Catherine Brickworks

Broager is a small town in South Jutland, on the Broager Peninsula which is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the Flensborg Fjord. The area was celebrated for several centuries as the principal source of bricks in Denmark. Bricks, made from deposits of stoneless clay from a glacial lake, could easily be taken by ship to Copenhagen and to other Danish cities. Brickmaking in the region received a stimulus after the great fire in Copenhagen in 1728, and the Catherine Brickworks traces its origins back to 1732, and for much of its history was the property of the Hollensen family. In the late nineteenth century there were about 40 brickworks in the area, but Andreas Hollensen decided to modernise his works, installing steam-driven clay preparation machinery and a Hoffman kiln with 16 chambers, each of which could accommodate 7,500 bricks. The works closed in 1968 but a successful community initiative led to the establishment of a museum encompassing the surviving buildings in 1993. Visitors can explore 7 ha. of clay pits, the drying shed, the circular Hoffman kiln, the workers’ housing, and the pier on the edge of the site from which bricks were despatched by sea. The site is part of the Museum Sønderjylland, and is the venue for many cultural events.

Catherine Brickworks
Broager Cathrinesminde Teglværk
Illerstrandwej 7
DK 6310 Broager
Denmark
+45 (0) 444 - 9474
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