For years, Hotel D’Angleterre was synonymous with musical entertainment, but when purpose-built concert halls were established, the hotel was no longer the principal concert venue in Copenhagen and instead became the setting for grand, high-society social functions.
The Expansion
Det Kjøbenhavnske Byggeselskab, a construction company headed by the merchant tycoon, C. F. Tietgen, took over the property in 1872 and in doing so proposed bringing Hotel D’Angleterre up to the standard of the most exclusive luxury hotels in Europe.
The new owners conducted an extensive enlargement and refurbishment of Hotel D’Angleterre. Ten metres were added to the main building, and a new wing was constructed along Hovedvagtsgade. In addition, a new two-storey wing was constructed to establish the courtyard where The Palm Court is today. The wing housed what was called The White Hall, which was later renamed The Louis XVI Hall. The hotel was refurnished and modernised to the highest standards. The most successful restaurant owner in Copenhagen, Alexander Vincent, ran this ‘new’ hotel. The chefs, Maître d’Hôtel, and other members of staff were the best in the city. As a novelty in Copenhagen they installed a stove able to keep 1000 plates heated, and they added a wine cellar in the grand French style.
Mr and Mrs Vincent hosted banquets at the hotel’s central restaurant ‘Table d’Hôte Salon’ on a daily basis, and they both dined at the large main table. It wasn’t like being a hotel guest, but more like having the honour of being invited to a distinguished home. Menus were DKK 3 apiece and consisted of soup, fish, a vegetable dish, steak and desert. A small orchestra would entertain the guests during dinner, adding to the friendly atmosphere.
The opening of a new café on the corner where Restaurant D’Angleterre is located today was the most significant change made during the late19th century. A café on the corner of Hovedvagtsgade had long been a part of the establishment, but the management realised that a café on the busy opposite corner would draw a larger crowd. Contrary to the fashion of the time, the café interior was kept in light hues and adorned with an abundance of gold. The café took its name from an American alcohol abuse treatment called The Golden Cure. The café
instantly became a great success, and scuffles over the prime location at the corner window were recurrent daily events.
The area around The Golden Cure was the heart of the city. The streets were an inviting scene of horse-drawn carriages, crinolines, and top hats. There were cafés just as famous in other cities, but none with such an open location on the most popular square in town and with such spectacle surrounding it. In 1915, shortly after the beginning of World War I, the heyday of The Golden Cure came to an abrupt end when the hotel was partially razed by fire.
When Hotel D’Angleterre was rebuilt in its current form, an additional storey was constructed. An impressing glass roof covered the courtyard, and in keeping with international fashion, an elegant palm court was created with palm trees and marble statues. These stylish surroundings were an instant success with the Copenhagen bourgeoisie, who would enjoy afternoon tea dances to music conducted by the best orchestras of the day.
The Years Of war
Naturally, the high spirits at Hotel D’Angleterre were restrained by World War I. Not only did Copenhagen society have to observe new restricted opening hours, the hotel itself was flooded with Russian refugees. At first, the restaurant and *The Palm Court* teemed with life, but when their roubles ran out the samovars would brew in the rooms instead. In the end, the refugees had to move out of their new stately home and into the town.
The Great Depression followed in the wake of World War I. As a luxury hotel, Hotel D’Angleterre was especially vulnerable. No sooner had Hotel D’Angleterre been brought back to former glory before the world once again was plunged into war. The 9th of April 1940 – the day German forces occupied Denmark – also marked the beginning of a new and dismal period for the hotel. The German forces enlisted Hotel D’Angleterre as their Copenhagen headquarters; German officers took over the hotel, and uniformed guards were posted at the entrance.
Field Marshal Rommel stayed at Hotel D’Angleterre during his visit to Copenhagen. As the story goes, a small group of onlookers were still to be found in front of the hotel long after Rommel had departed. This bewildered the soldiers, and one of them sought to inform the onlookers in broken Danish that Rommel had left, but the crowd answered:
‘But we’re not waiting for Rommel; we’re waiting for Montgomery. He’s always hard on his heels, isn’t he?’
