N. Schiøtt & Hochbrandt
N. Schiøtt & Hochbrandt was a Copenhagen shipbroking firm founded in 1792 and associated with Denmark's maritime and commercial history.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
N. Schiøtt & Hochbrandt was a Copenhagen shipbroking firm established in 1792 by Niels Nielsen Schiøtt. The business operated within the Danish brokerage and maritime-trade system for more than a century and a half, developing through successive partnerships among licensed brokers and experienced employees. Its history reflects the continuity of specialist commercial firms in Copenhagen, where shipbrokers served as intermediaries in shipping, trade, port activity, and related commercial transactions. Schiøtt founded the firm in Copenhagen after receiving his license as a broker, or stadsmægler, on 8 October 1792. The firm initially operated from his property at the corner of Lille Strandstræde and Sankt Annæ Plads. Hans Jørgen Herløw joined as a partner in 1796, although the two men later advertised under separate names from 1807. Schiøtt continued the business alone until Carl Wilhelm Hochbrandt entered the partnership on 1 January 1820. The adoption and continuation of the Schiøtt and Hochbrandt name connected the firm to two successive brokerage families and became the basis of its long-running identity. After Schiøtt's death in 1824, C. W. Hochbrandt continued the firm independently. His nephew, Carl Heinrich Emmerich Hochbrandt, became a partner in 1841. In 1857, Emil Ferdinand Westrup, a trusted employee who had joined the office in 1820 and later obtained his own broker's license, replaced C. W. Hochbrandt as partner. Westrup became sole owner after Hochbrandt retired in 1865. His later appointment as a specialist judge at the Maritime and Commercial Court illustrates the close relationship between brokerage expertise, maritime law, and Copenhagen's commercial institutions. Following Westrup's death in 1888, the firm was carried on by two long-serving employees, Fritz Bernhard Willer and Axel Thorvald Valdemar Schmith. Their succession demonstrates the firm's practice of promoting experienced insiders rather than relying solely on direct family inheritance. Christian Vilhelm Møller joined the partnership after Schmith's death in 1907. Møller had worked at the firm's office in Copenhagen's Custom House since 1872 and had received a broker's license in 1898. Hjalmar Bruhn, another long-serving employee, joined after Willer's death and became sole owner in 1924. The firm changed premises several times as Copenhagen's commercial geography evolved. It moved from the founder's property to Dronningens Tværgade in 1820, first at numbers 1–3 and later at number 10. In 1888 it relocated to Amaliegade 39, where it remained until the mid-1920s. During 1944 it used temporary premises at Dronningens Tværgade 21, then moved to Frederiksgade 19 in 1945 and to Amaliegade 45 in 1950. The available reference material documents the firm's foundation, ownership succession, licensed brokers, and locations, but does not establish its precise date of closure, later corporate status, financial performance, or a surviving modern operating website. Its history was recorded in a 1950 commemorative volume devoted to the firm and its Copenhagen maritime context.
History
N. Schiøtt & Hochbrandt was founded in Copenhagen in 1792 by Niels Nielsen Schiøtt, who received a license as a city broker on 8 October of that year. The firm began at Schiøtt's property near Lille Strandstræde and Sankt Annæ Plads. Hans Jørgen Herløw joined as a partner in 1796, but the two brokers later advertised separately. Schiøtt continued the business until Carl Wilhelm Hochbrandt joined him in 1820. Following Schiøtt's death in 1824, Hochbrandt operated the firm alone until his nephew Carl Heinrich Emmerich Hochbrandt entered the partnership in 1841. Emil Ferdinand Westrup, who had been employed by the firm since 1820 and was licensed as a broker in 1834, became a partner in 1857. He became sole owner after C. H. Hochbrandt retired in 1865. Westrup was also appointed a specialist judge at Copenhagen's Maritime and Commercial Court in 1866, a post he held until 1885. After Westrup died in 1888, two veteran employees, Fritz Bernhard Willer and Axel Thorvald Valdemar Schmith, continued the firm as partners. Schmith's death in 1907 led to the admission of Christian Vilhelm Møller, who had worked in the firm's Custom House office since 1872. After Willer's death in 1913, Hjalmar Bruhn joined the firm; Bruhn had entered the office in 1900 and obtained a broker's license in 1914. He became sole owner in 1924. The firm's premises followed Copenhagen's changing commercial districts. It occupied locations at Dronningens Tværgade from 1820 to 1888, moved to Amaliegade 39 in 1888, and used temporary premises at Dronningens Tværgade 21 in 1944. It then operated from Frederiksgade 19 from 1945 and Amaliegade 45 from 1 August 1950. The available sources describe the firm's ownership and locations but do not give a confirmed closure date or sufficient information about its later legal status.
- 1950
Firm history published
[1]A 232-page commemorative history of N. Schiøtt & Hochbrandt was published by the firm.
- 1924
Bruhn becomes sole owner
[1]Hjalmar Bruhn became the firm's sole owner after joining its leadership following Willer's death.
- 1888
Leadership passes to Willer and Schmith
[1]After Westrup's death, Fritz Bernhard Willer and Axel Thorvald Valdemar Schmith continued the firm as partners.
- 1857
Westrup becomes partner
[1]Long-serving employee Emil Ferdinand Westrup replaced C. W. Hochbrandt as partner.
- 1841
Second Hochbrandt generation enters partnership
[1]Carl Heinrich Emmerich Hochbrandt joined his uncle as a partner.
- 1820
Hochbrandt joins the firm
[1]Carl Wilhelm Hochbrandt became Schiøtt's partner on 1 January, beginning the firm's long association with the Hochbrandt name.
- 1796
Herløw becomes a partner
[1]Hans Jørgen Herløw joined the firm as a licensed partner.
- 1792
Firm founded in Copenhagen
[1]Niels Nielsen Schiøtt established the shipbroking firm and received his broker's license on 8 October.
Products and positioning
A long-established Copenhagen specialist brokerage firm serving maritime and commercial markets through licensed brokers and successive generations of partners.
Maritime professional services · 1792
Shipbroking
The firm's principal activity was shipbroking in Copenhagen. Its licensed brokers acted as intermediaries within the city's maritime and commercial economy, although the available sources do not specify particular vessel types, routes, cargoes, or contractual services.
Professional services · 1792
Commercial brokerage
As a Copenhagen brokerage house, N. Schiøtt & Hochbrandt was involved in the broader commercial-brokerage environment surrounding shipping and port trade. The surviving account emphasizes its licensed brokers and maritime role rather than identifying separately branded service lines.
Sources1 sources
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