Kvæsthusgade 1

Kvæsthusgade 1/Nyhavn 69 is a three-storey building situated at the corner of Nyhavn and Kvæsthusgade. A memorial featuring a bust of a diver wearing a diving helmet commemorates that Em. Z. Svitzer's Bjernings-Enterprise, a salvage company founded by Emil Zeuthen Svitzer back in 1833, was once headquartered in the building. Notable former residents include the actress Magda von Dolcke.

Early history
The coppersmith Henrik Ehm purchased a large property at the site in 1682, comprising all the properties now known as Nyhavn59–69 and Kvæsthusgade 2–4. His property was listed in Copenhagen's first cadastre of 1689 asNo. 20 in St. Ann's East Quarter.

Osten family
The property was later divided into a number of smaller properties. The property now known as Kvæsthusgade 1/Nyhavn 69 was initially divided into three smaller properties, a corner property and the adjacent properties in Nyhavn and Kvæsthusgade. Both the corner property and the adjacent property in Nyhavn belonged in 1731 to Jan von Osten (1686-1760), a wine and timber merchant. The adjacent property in Kvæsthusgade belonged to Samuel Falch.

Jan von Osten's two properties were jointly listed in the new cadastre of 1756 as No. 35 in St. Ann's East Quarter. The warehouse at the opposite corner of Nyhavn and Kvæsthusgade (No. 36, now 71 Nyhavn Hotel) was also owned by him at the time. Sanuel Falch's former property, which was now owned by ship carpenter Gunder Kundsen, was listed as No. 37.

Jan von Osten was originally from Norway. His lumber yard was located at present-day Larsens Plads, not far from his properties in Nyhavn. in 1747, when Frederiksstaden was being planned, Osten had to move his lumber yard, which was considered a fire hazard to the prestigious new district. He was instead granted permission to reclaim a shallow-watered area of Grønnegård Harbour at the southern tip of Christianshavn (where Christian's Church stands today). He also acquired one of the lots in the new Frederiksstaden district and used it for the construction of the building which is still known as the Jan von Osten House after him.

Jan von Osten's property at the corner of Nyhavn and Kvæsthusgade was passed after his death to his son Andreas von Osten and then, when the son also died just one year later, to the grandson Johan Peter von Osten. The latter was an army officer. At some point between 1746 and 1787, No. 35 was merged with the adjacent property in Kvæsthusgade (. 37).

Johan Peter von Osten's corner property (NO. 35/37) was home to 38 residents in eight households at the 1787 census. The owner resided in the building with a male servant. Georg Christian Pohlman, a captain in the Royal Danish Navy, resided in the building with his wife Frideriche Wilhelmine von Døhlen, their three children (aged three to six), a 19-year-old daughter from his first marriage and two maids. Hans Christopher von Muhl, an army major in Prince Frederick's Regiment, resided in the building with his wife Anna, a maid and a male servant (royal life guard). Mouritz Balling, a regiment quartermaster in His majesty the King's Regiment, resided in the building with his wife Cathrine Sophia, his mother-in-law Cathrine Røbel, his sisters-in-law Ingerborg Maria	 and Friedericke and one lodger (lieutenant in His Majesty's Regiment). Joseph Damon, a merchant with title of kommerceråd, resided in the building with two maids. Anders Dick, a ship carpenter, resided in the building with his wife Anna Margrethe and their five children (aged  (two to 11).  Karen (no last name mentioned), a widow, resided in the building with her 38-year-old daughter and one maid. Thomas Rasmussen, a beer seller (øltapper), resided in the building with his wife Inger Jørgens Datter, their two children (aged eight and 10) and the wife's brother Niels Jørgensen.

1801 census
The property was home to 43 residents in eight households at the 1801 census. Morten Cortsen, a merchant, resided in the building with his wife Cathrine M. Weck, his brother Rasmus Carsten (student), four office clerks (employees), a caretaker and two maids. Jesper Cortsen (another brother, 1767–1801), a ship captain resided in the building with his wife Kirstine Bay. Gertrud Thorup, a 28-year-old woman whose husband was in Sorø (possibly Sorø Academy, resided in the building with her one-year-old daughter and her mother Helene Schandorph (née Tranberg). Marie M. Tranberg, Helene Schandorph's mother, resided in the building with Johannes and Henrich Schandorph	(aged five and 11), her daughter's sister-in-law Inger Schandorph and one maid. Ferdinand Gotthilf Kellermann (1754-1825), a merchant, resided in the building with his wife Johanne Andrea Kellermann (née Buntzen, 1769–1810, daughter of overkrigskommissær Jacob Buntzen719), their 10-year-old son, three office clerks, two maids and a caretaker. Inger Wadstæds, a barkeeper, resided in the building with her two nieces (aged six and 17). Erich R. Møller, a skipper and barkeeper, resided in the building with his wife Karen Møller and their three children (aged seven to 15). Michael A. Dreyer, a saddler and barkeeper, resided in the building with his wife Mette C. Dreyer, their three-year-old daughter, a maid and an infant boy.

