Gramlille (Gram Little)
Marker 9.
Lyngby
Gramlille (Gram Little)Marker 9. |
Lyngby
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Gram Lille (Little Gram) was built in 1748 by the French envoy to Copenhagen, Abbé Lemaire, who wanted a country house across from the church on Rustenborg's fields. The country house was bought in 1761 by the engraver John Martin Preisler, who later became a professor at the Academy in Copenhagen. He was German born and was related to the so-called "Bernstorff Circle"; a group of immigrant German officials, writers and artists who lived in Copenhagen. The term was due to J.H.E. Bernstorff (the elder Bernstorff) who, in 1750, had succeeded Johan Sigismund Schulin as foreign minister. From 1761 the Preisler Farm in Lyngby became their favourite meeting point in summer.The best known of this circle was the poet Johann Gottlieb Klopstock who lived in Denmark during the years 1751-70. He was a great lover of nature and races on skates on Lyngby Sø (Lake) in the winter, where he once fell through the ice. The impressive Klopstock Oak on Prinsessestien (Princesses Path) is named after him, but the name did not appear until the 1900s.
J.H.E. Bernstorff was dismissed by Struensee in 1770 and left Denmark and the circle gradually dissolved.
Despite his reputation as an artist and professor, Johan Martin Preisler was not a rich man and in 1791 he had to sell his country house in Lyngby. In 1875 it was bought by Carl Hother Müffelmann who owned it until 1896 and named it "Little Gram" (Gramlille).
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C.H. Müffelmann was a farmer and had been a tenant of Gram Estate in southern Jutland, where his sister Alvilde kept house for him (photo from a drawing 1848). They were both unmarried. After southern Jutland became German in 1864, they did not want to live there, so they bought a retirement house in Lyngby, a place they knew from their childhood. Their father, the merchant Mr. Müffelman, had owned the country house Fuglesang (Birdsong) on Prinsessestien (Princess-path)that they had visited in summer.
The poet Christian Winther had been a tutor to Mr. Müffelmanns children in 1825-30, so he had lived at Fuglsang too. Christian Winther lived in a garden house, which burned down around 1900. The oldest of his students was Alvilde who was born in 1810 and was only 14 years younger than he was. The two had great affection for each other and there is little doubt that Christian Winther was seriously in love with Alvilde. He never ceased to be so, but for her it could be no more than affection. They often went for long walks together in the beautiful countryside and during one such walk to Hjortsholm by Furesøen, Christian Winther wrote the poem "Fly bird, fly, over Furesøen's waters" (Flyv fulg, flyv over Furesøens vande). Christian Winther had several relationships and eventually married, but Alvilde remained unmarried. She retained her affection for him and in her old age claimed that it was he who had taught her the art of learning by herself.
Gramlille was bought by Lyngby-Taarbæk in 1955. In 1963 the house was turned into Denmark's first music library. Stadsbiblioteket (the City Library) was inaugurated in 1968 and built in Gramlille's garden. The old magnolia tree was moved from the garden to its present place in front of the house.