- Address: Södergatan 1, 252 25 Helsingborg, Sweden
- Architectural style: Neoclassicism
The villa of the Persson Consul, which is also known as the Essen villa, is one of the attractions of Helsingborg . The building is located to the east of the intersection of South Street and South Main Street and is surrounded by a lush park.
Architecture
The villa was built in 1848 for Count Gustav von Essen by the architect Gustav Frederick Hetch. From 1883 to 1916, there lived an entrepreneur and politician, Consul Nils Persson. After his death in 1923, the consul's son presented the villa to the city of Helsingborg.
The villa is built in neoclassical style and has not changed much since the day of construction. This is a rectangular building with several protruding parts. The building is three-storied, with a facade covered with yellow and white plaster, with a basement and a basement floor. The borders between the basement, the socle and the upper floors are marked with cornices. The facade of the second and third floors are smooth and polished. The windows of the second floor are large arched, and the third - have a slightly smaller size. The entrance is lined up forward and decorated with columns, above it is a balcony with a forged fence. On the south side there is an entrance to the second floor, a metal staircase leads to it.
Persson's Consul in his lifetime
Consul Niels Persson bought the house in 1883 and lived in it until his death. He made some changes, gave the building a more modern look, increased the windows on the second floor:
- On the first floor there were offices of the phosphate plant and Persson himself. On the top floor was the master bedroom. The interior was typical for that time: dark furniture and pompous fabrics.
- The salon on the middle floor was furnished with furniture from pear tree, upholstered in red silk. The original parquet floor was covered with a large carpet. Nearby there was a dining room with oak furniture with a brown leather cover.
- Persson was a sociable person and used the villa for holidays and parties, where companies were invited to 60 people. Serving was conducted in a small dining room through a buffet, and in a large dining room dances were arranged.
- The hosts loved the garden. It grew currants, gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, pears, nuts. There was also a greenhouse, where grapes, figs, peaches were grown. A tennis court was built in the garden.
When the son of the consul handed the house over to the city, his condition was to preserve the name of the Villa of the Consul of Persson.
The purpose of the building is now
Persson's consulship today is a student campus. On the third floor of the building there are offices of the Agora student association, Helsingborg Spex, the Aranda business and business association and the student choir. On the second floor there is a conference hall. On the ground floor there is a business club and a meeting room for 70 people. In the basement there is a fully equipped kitchen and there is a restaurant.
The premises of the villa are used for conferences and meetings.
Protection of cultural heritage
On May 18, 1966, the National Council was asked to recognize the villa of the Persson Consul as a national monument of Sweden . January 16, 1967 this event took place. Now the building is protected by the state: it can not be moved, it can not be changed in appearance and it must receive regular maintenance from the owners. In 2001, the rules became tougher, the protection was extended to terraces and adjoining territories.
How to get to the villa of Persson's Consul?
You can reach the sights by public transport . A bus stop Helsingborg biblioteket is located 120 m from the Persson's villa. It stops on routes 1-4, 6-8, 10, 26-28, 84, 89, 91 and 209. Thanks to this variety, you can get to the place from any district of the city.