Stærekassen
An Art Deco stage house bridged over a street, hung with bronze gods and lined with millions of pieces of Venetian glass.
At a glance
Stærekassen was built in 1931 as an extension to the Royal Danish Theatre on Kongens Nytorv, designed by the architect Holger Jacobsen. Its Art Deco interior and its strange profile — a stage tower suspended over the street of Tordenskjoldsgade — earned it the nickname that means “the starling nest box.” Bronze reliefs of Apollo and the Muses face the square, and a public passage beneath the building is lined with a mosaic of some three million pieces of Venetian glass. The theatre proper left in 2008; the building is now a state-managed venue for performances, concerts and events.
Key facts
- Architect: Holger Jacobsen
- Completed: 1931
- Style: Art Deco
- Reliefs: Bronze figures by Einar Utzon-Frank
- Status: Event and performance venue (Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties)
- Location: Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen
History
The annex was added to give the Royal Danish Theatre a second stage, and from the start it was also fitted out as a radio venue for the new Danish state broadcaster. The acoustics proved difficult for theatre, and the relationship with the main house was never easy.
The Royal Theatre finally left in 2008, when its companies moved to the new Playhouse on the harbour. Stærekassen is now run by the state’s heritage agency and hired for performances, concerts, conferences and receptions, keeping its grand interiors in use.
What you see
The Kongens Nytorv front carries bronze reliefs by Einar Utzon-Frank: Apollo with the Muses of tragedy and comedy toward the square, Mozart with dance and drama to the rear. The most unusual move is structural — the stage tower spans the street behind, a bridge of building that gives Stærekassen its odd, memorable silhouette.
Step into the passage beneath and the surfaces erupt in colour: a mosaic of around three million pieces of glass from the Venetian workshops, set with figures from Danish culture including Hans Christian Andersen and the composer Carl Nielsen.
Practical information
- Interiors are seen during performances and events; check the current programme.
- The bronze reliefs and the glass-mosaic passage can be seen from the street at any time.
- Combine with a walk around Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn.
Getting there
Address: Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen. The building sits on the great square beside the Royal Danish Theatre; the Kongens Nytorv metro station is on the square itself, and Nyhavn is a two-minute walk.
Nearby
- The Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater)
- Nyhavn and its waterfront
- Charlottenborg and the Kongens Nytorv square
Sources
- Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen (Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties)
- Danish listed-buildings register (Fredede og bevaringsværdige bygninger)
- Wikipedia: Stærekassen
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