Gråbrødretorv 3

Gråbrødretorv 3 is an 18th-century townhouse situated on Gråbrødretorv in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjacent buildings Gråbrødretorv No. 1 and No. 5–9, it is one of the best examples of the so-called "fire houses" that were constructed throughout the city following the Copenhagen Fire of 1728. The building was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1926. It is a three-winged complex- consisting of a four-bay-wide, three-storey front wing and a four-bay-wide, three-storey rear wing, attached to each other via a staircase from 1816 along the east side of a central courtyard. A plaque on the facade commemorates that the poet Johan Herman Wessel (1742-1785) resided on the second floor when he wrote Jærlighed uden strømper in 1772. For the same reason, the building is also known as Wessel's House (Danish: Wessels Hus), although the poet never actually owned it but merely lived their as a lodger. Other notable former residents include the painter Nicolaus Wolff, master joiner Lasenius Kramp and art historian Harald Lundberg. In 1944, Langberg charged Elna Møller, a colleague from the National Museum of Denmark, with restoring the building.

17th century
The site where Gråbrødretorv 3 stands today was formerly the site of a row of two-storey, half-timbered stalls, which dated from a royal silk spinning mill established during the reign of Christian IV. The stalls were later sold separately to different buyers.

The property now known as Gråbrødretorv 3 was listed in Copenhagen's first cadastre of 1689 as No. 137 in Frimand's Quarter, owned by vintner (vintapper) Christopher Prop.

Mads Børgesen Lund and the new building
Peder Wandrup owned the property in 1703. He had acquired it from royal medallist and goldworker Andreas Nordmand6.

The property was later acquired by skipper Mads Børgesen Lund (1660-1759). His property was destroyed during the Copenhagen Fire of 1728, together with most of the other buildings in the area. The present building on the site was constructed for him in 1732 by master carpenter Morten Pedersen. His property was listed in the new cadastre of 1756 as No. 127 in Frimand's Quarter.

Mads Børgesen Lund's daughter Anne Marie Lund was married to hofplattenslager Søren Nielsen Schiøtt. The property passed to them upon her father's death in the exceptionally high age of 99. Anne Marie Schiøtt had become a widow by 1762. She resided on the ground floor with two maids and the rest of the building was let out to students. The poet Johan Herman Wessel (1742-1785) resided on the second floor as her lodger from 1762 to 1776.

Gotfried Caspersen
The property was acquired by merchant Godske Caspersen in 1777. His property was home to nine residents at the 1787 census. The owner resided in the building with his wife Kierstine Caspersen (née Willumsen), one maid, soap seller Johane Sitzer and five lodgers. One of the lodgers was the painter Nicolaus Wolff. The four other lodgers were three students and a language teacher.

Gotfried Caspersen's property was home to six residents in two households at the 1801 census. The owner resided in the building with his wife Kirstine Willumsen, their son Andreas William Caspersen and one maid. The other household consisted of calico printer Aage Møller and his wife Inger Maria Møller.

1800s–1811
The bookprinter Boas Brünnich (1768-1826) bought the property in 1803. He was the son of painter Peter Brünniche. His father owned the property No. 121, just six houses away /now Gråbrødretorv 15). Boas Brünnich's property was listed in the new cadastre of 1806 as No. 110 in Frimand's Quarter.

In 1811, No. 127 was acquired by booksellers Abraham & Salomon Soldin,

Frantz Sørensen Kramp, 1812–1850
In 1812, No. 110 was acquired by master joiner Frantz Sørensen Kramp. In 1816, he constructed a new staircase.

Frantz Sørensen Kramp (1771-1850) was originally from Viborg. On 17 July 1807, in Holmen Church in Copenhagen, he had married Anne Christine Larsdatter Schiwe (1781–1836). They had at least three children. Their son Lasenius Kramp was born on 5 May 1808. The daughter Anna Christine Julie Kramp was born on 13 September 1809. The son Peter Christian Kramp was born on 6 June 1817.

The two sons, Lasenius and Peter Kramp, were both articled to their father. Lasenius Kramp would later focus all his enery on organisation work. He was a driving force behind the foundation of the Joiners' Design School (Snedkernes Tegneskole), the Danish Technical Soci9ety (Teknisk Selskab) and the Association of Craftsmen in Copenhagen. Oeter Christian Kramp went on to study architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He won the academy's small and large silver medals.

Franz Sørensen Kramp's property was home to 25 residents at the 1840 census. Frantz and Peter Christian Kramp resided on the second floor with the lodger Sophie Christiane Lorenzsen, a joiner, two joiner's apprentices and a maid. Hans Ferdinand Poulsen, a master bookbinder, resided on the ground floor with his wife Margarethe Marie (née Fribler), their two children, an apprentice and a maid. Johan Michael Shou, a brick-layer, resided on the ground floor with his wife 	ChristianeNicolina Møller and their two sons (aged 19 and 22). Ane Birgitte Wellerose, a widow teacher, resided on the first floor with her daughter and fellow teacher Emilie Andrea Wellerose. Christian Sommerfeldt, a clerk at Almindelig Hospital, resided on the first floor with his wife Line Kirstine Larsen. Jacob Lorents Lafontaine, a brick-layer, resided on the first floor with his wife Nicoline Frederikke Hoppe. Marie Christensen, a widow soap retailer, resided in the basement with her daughter Emilie Magdalene Møller.

Om 1842–43, Peter Christian Kramp visited Saint Petersburg. He designed a church and created a proposal for a bridge. On hn his return to Copenhagen, he moved back to his father's apartment.

