| Town Walk in Elsinore

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Elsinore – the Town of Sound Dues Elsinore is, historically speaking, an international town with a dramatic history. With only approximately four kilometres to Sweden across the Sound, the town has been a ferry town since the Middle Ages, but also a castle town and from 1658 a border town too. For several centuries Elsinore and Malmo competed for the title of second largest city in Denmark and left is, largely due to far-sighted politicians and a very active population in the 1960´s and 70´s, one of Europe’s best preserved town centres. Well-preserved and gently restored buildings lie like a string of pearls in a rectangular, chessboard-like street network from the 15th century. The architectural appearance of individual houses shows styles from the 16th century to the present time. A stroll through the town can be done in an hour and we start this town walk at the Svea Column on the harbour square.
 Elsinore 1859 |
The Harbour Square The Svea Column The Svea Column was erected in 1947. Its inscriptions express the gratitude of the Danes for the hospitality shown the refugees from Denmark by the Swedish state during the Second World War. Among them were many Danish Jews. Today a number of preserved buildings on the east side of the square are missing. After a tragic hotel fire in 1938 the buildings were demolished and the place was converted into a parking lot. The Custom House The solid red building on the harbour square is the Custom House, built in 1891. Formerly here was a warehouse from 1781. The relief of Chr. 7., which is seen over the entrance gate originates from that warehouse. Since the 1970´s the building has functioned as a very active culture centre. Elsinore Station The Elsinore station building is from 1891. It is built in a style known as neo-renaissance. Many foreigners believe that this is Kronborg Castle! Ferry traffic and train traffic is effectively linked here. In an hour and a half a Scanian amuse himself in the entertainment places Bakken and Tivoli or find work opportunities in large parts of the Sound Region. The inhabitants of Elsinore can find low-priced housing in Helsingborg. If we look towards Strandgade, which demarcates the harbour square towards the land side, two mansions from the second half of the 18th century catch the eye. It is the history of the upper classes in Elsinore, which is presented in Strandgade´s facades which face the harbour. The administrators of the Sound Dues, the shipbrokers´ and the merchants´ display of wealth after the end of the Great Nordic War in 1720 Strandgade 95: Stephen Hansen´s Mansion. Built in 1760 in rococo style for war commisioner Stephen Hansen, an important man at The Sound´s Custom House. The mansion is designed by the well-known architect Philip de Lange. Strandgade 93: The Claessenske Mansion. Built in 1793 by ship owner and merchant J.J.Claessen. The building style is a peculiar form of neo-classicism. Strandgade 91: Rasmussen`s Yard is built in 1637 by customs examiner Christen Rasmussen. The anchors in the façade form the initials of the builder and his wife, Kirstine Olufsdatters. The building is known today as the Shipbroker Yard, and is a museum for the time of the Sound Dues. Here is a shop, which sells ”original” goods. In the yard there is, as in the 18th century, a small brewery, which produces the house’s own beer. Strandgade 85-87: The English consul Fenwick´s yard is a series of houses. The front house is from 1600. Above the gate in the yard a cannon ball has been lodged in the wall. It is from the English bombardment in 1801. By the irony of fate they hit their own consul´s yard with this very cannonball Via the narrow, almost claustrophobic, medieval Gl. Færgestræde, we are now going to the town´s main street.
 Oversæt |  The harbour square in Elsinore 2006 |  The Custom House |  The Svea Column |  The Four Inscriptions on the Svea Column |
 Rasmussens Yard 1780 |  Det Claessenske Palæ 1791 |  Stephan Hansen´s House 1760 |
Gl. Færgestræde The street names in Elsinore tell, as in other towns, a great deal of cultural history. In the medieval street network it was Gl. Færgestræde, which led to the ferries. (Færge = Ferry) In the lane chickens and pigs went around rummaging in the garbage the residents had thrown out. You can imagine the stench and Elsinore´s many plagues along with the presence of countless foreign sailors probably be attributed to the eldorado, which was created here for rats and other disease carriers.
Stengade At the mouth of Gl. Færgestrædes in Stengade we are now on the main street. As implied by the name (Sten = stone), it was here that the well-to-do citizens in medieval Elsinore built the first stone houses in the town. Stengade 66: Oxernes´ Yard, built in 1460 by the vassal on the fortress Krogen, Johan Oxe. Later the house was inhabited by “the father of the Danish written language”, Chr. Pedersen, who in the first half of the 16th century, was the first to translate the bible into Danish. Note the comb jagged gable from the original building. . Stengade 64: Dahl`s Yard. This is an exquisite example of the baroque. The yard was constructed by the merchant Nicolai Dahl in 1739 and appears on the whole as when it was constructed. Stengade 59: Elsinore Town Hall Diagonally opposite Dahl´s Yard is the Elsinore Town Hall. It was built in 1855 and monastic bricks form the old town hall, have been used. It was situated in the same place and was built in the 1560`s. Above the entrance you notice two sandstone rosettes from the old town hall featuring the coat of arms of Frederik II and Queen Sofie. The grandiose building is in neo-gothic style. It was built a few years before the abolition of the Sound Dues, at a time, when the town could not foresee the financial torpid state it would sink into. Via another small lane, Brostræde, we now move down to Strandgade.
 Oxerne´s House end |  Baroque House in Elsinore |  Oversæt |
Brostræde The name of this lane (bro= bridge or landing stage) has the same maritime origin as Færgestræde. It led down to the landing stages, which made up the original harbour of the town. Today the small lane is internationally known, especially among children, for here we find the ice cream shop, where you can buy Elsinore’s famous Brostræde ice cream.
