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1 ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES
1 Geographical
Norway and Sweden lie to the west and east of a great ridge which divides
the peninsula, its coastline broken by countless rivers and fjord. Southern Sweden,
Finland, and Denmark are flat and low-lying, with numerous watercourses and lakes.
2 Geological
Sweden has very important deposits of iron and copper, both more significant
to the economic well-being than to its building crafts. The country also has granite,
marble and, in the south, suitable clay for bricks. The Danish earth-crust, like that of
Skne and north Germany, is predominantly boulder clay, and is not surprising that
all these regions brick is the principal building material. Norway, Sweden, and
Finland have vast tracks of forest, and wood is the basis of vernacular architecture
in the three countries.
3 Climatic
Due to the proximity of the sea throughout Scandinavia, and to the influence
of the Gulf Stream and the effects of the prevailing west and south-west winds, the
climate almost everywhere is less harsh than in countries further east of similar
latitude, although the winters are habitually long and severe.
The wide availability of timber, with its effective insulation and weatherresistant properties, and the early development of ingenious wood-construction
techniques counteracted to some extent the rigours of domestic life in the
protracted cold season
4 Political/Historical/Social/ Religious
Scandinavian history in the renaissance period is dominated by the kingdoms
of Denmark and Sweden. Through the union of Kalmar (1397) the three Nordic
kingdoms (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) were united under Danish supremacy. In
Denmark, Copenhagen was established as the capital in 1416; the accession of
Christian I in 1448 marked the foundation of the Oldenburg dynasty, which still
continues on the throne today. Danish history of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries is punctuated by wars with Sweden (1513-23, 1563-70, 1623-15, 1643-5,
1675-1720). The turbulence of the period, which included the reformation and war
with Germany (1625-9), did not prevent the initiation of large public works
programmers under Christian IV (1588-1648), and they were renewed in the more
1. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
1.1
a. Plan
- In renaissance Architecture the plan focused on proportions. Their
structures usually have square and symmetrical plans.
b. Faade
- It also shows symmetry especially in verticals. In domestic buildings, the
faade usually surmounted by cornice. The window openings in each floor
are repeated and parallel to each other. The door is usually placed at the
center.
- In churches the faade is surmounted by pediments. They also put
pilasters, entablatures and arches. All architectural designs is organized
and placed in order to gain a visual proportion and symmetry.
c. Arches
- It was supported by piers or columns with capital. The arches in
renaissance period are semi-circular or segmental. Arches are often used
in arcades.
d. Column and Pilasters
- Renaissance was defined as the revival of classical styles. They still used
the Roman orders of columns, Doric, Ionic Corinthian, Tuscan and
Composite. These orders can either be structural, supporting an arcade or
architrave or as decorative purpose in form of pilasters.
e. Vaults
- The vaults in renaissance are semi-circular or segmental. In gothic they
have ribbed vaults, but in renaissance vaults do not have rib. Domes were
also used frequently that may be as large structural features or as roofing
for small spaces.
f. Ceilings
- Ceilings were just simply flat but they also used coffred ceilings.
g. Doors
2 DENMARK
1 Renaissance Architecture in Denmark
During the reign of Frederick II, Kronborg Castle was designed by two Flemish
architects, Hans Hendrik van Paesschen who started the work in 1574 andAnthonis
van Obbergen who finished it in 1585. Modelled on a three-winged French castle, it
was finally completed as a full four-winged building. The castle burnt down in 1629
but, under orders from Christian IV, was quickly rebuilt under the leadership of Hans
van Steenwinckel the Younger, son of the famous Flemish artist. It is widely
recognized as one of Europe's most outstanding Renaissance castles and is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
While stone buildings became more and more common as town houses,
farms continued to be half-timbered, sometimes in conjunction with a single stone
house. Ordinary people continued to live in half-timbered houses.
Danish country vicarages from this period tended to be built in the same style
as farmhouses, though usually rather larger. A fine example is Klstrup Vicarage
near Kerteminde in north-eastern Funen. The house itself is a thatched halftimbered building with a large rectangular courtyard flanked by outhouses.
2 Notable examples
a
The castle's story dates back to a stronghold, Krogen, built by King Eric
VII in the 1420s. Along with the fortress Krnan, Helsingborg on the
opposite coast of resund, it controlled the entranceway to the Baltic
Sea. From 1574 to 1585 King Frederick II had the medieval fortress
radically transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. The main
architects were the Flemings Hans Hendrik van
Paesschen and Anthonis van Obbergen, whereas the sculptural work
was coordinated by Gert van Groningen. In 1629 a fire destroyed much
of the castle, but King Christian IV subsequently had it rebuilt. In 1658
Kronborg was besieged and captured by the Swedes who took many of
its valuable art treasures as war booty. In 1785 the castle ceased to be
a royal residence and was converted into barracks for the army. The
army left the castle in 1923, and after a thorough renovation it was
opened to the public.
The entrance through the western tower opens into a six-bay nave,
with wide aisles, terminating in a projecting eastern sanctuary. The
vaults are covered with a cross-gabled roof, with large ornamented
gables on the north and south sides.
2. SWEDEN
2.1
The union of Kalmar, which endured for more than a century, was
characterized by constant dissension and wars between Danes and Swedes. In
1520, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway invaded Sweden to enforce his
authority after a spirit of revolt had evinced itself. Having being crowned, however,
he had hundreds of his opponents executed. The mass murders aroused a rebellion
in 1521, led by Gustav Vasa, who became administrator after the successful
rebellion and in 1523, king as Gustav I. Denmark, however, retained possession of
the southern part of the peninsula. Under Gustav, Sweden became hereditary
monarchy in which the power of nobles was circumscribed and that of the clergy
subordinated to the state.
2.2
Notable examples
After the Napoleonic Wars and the loss of Finland, national building
activity was concentrated within the military sector. The Karlsborg
Fortress and the Gta Canal, employing 60,000 men in a 23-year
period, were the largest Swedish building projects of all time.
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After the Rise of Sweden as a Great Power in the 17th century, the
aristocracy began to build again. At the same time, the notion of the
architect was established and the profession developed. Numerous city
palaces and Landschlsser were built following Western European and
above all, french models. Additionally, the building of churches was
resumed.
The palace is built of brick, with midsections of the west, south, and
east faades covered by sandstone.
The 17th century also saw the founding of a number of cities. They
were set out with a regular Grid plan street pattern with central
squares. The exceptions to this are the Danish Skne and in
Gothenburg, which were laid out to Dutch models in 1619 and include
canals. The designs are still recognizable today, even where the
original timber buildings have now perished.
3. NORWAY
3.1
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3.2
Notable examples
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The keep was slightly modified c. 1520, then extensively modified and
expanded in the 1560s by Scottish stonemasons and architects in the
service of Erik Rosenkrantz to attain its present form. Rosenkrantz'
building contained dungeons on the ground floor, residential rooms for
the governor higher up, and positions for cannons on the top floor. In
the 1740s, the tower was converted to a magazine for gunpowder, a
function it served until the 1930s. The whole building has been open to
the general public since 1966. Today, the tower serves primarily as
a tourist attraction.
The name Austrtt is thought to derive from the old Norse terms
for eastern (austr) and direction or (tt), which could be interpreted as
eastbound, or possibly the eastern property.
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4. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fletcher, B. (1896) Sir Banister Fletchers: A History of Architecture 20th
edition. (D. Cruickshank, Ed.) Architectural press
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Scandinavian_art_and_architecture.asp
x
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_architecture#Characteristics_of_
Renaissance_architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Denmark
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenborg_Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Denmark
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenborg_Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Denmark
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