Andreas Nielsen
The property was not long thereafter acquired by the general trader Andreas (Anders) Nielsen (14 March 1774 – 23 May 1840). He was originally from Nykøbing Mors. On 27 October 1802, hee was married to Cecilia Kjellerup (27 August 1781– 5 April 1844. The couple had no children. Nielsen's property was again listed as No. 35 in the new cadastre of 1806.

In around 1810, Nielsen also bought the adjacent property No. 34 (now Nyhavn 67) from his neighbor, Elisabeth Dorothea Jürgensen (née Buntzen), who had recently become a widow. Faced with a substantial bill for maintenance of the bylwark in front of her home, it was unclear weather she would be able to keep her property. The next evening Nielsen offered to acquire her property in exchange for another property in Kronprinsensgade, claiming that he needed the space for a new warehouse. Jürgensen's niece, Lucie Elise Fich (née Hertz), mentions the episode in her memoirs (published as Domprovsten i Roskilde. Brudstykke af en Familiekønike. Memoirer og Breve No. X, 1909). She interprets it as Nielsen's way of helping her aunt out of a difficult situation, both because the new warehouse was never built and because the property in Kronprinsensgade was larger and more valuable than the one in Nyhavn.

Anders Nielsen's corner property was home to 24 residents in four households at the 1834 census. He and his wife Cecilia Kjellerup resided on the first floor with his sister Elise Nielsen, one male servant and three maids. Henrich Callisen, a surgeon, often referred to as the father of Danish surgery, resided on the ground floor with his wife Anders Nielsen and two lodgers (student and clerk). Lars Hansen, a barkeeper, resided in one half of the basement with his wife Magaretha Hansen, their two sons (aged one and three) and one maid. Thomas Jacobsen, a skipper, resided in the other half of basement with his wife Catharine Jacobsen and their seven children (aged two to 19).

Christoffer Adolf Leth
The property was later acquired by Christoffer Adolf Leth, a naval officer now employed as inspector of the city's harbour, canals and lighthouses. He was married to Frederikke Cecilia Hastrup,

Leth's property was home to eight households at the 1840 census. Christoffer Adolf Leth and Frederikke Cecilia Hastrup resided on the second floor with their seven children (aged four to 19). Lauritz Chr. Langsted, a first at the Guard Hussar lieutenant, resided on the first floor to the right with his wife Ida Wilhelmine Leth, their one-year-old son and two maids. Anton Wilhelm Scheel. a Judge Advocate General, resided on the first floor to the left with one maid. Chr. Wilhelm Funch, a former army colonel, resided on the ground floor to the right with one maid. Carl Stampe, a former army captain, resided on the ground floor to the left with one male servant. Lars Nielsen Kallehauge, a flour and oats retailer, resided in one section of the basement. Niels Nielsen, a barkeeper, resided in another part of the basement (corner) with his wife Karen Andersen, their 18-year-old son, a maid and two lodgers (sailors). Kaj Daniel Hansen, a watchman, resided in the part of the basement that faced Kvæsthusgade with his wife Christine Larsen and five children (aged one to 14).

Christoffer Adolf Leth's property was again home to eight households at the 1850 census. The owner resided in the building with his wife, three daughters (aged 14 to 26) and two maids. Olivia Holm, a widow with means, resided in the building with one maid. Anthon Wilhelm Scheel still resided in the other first floor apartment with his housekeeper. Ludvig Philippe Kaufman, a civil engineer and former lieutenant, resided in one of the ground-floor apartments with his wife 	Eleonora Magdalene Caroline Kaufman (née Mielche), their son Christian Ulrik Topp Kaufman, his wife-s brother Ernst August Frederick Mielsche (student) and two maids. Carl Stampe still resided in the other ground-floor apartment with a servant and the servant's six-year-old son. Lars Nielsen, a flour and oats retailer, resided in the basement towards Nyhavn with his brother Rasmus Nielsen. Hans Berthelsen, a barkeeper, resided in the basement with his wife Kirstine Berthelsen /née Sørensen), 		their five-year-old daughter and one maid. Jacob Christensen, an office courier, resided in the third basement dwelling with his wife Henriette Christensen (née Lund), their three children (aged one to 14) and one maid.

