Nyhavn 15


Nyhavn 15 is a historic townhouse overlooking the Nyhavn Canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark.

History

Nyhavn 15 was built in 1673-1694. Jørgen Alsing, who had returned from Dutch India where he had made a fortune in the plantation industry, opened a tea and porcelain store in the building in 1765.
The property was later operated as a hostel under the name Carl den Femtende before it was acquired by Annie West and converted into a boarding house for retired sailors. Cafe West was based in the ground floor. It was replaced by the restaurant Kommandøren og sidenhen Hering restaurant og Bristol in 1985.

Architecture

The building consists of three storeys and a basement and is four bays wide. On its rear is a small courtyard. The most distinctive feature of the building is a relief of an elephant mounted above the door. It was installed by Jørgen Alsing as an advertisement for his oriental products. An "8" above the elephant relief is an old cadastral number but has been the cause of some confusion when people have mistaken it for the house number. The building was listed on the Danish Registry of Protected Buildings and Places in 1945.

Today

Heering Restaurant & Bar is now based in the ground floor.