 Brostræde |
Strandgade- from North East to South West Strandgade is several centuries younger than Stengade (Strand = beach or seashore). The seashore line was earlier much closer to Stengade and it was not until the town wall was built in 1620 that the area began to look like a street. On the corner of Brostræde and Strandgade is: Strandgade 77-79: The old Swan Pharmacy. The original house is from around 1500 and built in late-gothic style. From 1578 it was the town´s pharmacy. On the facade you see swans and a sundial. The anchors form the year 1634 and the builder´s initials, alderman, Johan Kruse and his wife. The house stopped functioning as a pharmacy around 1970. We continue right by Strandgade with the harbour to our left. Strandgade 71: Marstrand´s Marine Stores from 1847 is a fine example of a shop dating back to the Sound Dues. Strandgade 55: Barber Jacob Willumsen´s yard is a renaissance house built in 1592 shortly after Kronborg was built. It is said that one af Frederik II´s Flemish artisans did this… The house is probably one of Elsinore’s most beautiful renaissance houses and has been listed. Over the neighbour house, Strandgade 53, you can see a wing pole with three crowns on top of each other. They testify to the 100 years after 1750, when the building housed the Swedish consul general. Strandgade 39: Nowadays a modern house. An earlier house on this lot was from the 18th century and was owned for long periods of time by Elsinore’s Jews. Around 1800 it was the Jewish school and synagogue. Strandgade 27: The oldest dated half timbering building in Elsinore and one of the most interesting houses in town. As the year on the entrance says, the house is from 1577 and housed for many years the public house, ”Ankeret.” (The Anchor). Notice the leaves and the keel arches, which have been carved in the woodwork. Notice the sharp bend, which breaks off Strandgade here. Strandgade 19-21: Once housed the hostelry and the public house "Norske Løve." (Norwegian Lion). The house was built in 1770 by a ferryman and has through the 19th and 20th century been subjected to a number of rebuilding, including 1980, where number 19 was markedly separated from number 21 and got back its original half timbered facade back. The process is an example of how the old houses in Elsinore are restored. The residents photographed the 3 phases of the work. See the pictures below: Strandgade 1: The house was built in the 1760´s and has, until the abolition of the Sound Dues in 1857, always been inhabited by ferrymen. From 1801-1807, for instance, by the bold and infamous pirate, privateer and adventurer Jens Lind, who was particularly known for his fearless effort during the war against England 1807-14 and for a voyage to Russia in a snowstorm in a small open dinghy. We leave the house of ”the bold ferryman” and takes a few steps back. Here we find Gyldentræde, which is the last of the transverse lanes, which lead from Strandgade to Stengade. We walk up Gyldenstræde and left by Anna Queenstraæde.
 The Swan Pharmacy |  Marstrand´s provisioning shop |  Strandgade |  The Anchor |  Strandgade 19 restauration 1 |
 Strandgade 19 restauration 2 |  Strandgade 19 restauration 3 |  Privateer Jens Lind´s house |
Gyldenstræde, Anna Queenstræde og Skyttenstræde Gyldenstræde has been named after the merchant Knud Gylden, who owned the house Gyldenstræde 2 in the period 1736 - 1771. Between Gyldenstræde and Skyttenstræde we have the small picturesque lane, Anna Queenstræde, which has been named after the merchant Hans Quies widow. The merchant owned most of the houses in the lane. Anna Queenstræde 2 is most likely built in the 17th century and in the 18th century it housed a brewery and a distillery. At the end of Anna Queenstræde we turn left by Skyttenstræde. The lane is named after the generation Skyts, who inhabited the corner house facing Stengade in the beginning of the 18th century. The small houses in the lane was rented flats in the 17th century, but was later bought by ferrymen and fishermen. We walk through this snug lane and turn right by Stengade.
The Middle of Stengade Stengade 20: Mayor Iver Pedersen´s yard on the corner of Skyttenstræde is from the 17th century. The building is one of the few of the many half timbered houses, which are left from the Renaissance in Elsinore. Notice the carved keel arches, flowers and acanthus leaves in the woodwork. Stengade 40: ”Jochm Langens House” The inscription in Low German over the door reads translated: ”The honest man Jochm Langen let this house build in the year 1604, February 3. Where God does not give his blessing on the house, everybody works in vain” Notice here also the carvings in the woodwork. Stengade 46: "The Swedish Consulate”. Built in classicistic style approx. 1784 for the the Swedish general consul. The building is crowned at the top with a shield carrying the Swedish King Gustaf´s initials. In a room on the first floor the French army commander Bernadotte abjured his Catholic faith in 1810 and converted to Protestantism in order to become king of Sweden. The building was taken over by the Royally Privileged Shooting Society in Elsinore, hence the initials over the gateway. Stengade 53: "Hotel Øresund". Originally this house was medieval, but it has been rebuilt several times, latest in 1904. Above the corner window is a text tablet with a Low German inscription in memory of the plague in 1654. Translated into English it says: "Many are annoyed by what he sees, but must nevertheless tolerate that it happens in 1654". In 1771 the building was converted into a hostelry, the finest in town. The hotel enterprise continued all the way to the 1960´s. Now we turn left by Bjergegade.
 Stengade-Skyttenstraede |  The Swedish consulate in Elsinore |
Bjergegade The name stems from a rise in the street.
Axeltorv The Square was established after a fire in 1864. Formerly vegetables, meat and fish were bought other places in town. Now market days are Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. And so we turn left by Sudergade.
Sudergade Suder is from Low German and means ”cobbler.” The cobblers stayed here, which formerly was the outskirts of town, because of the stench from the tanning of the leather.
Sct. Annagade – The Monastery Complex Sct. Annagade 38: The Karmeliter Monastery is from the latter half of the 15th century and the best preserved medieval monastery in Northern Europe. After the Reformation in 1536 it has, among other things, served as a hospital and grammar school. Now it houses the administration for the diocese authorities in Elsinore. Sct. Annagade 38: The Church of Saint Mary, which is part of the monastery complex, was administratively separated from this and converted into Elsinore´s “German church” for the many Germans and Dutchmen, who lived and worked in town. The church organ is a big attraction. It is from 1663, where the organist was the famous composer Diederich Buxtehude. The church gives many organ concerts for a large audience. Sct. Annagade 36: The Karmeliter House was converted into a hospital by the Karmeliter monks in 1516 an had room for 8-10 beds intended for foreign seamen. In 1630 Elsinore town bought the building and converted it into a workhouse for up to a hundred poor wretches, who were occupied with spinning, repairing ropes and the like in wretched conditions. The house had this function until 1902. Today the building houses the Elsinore Town Museum. Now we walk down Hestemøllestræde with the monastery on our left.
