Grundtvig's Church (Danish: Grundtvigs Kirke) is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best known churches in the city.
The commission for the construction of a church to be named after the Danish philosopher Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig was decided through a competition, won by Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint in 1913. The foundation of the new church was only laid after World War I, on September 8, 1921. Building took place mainly from 1921 to 1926, but further work on the interior and on adjacent buildings continued until 1940 and was only completed by Klint's son Kaare Klint.
Peder Klint's design for Grundtvig's Church is a synthesis of architectural styles. In preparation for the project, the architect studied many Danish village churches, particularly those with stepped gables. Their traditional building techniques, materials and decoration inspired his design. Klint merged the modern geometric forms of Brick Expressionism with the classical vertical of Gothic architecture. A long tree-lined road leads through Bispebjerg cemetery directly towards the church and the symmetrically placed adjacent buildings, creating a viewing axis similar to those of the Baroque.
The most striking feature of the building is its west facade, reminiscent of a westwork or of the exterior of a church organ. It includes the 49 m (160 ft) tall bell tower. Klint decorated the nave with a version of the stepped gables common on Danish churches, but reinterpreted by doubling the apex. The nave was designed with generous dimensions: The triple-aisled Hall church is 76 m (259 ft) long in total and 35 m (115 ft) wide; the nave has a height of 22 m (72 ft). The interior, inspired by Gothic architecture, fits a congregation of 1,800. Six million yellow bricks, a typical Danish building material, were used for the edifice.
A number of buildings were built beside the church at the same time, to enhance its visual impact. They contain the parish hall and apartments.
The church is open to visitors all year, not just at the times of services. The great Marcussen organ is regularly used for concerts.
Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík, begun a few years after Grundtvig's Church, is a comparable synthesis of Gothic and modern stylistic elements.