Even before World War II, ambitious plans for major refurbishment of the hotel had been put forward by the board of Hotel D’Angleterre. However, these plans were shelved when war broke out.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
At the end of the war, Hotel D’Angleterre stood at a crossroad. Five years of occupation had left its conspicuous mark on the hotel, and the building was in need of extensive and costly refurbishment. This investment had to be weighed against the insecurity that prevailed throughout post-war society.
The board finally gave the go-ahead for major refurbishment in November 1945. This had been a difficult decision to make, but it reflected unwavering optimism, a feeling of humble respect and a sense of responsibility towards the almost 200 years of proud tradition at Hotel D’Angleterre. Quite simply, no one could imagine Copenhagen without Hotel D’Angleterre.
The refurbishment of the old building was considerably more expensive and time-consuming than imagined. 10 years later, when the hotel celebrated its bicentennial in 1955, the banquet facilities were still in dire need of repair. The decades that followed were a time of transition for the hotel, and the hotel changed owners several times.
The New Hotel D’Angleterre
The recession during the late 1980s and early 1990s was a blow to society as a whole, but no sector was harder hit than the hospitality industry. Hotel D'Angleterre only survived by the skin of its teeth and had fallen into disrepair when the hotel group purchased Hotel D’Angleterre in 1993 and presented a straightforward and ambitious plan that reflected the proud traditions of Hotel D’Angleterre. The White Lady was once again to present herself as one of the most prestigious and exclusive in the world.
One of the first initiatives was to restore the magnificent Kongens Nytorv façade to former glory, and the Christmas of 1995 marked the beginning of an entirely new tradition at Hotel D’Angleterre. Thousands of seasonal lights and ornamental fir marked Copenhagen’s most magnificent Christmas decoration. Since then, new seasonal displays have delighted thousands of hotel guests and Copenhageners alike, who all come to Kongens Nytorv to delight in the décor.
The celebrated Danish artist Bjørn Wiinblad was commissioned to design the interior of the restaurant that carried his name until spring 2005. The entire complex of rooms and suites has undergone meticulous restoration and the exquisite Spa and Fitness Centre was opened in February 1996. It features one of Scandinavia’s largest hotel swimming pools, a Jacuzzi, a Turkish bath, and a sauna in addition to state of the art fitness equipment.
In the autumn of 2001, the hotel group re-inaugurated the classic Palm Court with its rich tradition. Europe’s largest glass mosaic ceiling had just been fitted above the largest banquet hall at Hotel D'Angleterre, adding to the magnificent ambience. The mosaic, measuring an impressing 225 sq. metres and weighing more than 30 tons, is created by the famous Italian glass artist Poli, who has formerly undertaken restoration work at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
In the spring of 2005, it was time for change and innovation for the restaurant at Hotel D’Angleterre. A new exclusive concept featuring Italian gold lamps, walls covered with gold foil and hand-made mosaic tables was chosen to replace Bjørn Wiinblad’s blue universe. However, the extensive refurbishment of Hotel D’Angleterre doesn’t stop here – it’s a continuous process. Recent changes include new silk wallpaper in all hotel corridors and a complete refurbishment of the hotel’s 4th floor.
The committed and meticulous care for Hotel D’Angleterre has produced results. In 2006 Hotel D’Angleterre was elected Denmark’s principal hotel at the World Travel Awards for the 3rd time, and the same year the hotel was awarded 5 stars by the famous Michelin Guide. Hotel D’Angleterre has been reinstated as one of the most magnificent hotels in the world thanks to the hotel group’s vision and substantial investment. The story of Hotel D’Angleterre was founded on loving dedication and a sense of hospitality and this story lives on in the third illustrious century of Hotel D’Angleterre.
Hotel D’Angleterre belongs to Remmen Hotels, which apart from Hotel D’Angleterre, also counts the four-star Hotel Kong Frederik and the life style hotel FRONT, as well as Restaurant Copenhagen Corner on the Town Hall Square.
For further information visit: www.remmen.dk and www.dangleterre.com
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