 Oversæt |  The Karmelite Monastery |
Hestemøllestræde – Wibroe´s Brewery In Elsinore, like in most Danish towns the distance from the church to the public houses, has never been far. On the corner of Hestemøllestræde and Sophie Brahesgade there is a building, which is the last remnant of Wiibroe´s Brewery´s plant here. The building is from 1862 and built by the founder of the brewery, Carl Wiibroe. In the 19th century the beer production went from home brew to large scale industrial production. In Elsinore this development led to the making of one of the largest workplaces in the town: Wiibroe Brewery. It became a part of the industry, which became the lifeline in Elsinore after the abolition of the Sound Dues. The corner of Hestemøllestræde and Sophie Brahes Gade earlier housed an estate inhabited by Tycho Brahe´s sister and research assistant, Sophie, who the street has been named after. We take this street and turn left in to the church square.
 Wiibroe Beer |
Sct. Annagade - Sct. Olai Kirke – Buxtehude´s House Sct. Annagade 12: St. Olai Church, Elsinore´s Cathedral, is originally a one-nave, Roman brick church built in the period 1200-1250. In the North wing you can see 20 meters of wall from the original building. Around 1560 the church had the appearance it has today, but for a period from 1615 the church had an impressive 50 meters tall spire, called “Elsinore´s Virgin”. Unfortunately the wind blew it down in 1737. Sct. Annagade 6: The composer Buxtehude´s house. The front building is from 1682; but parts of it are from the Middle Ages. The house functioned as an organist home for St. Olai Church, where Buxtehude´s father was the organist. Buxtehude himself lived in the original house, while he was the organist at the Church of St. Mary from 1660-1668. Later the house became a public house and a butcher´s shop, and today it is living quarters. From the church square a small passage leads back to Stengade, where we shall see a couple of noteworthy houses from the Renaissance.
 Saint Anne Street in Elsinore |  Buxtehude in Lübeck |
Stengade – Renaissance Houses Stengade 72 - 74: In everyday language: The Judge´s Estate, is built in late Gothic style and is also called The Lejele+s Estate. It is built in the 16th century by the Scottish family The Lejele. Two members of this family, father and son, both became mayors in Elsinore. The Latin inscription on the facade means translated:”My saviour lives and on the Last Day I shall rise from the earth and in my flesh see God, my saviour” Stengade 76: Customs officer David Hansen’s estate, built in 1579 is a well-preserved, commoner’s Renaissance house. The customs officer never lived here himself, but rented it to Chr.IV’s financial advisor, Jonas Charisius. We continue to the end of Stengade, which ends in Wiibroe´s Square.
 Dommergården |  Tolder David Hansens Gård |
Wiibroe´s Square Here was The Sound´s Custom House, designed by N. Basse in 1740. It was demolished in 1860, after the abolition of the Sound Dues. The lion in the middle of the square was part of a fountain, which was placed in front of the customs house. This square is dominated by two mansion-like buildings, which both were built by officials at the customs house. Stengade 81: Trentwedel´s Estate, also built in 1770 in rococo style for passport scribe J.F. Trentwedel, who was mostly known for his poor discharge of his office. Today the building is called: ”Færgegården” and houses several restaurants. Stengade 83: Customs Commissioner Frantz von der Osten´s mansion, built 1770 in rococo style. We will now proceed to the harbour, to the right and are back at the harbour square. Here we end the town walk.
 Wibroe´s Square |  The Custom House 1742 |  The Harbour |
Map and link

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Den florissante by

| | In the end of the 18th century it was the eagerness to build, which came from the top civil servants and the merchants. |
The Florissant Period Elsinore was markedly debilitated by the war and the plague in the beginning of the 18th century and in 1735 there were only around 3400 inhabitants. But henceforth it entered, like the country as a whole, a time of prosperity, which lasted the rest of the century. The time is known as the Florissant Period and refers to a flowering in connection with a rise in the foreign trade and to a lesser extent a development of the economic life. In the case of Elsinore it was primarily a question of increased earnings and trade as a consequence of an increase of the thoroughfare in the Sound. This may be illustrated with a number of key numbers. In the 16th century no more than 300 ships passed through, in the 17th century the number was 1500, and in 1750 the number is approximately 5000 ships yearly, in the 1790´s approximately 10.000. During the Napoleonic Wars the number drops catastrophically, but in the 1840´s the number is 20.000 ships yearly. The income from the Sound duty, which until 1771 went directly into the king´s private chest was in the 1730´s around 200.000 rix dollars, in 1780-1790´s around 500-600.000 rix dollars.
 Elsinore |  Profile of Elsinore, 1754 |  Prospectus from 1763 |  Map From 1778 |
The Supply Situation In a regulation of June 25th 1735 all prefects were instructed to send in surveys of the economical situation in the provinces and the towns. The interest was concentrated around “Wherein any town and district´s trade and business consist”. In a general report, written by the aldermen Andreas Becker and G. Hvid, the state of the town was briefly described, for instance that the surrounding agricultural areas produced corn to the extent of approximately 500 barrels of seed, that meat was imported from Scania and foods in general from other provinces. Thus the town was not able to live on the valleys of the surrounding areas. Only a few larger companies were mentioned, a tannery and a tobacco spinning mill. The guild organized trades were enumerated and a big problem was evidently “...the intervention from moonlighters and soldiers and the garrison, which easier can give their work for sale, than taxes, which are prescribed and commanded”. Six merchants in the town complained that brewers, workmen and ferrymen, besides doing their job also traded uncontrollably and they suggested a tightening of the regulations for business practices in the town. Perhaps that was also contributory to the fact that the establishing of a merchants´ guild. At first only with Danish members
The Commercial Thinking Another report is interesting because it held improvement suggestions in harmony with the commercial thinking of the age, where they tried to achieve a positive trade balance through aiming at private production and self-sufficiency, most often in the form of monopolies on foreign trade and production enterprises. This view point is expressed in the paragraph 12 of the report: “All over we should try not only to preserve the money in the country, but channel them, so we can earn something of the foreigners, which is the gains and the advantage, of which there is no doubt the country will prosper the most”. Self-sufficiency was thus the leading theme, but in paragraph 6 the significant coupling of business and social politics is evident: “The poor, which are found in great numbers in the streets, could be provided for in this manner, when they were employed for the work, which they do best, where manufacturers are established and continued, here the old and the disabled earn their support and earn their bread, by spinning, by carding wool and other work, which is to be found, and perhaps at first it will seem difficult and unaccustomed, it will be best in time, when the poor provide for themselves by working instead of finding their living by begging.” Such a policy had been practised since the time of Christian IV in the state businesses, which produced luxury textiles. One single attempt was done, when a number of orphans were referred to the rifle factory in Hellebæk. Moreover the mayor Tevis Wilde suggested in 1770 to establish a cotton-spinning mill with the poor as labour, but it did not come off.