Franz Kramp's building was home to 29 residents at the 1845 census. Franz and Peter Christian Kramp resided on the second floor with the lodger Sophie Christiane Lorentzen, two apprentices and one maid. The bookbinder Hans Ferdinand Poulsen and his wife and Magrethe Poulsen resided on the ground floor with their now four children (aged one to 13), one bookbinder (employee)m two apprentices and one maid. Peter Neumann, a hairdresser and parfumier, resided on the first floor with his wife Anne Birgithe (née Jensen), their 19-year-old daughter Sine Neumann and one maid. Søren Petersen, a barkeeper, resided in the basement with his wife Ane Margrethe (née Njelsen), their one-year-old daughter and his sister Petrea Njelsen. Peter Kuhlmann, a master mason, resided on the ground floor of the rear wing with his wife Bodil Marie (néeNjelsen) and their three children (aged six to 13).

Peter Christian Kamp died just 32 years old on 26 April 1850. His father died less than one month later on 20 May 1850. In 1852, No. 10 was sold to grocer urtekrlmmer S. F. Kramp.

1860 census
The property was home to 30 residents in the front wing and another six residents in the rear wing at the 1860 census. Hartvig Eliesen, a master tailor, resided on the ground floor with his wife Hanne (née Lachmann), their two sons (aged 27 and 29) and one maid. Ane Marie Gad, a midwife, resided on the first floor with one lodger. Hans Petersen, a mailman, resided on the second floor with his wife Karen Marie (née Carlsen), their three children (aged one to 10) and one lodger. Peder Hansen, a carpenter, resided on the third floor with his wife Ane Margrethe (née Christensen), their two sons (aged 	one and eight) and three lodgers. Johan Alfred Wiemann, a joiner (snedkersvend), resided on the fourth floor with his wife Juliane Susanne (née Trøde), their three-year-old daughter and two lodgers. Peter Petersen, a barkeeper, resided in the basement with his wife Henriette Marie (née Biedermann) and their two daughters (aged one and three). Christiane Becker, a widow needleworker, resided on the ground floor of the rear wing with a son and two daughters (aged 22 to 34). Frederikke Wilhelmine Olsen (née Kjær), another widow needleworker, resided on the first floor with her one-year-old daughter.

Nissem family
In 1879, No. 110 was acquired by master bookbinder R. H. Nissen. He was a son of A. Nissen, a so-called fish-soaker wjo owned the Fiskebløderhuset next door at No. 1. In 896, the property passed to fish-soaker and vomegar manufacturer A. K. Nissen. He moved his production of vinegar to the building.

20th century
The property was home to 20 residents in seven households at the 1906 census. Carl Christian William Beitzel, a mechanician, resided on the first floor with his wife Emma Agathe Beitzel and their three children (aged 10 to 15). Ferdenand Frederik Rasmussen, a cigarseller, resided on the first floor with his wife Hanne Rasmussen. Anne Margrete Andersen, a widow seemstress, resided on the third floor with her son Rudolf Oskar Andersen (clerk). Christian Ferdinand Carlsen, a manager, resided on the fourth floor with his wife Luise Hedvig Carlsen	and one maid. Jørgen Anders Haahr, a master tailor, resided in the basement with his wife Wilhelmine Maria Haahr and their seven-year-old daughter. Frederik Valdemar Olsen, a cigar maker, resided on the first floor of the rear wing with his wife Ellen Olsen. Christian Villiam Petersen, a workman, resided on the second floor of the rear wing. Inger Marie Christensen, a cleaning lady, resided on the third floor of the rear wing with her 33-year-old son Herman Emanuel Rosenbaum (workman).

Harald Langberg (1919-2003) owned the building in the middle of the 20th century. In 1944, he had the building refurbished with the assistance of architect Elna Møller (1913-1994).

Harald Langberg worked for the National Museum of Denmark as well as Det Særlige Bygningssyn from 1940 and was a board member of numerous government bodies and private associations associated with the protection of historic Danish architecture. He also published a number of books on the subject. He was a Honorary Représentative in Denmark for The National Trust for Places of Historie Interest or Natural Beauty (1952), a Venice Charter committee member and a corresponding member of UNESCO's International Council on Monuments and Sites.

Architecture
Gr¨br'dretorv 3 is a five-bays-wide building constructed in brick towards the square and timber framing towards the yard and in the gables, with three storeys over a walk-out basement. The plastered, red-painted facade is crowned by a three-bay gabled wall dormer. The latter is finished with a robust, white limestone cornice with cornice returns. Above the first-floor windows is a plaque commemorating that Johan Herman Wessel resided in the building when he wrote Kærlighed uden strømper in 1772. The plaqye is designed as a folded scroll flanked by two putti. It was created by the sculptor Olaf Stæhr-Nielsen with text by Aage Rafn. The main entrance in the bay furthest to the left /east) is topped by a transom window. The 1759 renovation of the building is commemorated by the inscription of the year "1658" on the keystone above the doorway. The door is reached via a flight of three granite steps. The basement in the bay furthest to the right (west) is flanked by two cast-iron railings.

The front wing is connected to the rear wing via the building's staircase. The staircase dates from 1816. It is open at the crowned and has three brown-painted windows on each of the upper floors. It is topped by a monopitched window.

The rear wing is constructed with three storeys over a walk-out basement. It is four bays wide but one of the bays are hidden by the staircase. The building is constructed in brick towards the yard and with timber framing on the other sides. The facade is painted with iron vitriol and has brown-painted windows.

Today
As of 2008, Gråbrødretorv 3 belonged to Kamma Marie Langberg.