Aarhus Court and Arrest House

The Aarhus Court and Arrest House at Vester Allé 10 was completed in 1906. The building was designed by the architects KA Ludvigsen and Julius Hansen, who won the architectural competition issued by the municipality in 1903.

The story behind

At the end of the 1800th century, Aarhus was in dire need of a new courthouse, because the old place was small and worn and not very difficult to escape from as a prisoner.

However, it took a number of years before a new house was ready, because there were many stakeholders who had to use the place, who had an attitude to what the building should contain. 

The budget was also exceeded by a lot - primarily due to the foundation for the building, which became more expensive than expected. Today, the overthrow of the budget and the detention center had the equivalent of approximately 16,5 million.

Details of the building

The courthouse consists of three wings on three floors. The masonry is red, while the basement and the main staircase are clad in granite. 

The artist K. Hansen-Reistrup was behind some of the most decorative details on the building, including the two bronze lions on each side wing and the two bronze lanterns. 

The sculptor Elias Ølsgaard has been responsible for the city coat of arms, which can be seen on the front of the building.

Updated by: VisitAarhus | info@visitaarhus.com