The English Merchants A reference to foreign inhabitants in paragraph 8 is relevant, because the town mistrusted the growing number of foreigners, primarily English merchants, who profited from the increasing thoroughfare and trade of the time. The took over most of the trade with English ships, refused under the cover of consular status to pay taxes and had problems with the established merchants´ guild of 1744. One interesting example was the sea captain John Daniel Belfour, who wanted to establish himself as a merchant in the town in 1786 and seeks membership in the merchants´ guild. He was refused, but then he applied the chancellery for the right to run a business outside the guild. He was refused, but the central power ordered that he be admitted in the guild after he had taken a trade licence. Belfour was an interesting figure because he did not only stick to the trade, but also invested productively in a Dutch gin Brewery and a tannery. Brewery was a freebooter area, because many, who were organized in other guilds, performed this function. Belfour was thorough, called in Dutch specialists and obtained a loan from the state. The business was good, in one single month he was able to sell 21.536 quarts and the success continued, in spite the fact that the spirit brewers in Elsinore complained about him in 1799. Belfour was an active gentleman, who did not let himself be stopped by the resistance of the guilds in this and other areas.
Jean Jacob Claessen Another figure deserves mentioning. The merchant Jean Jacob Claessen came from a rich family, his father was mentioned in 1756 as the only one in town, who owned ships for foreign trade, and like him he married into another prominent family in town, the van Deurs family. In 1784 he applied for the laying out of a shipyard with a matching anchor smithy and ropewalk. The shipyard did not come off, but it is interesting that Claessen attains a special position in relation to the smithy and ropewalker guilds, which at the time did not exist in Elsinore. Claessen also had plans for a bigger harbour, which could promote the foreign trade, but the state did not wish to support this activity. In 1764-67 the first real harbour was built, the existing ships´ bridge was extended, added an arm and in addition built a northern arm. An extension did not take place until 1824.
 The Harbour |
Other Industrial Businesses Other early industrial businesses in the century were lacquer factories, a hard cloth and cotton wool factory, a starch and powder factory (1785), a soap factory, a vinegar factory and a tobacco factory. None of these had a lasting importance in contrast to a couple of sugar refineries, which were built form 1760-70, and Adam Späth´s beautiful rococo building at Svingelport still exists, as an example of early trade building.
 Sugar Refinery |
New Buildings The rising activity and trade towards the middle of the 18th century marked the town in different ways. In the years 1740-42 the customs building was built, designed by the architect N. Basse in a baroque-rokoko style, which also marks other contemporary buildings in town. The increased wealth can also be seen in the extensive building of new, large private houses around the town.
 Rasmussens Yard 1780 |  Det Claessenske Palæ 1791 |  Stephan Hansen´s Palæ 1760 |  Oversæt |  The Custom House 1742 |
 Painting of the Custom House |
Ferrymen and Public Houses The Flourishing period made the many ferrymen and pub landlords in Elsinore prosper. In Elsinore´s ”new” street south part you can still see a number of these solid built half-timbering houses. In the 1970´s there was an interest in keeping and restoring these historical houses. For example the public house "Ankeret" i Strandgade 27 and the public house "Norske Løve" in Strandgade 19-21.
 The Anchor |  Strandgade 19 restoration 1 |  Strandgade 19 restauration 2 |  Strandgade 19 restauretaion 3 |
The Monastery

| | Our Lady Monastery in Elsinore was built during the second half of the 15th century. It is very well preserved and is thus unique in Europe. It is a fine example of the Baltic Gothic. |
The Karmelite Monastery The first monasteries were placed in the country and it was not until the emergence of the mendicant orders that monasteries were placed in towns. This development continued in the 15th century, when Karmelite monasteries were founded in the Sound region. The Karmelites had their origin among hermits in the mountain Karmel in the holy land and in 1226 the pope approved the Karmelite order. The Karmelite order was one of the strictest in the Catholic Church and they started early with monastery schools. Gradually the severe monastery rules were lessened, but in the 16th century they were tightened again. The Karmelite monks were well educated and their monasteries were to contribute to increased knowledge and education in the town. Karmelite monasteries were founded in Landskrona in 1410 and in Elsinore in 1430.
 Monasteries in the Towns |  Karmelite Monk |
The Elsinore Monastery The late medieval monastery building in Elsinore is the best preserved and worth a closer study. It was Erik of Pommern, who donated the land to the monastery and the pole approved of the plans in 1431. After a fire in 1450 they had to rebuild the monastery, which was a time-consuming and expensive undertaking. A large monastery building like that was expensive to run, but the royal power supported the activities and it was also a common with soul gifts.
Poul Laxmand The vassal in Krogen in Elsinore, Poul Laxmand, donated 100 Lübeck mark to the monastery. Poul Laxmand was at the time the richest landowner in the country and he made several donations. 10 year after the first donation you could read in a letter that Lawmand had donated nine hundred Lubeck mark Danish money, ”for which a monastery’s church and cloister was built with the help of many good people”.
The Chancellor He also possessed the most prominent position in the kingdom. He was chancellor, which meant that he functioned as liaison between the king and the parliament. He was murdered in the street in Copenhagen in 1497. The king, Hans, felt that Laxmand in fact had been a traitor and confiscated all his property. Poul Laxmand was buried in the Our Lady Church in Elsinore and you can see his family’s coat of arms in the monastery. The chapter hall has been named after him; it is simply called ”The Laxmand Hall”.
 Poul Laxmand |
Poul Helgesen Poul Helgesen was born in Varberg in Halland and in time became one of the most important persons in the Karmelite monastery. He was attached to the monastery in 1517 and in 1519 became the principal of the college in Copenhagen. He taught at the university and form 1522-44 he was the leader of the Karmelites in the North. Poul Helgesen was a defender of the Catholic Church until the Reformation in 1536. But he also fought for the internal reformation and development.
After the Reformation After the Reformation in 1536 the Karmelite monastery stopped functioning as a monastery and became a hospital for the old and sick. It is said that the monks had to get tithe and handouts to run the hospital. The old monks were allowed to stay on and adapt to the new situation.
