Bombebøssen

Bombebøssen is a Danish charitable institution associated with housing and support for indigent seamen, as well as with a historically significant building in Christianshavn, central Copenhagen. The institution was established on 2 November 1819 by the naval officer and former China captain Kommandør Peter Norden Sølling. Its creation responded to the severe economic and social distress experienced by Danish maritime workers after the English Wars, the loss of the Danish fleet in 1807, and Denmark’s national bankruptcy in 1813. Unemployment was widespread among seamen, and Sølling encountered their hardship directly while working as a waterscout in Copenhagen. Sølling sought royal permission to collect money for a home for indigent seamen. The institution’s distinctive name came from a practical fundraising device: a 200-pound bomb from the 1807 bombardment, found in Dybensgade, was converted into a collection box for small donations. The bomb became both a physical symbol and the identifying emblem of the foundation. Rather than operating as a conventional consumer brand, Bombebøssen is best understood as a charitable and architectural institution whose identity is expressed through its buildings, mission, and historical association with Copenhagen’s maritime community. The foundation initially operated from two rented rooms at Wilders Plads, although the reference material dates that first opening to 1921. Earlier property development is also recorded. In 1825, Sølling acquired a corner property near St Nicolas’ Church, at what is now associated with Nikolajgade and Dybensgade, providing accommodation for approximately 50 residents. In 1840, the institution moved to a new building in Brogade 8, on the site where the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs later stood. Bombebøssen’s best-known historic building is at Overgaden oven Vandet 48 beside Christianshavn Canal. The current building was constructed in 1894, with the property also described as dating from 1896, and was designed by architect Thorvald Bindesbøll. It is a three-storey red-brick structure with a cellar and is listed for its architectural and cultural significance. Its façade incorporates an embedded bomb above the entrance gate and a bas-relief of founder Peter Norden Sølling made by sculptor Otto Evens. These features connect the building’s architectural appearance directly to the institution’s origin story. In 1954, Bombebøssen moved to a newer building at Dronningensgade 69. That building was designed by architect Peter Norden Sølling, a great-great-grandson of the founder. The Dronningensgade property is described as housing 20 single seamen and seven couples. The two principal properties therefore represent different phases of the institution’s development: the listed Overgaden building embodies its nineteenth-century architectural legacy, while Dronningensgade reflects its later role in providing accommodation. The institution’s public identity remains rooted in maritime welfare, historic preservation, and Copenhagen’s urban heritage. Available reference material does not establish a conventional product portfolio, commercial sales operation, current financial position, or a clearly documented corporate ownership structure. Its principal offerings are charitable accommodation and the stewardship of historically important property. Bombebøssen should consequently not be confused with a commercial brand or with unrelated organizations bearing similar names.

Sømandsstiftelsen Bombebøssen was founded in Copenhagen on 2 November 1819 by Kommandør Peter Norden Sølling. Sølling had been born in Kristiansand, Norway, in 1758 to Danish parents, entered the Copenhagen Naval Academy at the age of 12, and later worked for major trading companies and captained voyages to China. After the English Wars, he became a waterscout in Copenhagen. This work brought him into close contact with the unemployment and poverty affecting Danish seamen after the destruction of the Danish fleet in 1807 and the country’s bankruptcy in 1813. Sølling responded by asking the king for permission to raise money for a home for indigent seamen. The fundraising effort acquired an unusual emblem when a 200-pound bomb from the 1807 bombardment was found in Dybensgade and repurposed as a mite box. The object gave the institution its name, Bombebøssen, and became a visible reminder of both wartime disruption and the charitable response intended to assist seafarers. The institution developed through a succession of premises. A property acquired by Sølling in 1825 at the corner of Dybensgade and Skvaldergade, now identified with Nikolajgade 20 and Dybensgade 20, provided accommodation for 50 residents. In 1840, Bombebøssen moved to a building in Brogade 8. That site is now associated with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reference material also records that the institution first opened in two rented rooms at Wilders Plads in 1921; the chronology of this opening relative to the earlier properties is not fully explained in the available material. The institution’s most recognizable architectural legacy is the building at Overgaden oven Vandet 48, overlooking Christianshavn Canal. The present building was constructed in 1894, while the property is also described as dating from 1896. Designed by Thorvald Bindesbøll, it is a listed red-brick building of three storeys with a cellar. The façade contains an embedded bomb above the gateway and a relief portrait of founder Peter Norden Sølling by sculptor Otto Evens. These details turn the building into a physical expression of the foundation’s history and mission. In 1954, Bombebøssen moved to Dronningensgade 69. The later building was designed by Peter Norden Sølling, a great-great-grandson of the founder. It was intended as residential accommodation and is described as housing 20 single seamen and seven couples. The move marked a transition away from the nineteenth-century Overgaden premises while preserving the institution’s focus on maritime housing. Bombebøssen is therefore both a charitable foundation and a name attached to important Copenhagen properties. Its historical significance lies in the relationship between social welfare, the Danish merchant and naval maritime world, and the architectural development of Christianshavn. The available sources do not provide enough information to describe a current management team, detailed finances, commercial operations, or a formally documented present-day ownership structure. Its contemporary status should consequently be confirmed through the official organization before making claims about active programs or governance.

• 1954

  Move to Dronningensgade

  [1]Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org

  Bombebøssen moves to Dronningensgade 69, a residential building designed by Peter Norden Sølling, a descendant of the founder.

• 1896

  Overgaden property date recorded

  [1]Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org

  The Overgaden oven Vandet property is also documented as dating from 1896, reflecting the date commonly associated with the listed building.

• 1894

  Construction of the Overgaden building

  [1]Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org

  Thorvald Bindesbøll designs the red-brick building at Overgaden oven Vandet 48, now recognized as a listed historic property.

• 1840

  Move to Brogade

  [1]Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org

  The institution relocates to a building at Brogade 8, a site later associated with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• 1825

  First recorded purpose-built accommodation property

  [1]Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org

  Sølling acquires a property near St Nicolas’ Church that provides accommodation for approximately 50 residents.

• 1819

  Sømandsstiftelsen Bombebøssen is founded

  [1]Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org

  Kommandør Peter Norden Sølling establishes the charitable institution on 2 November to support indigent seamen.

A Danish maritime charitable institution positioned around assistance to indigent seamen, residential support, and the preservation of Copenhagen architectural heritage.

• Charitable housing · 1819

  Seamen’s accommodation

  Bombebøssen’s principal institutional service has been the provision of housing for indigent or otherwise vulnerable seamen. Its properties were developed to offer stable accommodation rather than commercial lodging. The later Dronningensgade building is described as containing housing for 20 single seamen and seven couples.

• Listed historic property · 1894

  Overgaden oven Vandet 48

  The Overgaden oven Vandet 48 building is Bombebøssen’s best-known architectural landmark. Located beside Christianshavn Canal, it is a three-storey red-brick structure with a cellar designed by Thorvald Bindesbøll. An embedded bomb above the gate and a relief of founder Peter Norden Sølling connect the building to the institution’s maritime charitable origins.

• Residential property · 1954

  Dronningensgade 69

  Dronningensgade 69 is the later Bombebøssen building to which the institution moved in 1954. It was designed by architect Peter Norden Sølling, a great-great-grandson of the founder. The property is described as accommodating 20 single seamen and seven couples.

1. 1Bombebøssenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bombebøssen official websitebombeboessen.dk