1865–1884
Leth died in 1866. The first floor was after his death divided into two apartments. The painter August Schiøtt resided on the first floor towards Nyhavn frin 1866 to 1762.

The property was home to 32 residents at the 1880 census. The second floor had now been divided into two apartments. Frantz Valentin Carl Christian Stampe, a captain with title of kammerjunker, resided on the second floor to the left with his servant and the servant's now 21-year-old son. Maren Lauritzen (née Nielsen), a widow, resided on the second floor to the right with three lodgers. Lorentz Rusticleff Schat Petersen, an office clerk, resided on the first floor to the right with his wife Amanda Caroline Marie Petersen and a maid. Edvard Beatus Petersen, a businessman (grosserer), resided on the ground floor to the left with one maid. Christine Augusta Frederiksen (née Larsen), a hairdresser (widow), resided on the ground floor to the left with her two foster daughters (aged one and 20), a 10-year-old niece and a maid. Carl Nicolai Larsen, a building painter, resided in the garret. Caroline Amalie Neess, a seemstress, resided in the garret. Ellen Marie Schou, a cleaning lady, resided in the garret with her daughter. Christian Petersen, a barkeeper, resided in the basement to the right with his wife Karen Marie Petersen (née Hansen), their four children (aged six to 28), one male servant and two maids. Mathilde Marie Holst, a fruit seller, resided in the basement to the left with her brother Hendrik Emmanuel Holst (smithy).

1880s: The new building
Some sources state that the present building on the site was constructed for J. P. von Osten in 1884–1886. However, considering the property was also owned by a man of that name in the second half of the 18th century, it seems likely that this information is incorrect and that it was in fact the previous building on the site that was constructed for him.

The date of completion is also uncertain given that the building was fully occupied at the time of the 1885 census. It must therefore have been more or less completed by late 1884. The property was thus home to 21 residents in six households at the 1885 census. Gustav Adolph Lindstrøm, a businessman (grosserer), resided on the first floor with his wife Sophie Nicoline Lindstrøm and one maid. Edouard Beaties Petersen, another businessman (grosserer, aged 46 and a widower, resided on the same floor with a maid. Lorenz Bustilaff Schat Petersen, an office clerk in their company, resided in one of the second-floor apartments. The actress Magda von Dolcke resided in the other second-floor apartment with one maid. Christoffer Larsen, a barkeeper, resided in the basement with his wife Christiane Petrine Larsen, their two children (aged 13 and 19), one male servant, one maid and three lodgers.Ole Andersen, an office courier, resided on the ground floor of the rear wing.

Rge company A. C. L. Dewulfs Eftf. (Ac. L. Drwulf's Successor) was based in the building in 1888. The company represented Conrad Wilhelm Schmidt ( Diisseldorf &, London), M. Badetty &. fils (Marseille), John Dickinson & Co. (London), Freiberger Papierfabrik (Weissenborn) and Arnold Cohen &. Co. (Dundee and Hamburg) on the Danish market.

The property was later acquired by Em. Z Bjerningsenterprise as new company headquarters. The company was founded by Emil Zeuthen Svitzer back in 1833. His son-in-law Hans Peter Johan Lyngbye served as manager of the company from 1886 to 1896. It was then converted into a limited company (aktieselskab). E, S. Svitzer's Bjergningsenterprise was still based in the building in 1950.

Architecture
Kvæsthusgade 1/Nyhavn 69 is a corner building constructed with three storeys over a walk-out basement, with an eight-bay-long facade towards Kvæsthusgade and a seven-bay-long facade towards the canal. The plastered facade is finished with a belt course above the ground floor and a dentillated cornice. Tw balconies, in front of the three central windows of the first and second floor, on the facade towards Nyhavn, have been removed. The main entrance of the building is located in the second bay from the left towards Kvæsthusgade. A tall gateway in the third bay towards the same street provinces access to the central courtyard.

Svitzer memorial
Between the main entrance and the gate is a memorial featuring a bust of a diver wearing a diving helmet. The inscription giving the date of establishment reads:

"Em. Z. Svitzers / Bjergnings-Entreprise / stiftet 1833"