 The Skibby Chronicle |
Architecture The Our Lady Monastery in Elsinore is unusually well preserved. It was built and rebuilt in the latter half of the 15th century.
 Oversæt |
The Ground Plan The ground plan was typical for the monastery buildings of southern Europe. The different wings in the almost square building had different functions. The economy department with cooking facilities was in the north wing and the monastery church (The Mary Church) in the south. Inside is a roofed cloister, which goes all the way round the square inner yard.
 Ground Plan |  Administration |  The Karmelite Monastery |  The Cloisters |  The Frater Hall |
Baltic Gothic The building material is brick, which is typical of the north European or Baltic Gothic. The three naves in the church are also typical of the north European style, where the middle nave does not let in the light. This half basilica style testifies to the influence of the Wend Hanseatic towns and is also present in the Mary Church in Helsingborg, which was built at the same time as the Our Lady Monastery. Gothic pointed arches can be seen everywhere in doors, windows, house ends and in the cloister. The ends of the church are a display of brick Gothic’s architecture. The east and west end have stair formed edges with four vertical dims on each side of the 11 metres tall middle window. Above this window and above the side windows there are broader dimmers with varying patterns (circular, pear shaped and pointed arches). Inside the monastery the gothic vaults and columns are richly varied. Most common are the simple cross vaults, which are in the church and in the cloister, but in the chapter hall (Laxmand hall) there are sophisticated net vaults with inlaid symbols and coat of arms. Some ornaments, done by the sculptor Adam van Düren, are in the chapter hall. He built Glimmingehus and he also restored Lund´s Cathedral. With this artist we are brought nearer a new age and in the monastery there are many things, which testifies to the dawning age of the Renaissance. One example is the stone building opposite the entrance of the monastery church, and which was attached to the monastery from the start. The building is interesteing as it contains elements from the Gothic as well as the Renaissance. On the house end there are horizontal profile bands and vaulted sides, which are typical of the renaissance style.
 The west house |  The West House End |  The West House End |  The East House End |  The Monastery from the west |
The Chapter Hall In the inner rooms of the monastery there is an abundant variation in Gothic vaults and pillars. The simple cross vault is predominant in the church and corridors, while the chapter hall or the Laxmand hall has sophisticated net vaults with engraved symbols and coats of arms. Ornamental figures in the corners remind the noble karmelite monks of the temptations of earthly life. The originator of these figures and the other sandstone work is probably the sculptor and architect Adam van Düren, who also is in charge of the building of the late medieval castle Glimmingehus in Østerlen in Scania and later the restoration of Lund Cathedral.
 The Laxmand Hall |  Memento Mori |  Madonna Figure |
Dawning Renaissance Adam van Düren portends another age. The Karmelite monastery is a traditional medieval building, but many traits in the ornamentation point towards the dawning Renaissance. Not only the monastery points toward a new age. Diagonally opposite the monastery church there is a stone building, which originally is associated with the activities of the monastery. When you walk around in the building you enter the Renaissance from the Middle Ages. On the western gable end, which faces St. Annægade, and represents a later addition you will see the horizontal profile bands, which is typical of the Renaissance. The northern gable facing the monastery complex is ornamented with the fluctuating gable ends typical of the Renaissance. These can also be found in mansions and royal castles later in time.
 The Carmelite House |  The Carmelite House, the north end |
The Mary-motif There are not many Mary motifs in the murals in the monastery. The apocalyptic Madonna is portrayed in a medallion in the vault in the chapter hall, the Annunciation can be seen close to the entrance to the church and Mary with the halo is portrayed in a mural in the dining hall.
 Annunciation |  Reading Mary |  Mary in Refulgence |
The Lazarus Hall In the dining hall (The Lazarus Hall) you can see a picture of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. In a text band it says in Latin: ”Give me something to drink”. Another picture depicts how Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert. Satan tries to lure Jesus into using his divinity to make bread out of stones.
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The Lazarus Frieze The dining hall is situated in the north wing of the monastery and is also called the Lazarus hall. This is due to the frieze, which dominates the room and represents the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
 The Rich Man and Lazarus |  The Rich Man |  Lazarus |  The Rich Man Goes to Hell |  Lazarus Goes to Heaven |
The Table Scene The picture shows the rich man in the place of honour and presents as unusual insight into the customs around the year 1500. The shoes are the latest fashion at the time and the cut of the dress points toward Italian fashion in the period 1450-70. It has also been suggested that the artist may be Italian, perhaps a monastery friar, who has been summoned to carry out this job? You also notice the details around the table manners of the time: The flat wooden plates, or perhaps slices of bread used as plates and the smaller loaves, which was used to spoon up the food. A knife could be used, but the fork hasn´t been invented yet. The scene with the rich man has been interpreted differently. He is without a doubt a fashion devotee, but who is at his side? Two women, but is one of them his wife? That should be the one on the left and why is he holding the other one´s hand? There is no final answer to this, but there is a hint of carnal lust here. The somewhat primitive and perspective reproduction points toward the Renaissance.
Rich and Poor The perspective reproduction can also be seen in the second picture in the frieze, where Lazarus is in agony outside the rich man´s door. A servant throws him crumbs from the rich man´s table, while another with his hand over his facet ries to hold off the stench from the open wounds. In picture three the rich man´s death is depicted. The picture illustrates how difficult it is for him to get into heaven. He lies in his bed surrounded by friends, but also devils, who try to take possession of his soul. The poor Lazarus in picture four on the other hand, is almost automatically granted access to Heaven. The fifth and sixth picture in the series are like pictures three and four placed over each other, but are badly preserved. The probably depict the poor man resting in Abraham´s lap and below the rich man in Hell.
Interpretation The frieze has also been interpreted as an eternal reminder to the Karmelite monks to be moderate, but also as a reminder of how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God. Perhaps it is only God´s absolution, which can save you. The Lazarus motif was well liked around the 16th century, when they stressed the inadequacy of deeds for salvation. The vault in the south nave of the church are decorated with an extensive collection of murals, which show scenes from the life of Jesus and they have probably been painted in connection with the rebuilding in the end of the 15th century.
In the Church The vault in the south nave of the church are decorated with an extensive collection of murals, which show scenes from the life of Jesus and they have probably been painted in connection with the rebuilding in the end of the 15th century.
 Hans Pothorst |  Delff; a painter |
The Music Hall The Garden of Eden is depicted in the so-called music hall, which is more like an emergency church, from where you could attend the service through a hole in the wall. The room is decorated from the floor to the ceiling like a paradisiacal bower with angels making music and grotesque figures around the leaves.
 Harp Sound |  Music Motif |  Music Motif |
Grotesques The nave also holds a number of characteristic masks as a part of the ornamentation of the church. These can be interpreted as profane everyday comments, which contrast the deeds of the pious Karmelites.
 Grotesque Figures |
Buxtehude

| | Buxtehude ended his career as an organist in Lübeck in northern Germany. This picture is from there. Before Buxtehude was a good example of a Sound citizen, who worked on both sides of the Sound, in spite of war and trouble in the area. |
Buxtehude – A Sound Citizen It is difficult to say how the man in the street experienced Scania´s abrupt transition to Sweden at the peace treaties in 1658 and 1660. In paragraph 9 in the Roskilde peace treaty it was stated that all estates in Scania had the right to maintain their distinctive cultural characteristics and inherited rights, so nothing prevented them from living as they had done before. Furthermore it was difficult to say how much nationality meant for the individual. Sweden as well as Denmark was at this time complex – in reality multinational states, which to some extent demanded some loyalty from their citizens, but hardly a national disposition in the modern sense. That came with Romanticism’s worship of the nation and the people at the end of the 18th century. The example of the composer Diderich Buxtehude may illuminate this connection. Posterity has not succeeded in establishing where he was born – in Holstein, Elsinore or Helsingborg – in any case he was born in an area, which belonged to the Danish state around 1637. His father, Johannes Buxtehude came from Oldesloe in Holstein – to where he probably had emigrated originally. In 1638 he became an organist at the Maria Church in Helsingborg. In the years 1638-41 the father worked in Helsingborg and here Diderich had some childhood years. In 1642 the father was the organist at the St. Olai Church in Elsinore, where he was active until around 1670. Diderich Buxtehude thus spent his childhood and youth in Helsingborg and Elsinore.
Music with Class During the first half of the 17th century the musical scene at the Danish court and in the major churches was of a very high standard. (It is to be remembered that the court and the churches at that time were the most important customers, when it came to music and thus the music scene evolved around these institutions). Names like Heinrich Schütz and John Dowland are still remembered. Schütz was a church musician in Copenhagen and there he established the court orchestra. Dowland, a famous lutanist and composer, was a court musician. He lived in Elsinore. Johann Lorentz worked during the first half of the 17th century as a royal organ builder and he built or rebuilt all the important organs in the Sound region in a quite conservative renaissance style, a style, which then were represented by Schütz and Dowland. One of the most important remnants of Lorentz´s activity is in the organ facade in the Holy Trinity Church in Kristianstad.
New Organs Diderich Buxtehude followed his father’s footsteps and became the organist in the Maria Church in Helsingborg. In 1660 he applied for and got the organist post in Elsinore´s Maria Church. Probably because this post was better paid and by taking it he came closer to the rest of his family. In the time up to 1668, where he went to Lübeck to apply for a post there, he lived in the same house as his mother and father. The house still stands. Simultaneously the old Lorenz organs were modernized in a modern Baroque style, a style, which was represented musically by Diderich Buxtehude. The German organ builder did the modernization and he was the man behind the building and rebuilding of organs in Copenhagen, Elsinore, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Landskrona and Malmo. Diderich Buxtehude experienced and participated in a very active renewal of the music scene through the new building, which was made. Two years after he had moved to Elsinore he came back to Helsingborg to supervise the rebuilding of the organ in the Maria Church. This indicates that the Swedish takeover in Scania in 1658 did not affect the music scene right away.
 The Maria Church in Helsingborg |  Saint Anne Street in Elsinore |  The Old Organ |  Buxtehude |  Choir Organ in the Mariakyrkan (Church of St, Mary) |
Connections over the Sound In his time in Elsinore Buxtehude kept in close touch with Swedish as well as Danish officials. The only piece of music we know of that Buxtehude wrote in his time in Elsinore, is from 1665 and dedicated to Christoffer Schneider, a Swedish postmaster and later consul resident in Elsinore. From his time in Elsinore Buxtehude also was friendly with the Swedish court conductor and organist Gustav Büben. Perhaps it was on his request that Buxtehude composed the wedding cantata to the wedding between Carl XI Gustav and his Danish queen Hedvig Eleonora in 1680.
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 | | Large | Aperte mihi portas iustitiae, Elsinore 1665. (Diderik Buxtehude) |
 | | Large | Aria sopra le Nozze di Sua Maesta il Re de Svecia (1680). Diderik Buxtehude |
In Lübeck In 1668 Buxtehude moved to Lübeck, probably for career reasons, but also to get away from the meagre financial circumstances in the devastated Sound region. The three Maria Churches in Helsingborg, Elsinore and Lübeck are the main threads in his life. Even though he spent most of his active life in Lübeck and even though he achieved fame and honour there, he never forgot his roots by the Sound. That was why the periodical “Nova litteraria Maris Balthici” could claim in 1707: “He considered Denmark his native country” (Patriam agnoscit Daniam). Diderich Buxtehude´s career as a composer and an organist culminated in Lübeck and great composers like Händel and Bach came and listened to his music. He was especially renowned for his “Lübecker Abendmusiken”, which were concerts in connection with the evensong before Christmas. He wrote new organ works for this every year.The Judge´s Estate

| | Elsinore can show examples of distinguished commoner´s houses from the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, where the town flourishes and is considerably enlarged. Here is the row of houses in Stengade 70-76, where a late Gothic stone house, the present magistrate´s office, is succeeded by af gable house with typical style traits from the Renaissance.
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Renaissance Houses The building of Kronborg was founded on a practical cooperation between the royal power, the town and many hired craftsmen, who lived in Elsinore. The activities surrounding the building, but even the increasing trade and the business brought in by the Sound duty, led to the increase of the population. This also led to a clear element of foreign inhabitants, for instance Germans, Dutchmen and Englishmen. This meant that new houses had to be built. Some of the houses had a direct connection to the work in Kronborg. This was the case with for instance the customs officer David Hansen’s house in Stengade 76, built in 1579. Jörgen Kock built a stone house in Malmo around 1525 – an early example of the affluent resources of the upper classes. The house still has the staircase house ends of the Gothic, but the horizontal bands of sand stone and the decorations of the house end front anticipates the entry of the renaissance style.
 Stengade 70 - 76 |  Stengade 76 |  Hansen´s Epitaph |  Strandgade |  Malmo |
 Kock´s House, Malmø |
From Duty to Industri

| | It wasn´t until 1882, when Elsinore Iron Shipyard was opened that development picked up speed and from here on you could really talk of an industrial breakthrough.
The shipyard with Mads Holm leading it involved extensive investments, an increased mechanization and a great need for labour. Around 700 workers were employed in the beginning and of them 300 from abroad. |
Elsinore “Take a town like Hillerød... No, leave it; but take Elsinore! A small, strange nest, isn’t it? Pressed together under tall hills along the sea, which lifts Kronborg imposingly on a shield, Kronborg, which seems to crush both church and town hall and the new railway station. A jolly town, with a “salty “ mark on its inhabitants and buildings. Everything smells of the sea – the town has serves a small area and has to trust itself. It has done so in spite of the ups and downs of fate. What Marsk Stig and the Hanseatic towns and the Swedes, the plague and fires has been able to do, has been done; the town has endured – until the year 1857, where the Sound Duty was banned. That was a blow – and that in the time of my romantic s boyhood and holiday. Then the cheerful town suddenly changed its look – the old houses crumbled down – the large families split up – the upstarts gloated in secret; and often I stopped in the narrow street, to where the eastern wing of Hotel d´Øresund faces, and philosophically read the old inscription on the stones in the wall: Manchem verdrueht, es, was er sieht, Und muss doch leiden, das geschieht. Now the town has pulled itself together, or is on its way. The position is excellent, the harbour is superb, the energy lifts its head – the future belongs to the big iron ship- and machine shipyard, which gives work to many hands, feeds the many mouths. There is keen competition with the capital, and something “edgy” has taken its place alongside the salt. You can feel it politically, socially, commercially; there is movement in the old nest, and no matter how conservative the town is, the breeze from the sea sweeps in and puts the mind and thoughts in motion. Nowhere in the world the flags are flown so often as in Elsinore. Stengade smartens itself up at any opportunity – the garrison remembers any little feat – but these waving flags are also the expression of the decorative traditions of the population. But the great days of the custom-house are never forgotten, when the money rolled and champagne corks popped loudly. They have their saga to live on – and it gives them an appetite to show off. The melancholy is washed down with Wiibroe ale – they lick their lips and think: The champagne will come again!” With this description Holger Drachmann characterizes the development, which took place in Elsinore in the course of the 19th century, the transformation from Sound Duty town to modern industrial town.
 Elsinore 1859 |  The Old Pharmacy |
Elsinore new Town Hall Elsinore new Town Hall was finished in 1855. Previously it had been the object of a heated debate, which wasn´t or isn´t unusual, when major changes were on the agenda. The reason for the new building was that the old town hall from the 16th century was in need of a renovation of the jail. On the way they realized that a rebuildig like that required that the old town hall had to be demolished. The debate was whether the new Town Hall should be built in Axeltorv. Finally the new Town Hall was built where the old one had been, but they didn´t avoid the budget excesses, known from the the present time. Had they known in 1854/55 that the Sound Duty would disappear just two years later, the town probably wouldn´t have had such an impressive building.
 Elsinore Town Hall 1830 |  Elsinore Town Hall 1855 |  Elsinore Town Hall 2007 |
For more than 400 years the town’s life and development had been closely linked to the trade and the administration, which was brought on by the Sound Duty. With the abolition of the Sound Duty in 1857 a new epoch in the history of the town was ushered in. In spite of the sudden transition, which was marked by the banishment of the Sound Duty, it was a change, which had been underway for a long time. As early as the end of the 18th century people tried to start larger enterprises on private initiative, often in conflict with the influential interests of the guilds. Individuals like the Englishman J.D. Balfour and J.J. Claessen were pioneers, who also invented new production methods, but the big plans of starting the shipyard did not come off, and an enlargement of the harbour paid by the state did not start before the 1820´s and was mostly to the benefit of the activities, which was attached to the custom-house.
The First Industries The first real industrial enterprise with a high degree of mechanisation and division of labour was a gasworks, built in 1853 by the Danish Gas Company, backed by English capital and technology. Second to Odense it was the first gas works in the country, originally intended to renew the street lighting, but in the course of time it also supplied the private and business sector. The gas works was placed in the Grønnehave neighbourhood, which together with the town centre developed into an industrial centre. Here the town’s new waterworks was built and it replaced a plant, which dated all the way back to Frederik 2. In the present Højstrup Godthåb glassworks was situated from 1848 to 1895. Godthåb glassworks and other industries later came to the area. In general this was the first phase of the industrial process, from the end of the 1840´s to the middle of the 1850´s. The development is characterized by some new plants (glassworks, gasworks, tileworks and breweries, and an industry count from the year 1855 showed businesses with 354 employees, of these 20 businesses with more than 6 employees. In the town middle a number of new industrial plants were started. Among other things Carl Wiibroe started as early as 1851 to brew Bavarian beer, which he stored in the casemates in Kronborg castle. In 1862 he bought the site by the harbour, where the remains of the brewery now lay opposite Hestemøllestræde, and where he in 1878 built storerooms and installed engine power. Carl Wiibroe was also very active in the public life, as early as 1842 he was elected to the municipal council, where he became chairman several times around. Another entrepreneur in the town centre was Jens Levin Tvede, who transformed a small distillery in Sudergade to a manufacturing business in Stjernegade, where he made spirits, snaps, yeast and household beer. He was also contributory to the fact that the telephone came into use in Elsinore around 1880. J.L. Tvede was elected town council man in 1857.
 Glass Hut |  Wiibroe Beer |  Tvede´s Factories |
The End of the Duty 1857 In order to lighten the transition from the banishment of the Sound Duty Elsinore got a special appropriation, all in all a sum of 60.000 rix-dollars, which was partly used to the support of the laying out of Marienlyst Seaside Hotel. More important was the enlargement of the harbour in 1862, at which the custom house almost symbolically disappears. With the freedom of trade law the guilds disappeared and gradually also the market town zone, which contributed to the protection of production and trade in a circumference of approximately 15 kilometres. In 1864 the north railway opened with 60.000 passengers a year and a direct link to Copenhagen via Hillerød.
 The Railway Station |  The North Railway |  The North Railway |
Stagnation In spite of these enterprises there was a decline in industry and the increase in the industry census until 1975 was very modest. At this time there were 37 businesses with a total of 478 employees, corresponding to approximately 5% of the labour force. The increase happened in the provision business (spirits, beer, margarine). In the town centre the predominant business were smaller trade businesses. Even though Elsinore, apart from Copenhagen was the most important industrial town in Zealand, it was still very modest and towards the end of the 1870´s the development stagnated. This could be linked to the dominant trade life of the town concentrated its efforts on increasing its trade by sea and therefore invested large sums in trade ships, mostly sailing ships. When the steamships gained ground it turned out to be a bad investment, moreover, the development also resulted in fewer ships berthed at Elsinore, and that caused an important basis of the town’s trade life disappeared. The harbour enlargement in 1862 was not comprehensive enough and plans to make Elsinore an emporium for the Baltic Sea trade did not come off. Around 1889 the town with its 8.978 (1906: 14.534) inhabitants was in fact declining.
The Skipbuilding Yard 1882 Not until 1882, when the Elsinore Iron Ship and Machine Yard was built, the development started to turn and from then on a real industrial breakthrough was happening. The laying out with Mads Holm in the front brought with it large investments, increased mechanization and a large need for manpower. Around 700 workers were employed in the enterprise, of these approximately 300 from abroad. The harbour was enlarged once again and in 1883 the first new ship was launched, the propeller steamship S/S Elsinore and with it approximately 1000 employees and many subcontractors the shipyard became the dominant factor in the economical development of the town towards the 1880´s.
 The Harbour |  Elsinore Shipyard |  Workers from the Shipyard’s Forge |  Kierulf´s Iron Foundry |  Elsinore Weaving Mill |
 Oversæt |
Infrastructure Another important factor concerning the industrial revolution was the establishment of infrastructure, which connected North Zealand to the metropolitan area. The sea route was there, of course, but in 1864 the north railway was opened with connection to Copenhagen via Hillerød. The transportation of goods from the terminus to the town centre was done via a horse drawn line and from this the name “Trækbanen”. Out of fear of competition from the capital there was local resistance against the establishment of the North railway and the Coast railway, which was opened in 1897. With the opening of the Hornbæk railway in 1906 a substantial improvement of the area’s infrastructure was the result with better connections to the surrounding area, among other things cloth is transported from Hellebæk, tile from Ålsgårde and paper from Havreholm. The transport development was to some extent also a result of the transformation of the area to a recreational area for the metropolitan region. And to some extent, this is still the case. The sea trade´s fear that the new communications would certain parts of the trade transport was well-founded and with the final lifting of protection zones around the market town in 1920, the time where obstacles were put in the way of the free trade, was finally over. Around the turn of the century the most important factors for the industrial development was provided: First of all with the establishment of the shipyard, the necessary capital and investments and labour, which also came to the town, an extension of the infrastructure and the lifting of earlier days´ restrictions on production and trade. With the establishment of Elsinore Technical School in 1885, a modern education of the work force was also begun.
 The New Station for the Coast Railway |  Oversæt |  Oversæt |  The Railway Terrain |
The Development of the Trade Union Movement With the beginning industrialization and the removal of the guilds the first attempt to establish a trade union was made in Elsinore. The first attempts took place inside the earlier guild-organized skilled trades in the beginning of the 1870´s, but the economic decline around 1876 stopped further developments. The first lasting unionisation took place among the printers in 1881 and in connection with the establishment of the shipyard there were other efforts. An economic crisis in the middle of the 1880´s brought about another setback, but the establishment of the Social Democratic Society in the summer of 1885, the Union of Smiths and Mechanics in 1887 and the Common Union and Workers´ Society in Elsinore of 1888, became the basis of a more lasting and united organisation. It is evident that the changing market conditions, especially for the shipbuilding business, had a great impact on the development. This was also evident into the 1890´s and not until the middle of the 1890´s the cooperative union carried through agreements for several of the trades in the shipyard. In 1892 the gardener Christian Hansen was elected to the town council as the first Social Democratic council member in the country and in 1894 the Social Democrats had three members elected to the town council through a joint electoral list with the Venstre-party.
Agreements and Conflicts A final arrangement about the entering of agreements was not reached until 1896, after a comprehensive union conflict in the shipyard. It started with the lockout of the riveters and involved 900 employees. It was a major conflict according to the times, and it took a fortnight of negotiations to reach an agreement about a wage increase and a three-year agreement and the establishment of a fixed negations system, where the cooperative union negotiated on the behalf of the trades. The negotiation results of the shipyard and their wage rates became pacesetting, but in 1899 an extensive and 3 months long conflict broke out in Elsinore, but it did not include the shipyard. The Cooperative Union had effortlessly negotiated an agreement, which involved the reduction of the working hours from 60 to 58 hours and abolished the hated fine system, which was in the shipyard’s working regulations. In 1888 the town only had 7 trade unions with less than 300 members. Around the turn of the century there were 32 unions with approximately 1800 members.
The Conditions of Life Around the turn of the century a worker made around 15-20 kroner a week. In itself that does not say much, but unfortunately there are no surveys from Elsinore concerning the budgets and conditions of life of working families. If you compare to other places in the country, it is plausible that 25% of the income went to house rent and the rest went to food, fuel and clothes in that order. Money was scarce and in addition they had to pay for insurance against illness, death and burial. Apart from the poor-law authorities and a pension reform in 1891 the public security system did not exist and it became an important task for the labour movement to deal with these things – also locally. In that connection they established a sick-benefit association in 1892 for the members of the Cooperative Union.
The Cooperation A method to reduce expenses in the daily necessities and deprive the capitalists of their dominant influence on production lies in the cooperative idea. The farmer’s cooperatives from the 1889´s, which were inspired by the English workers´ cooperative wholesale societies, could have been the inspiration, but the cooperative idea has deep roots in the labour movement. In short, the idea was by producing jointly, buying and distributing different goods and services, they were able to do it as cheaply as possible, without the expensive intermediaries and to the good of all. The first example of cooperative wholesale in Elsinore was the establishment of “the Workers´ Coal Supplies” in 1892, but later many initiatives came along for cooperative operations and social security. |