Recall the Nordic Exhibition of 1888. It was a grand affair in Copenhagen. Tuborg made a splash. That splash was the Tuborg tower. This isn’t just any tower. It’s a giant Tuborg bottle. The Tuborg tower stands 26 meters tall. It is a landmark in Hellerup. This area is near Tuborg’s former brewery. That brewery is now Tuborg Havn.
The Tuborg tower was Tuborg Breweries’ idea. They wanted to contribute something special to the exhibition. The exhibition was where Copenhagen City Hall stands today. Tuborg was the first Danish brewery to sell bottled beer. Before, beer came in barrels.
Viggo Klein designed the Tuborg tower. Carl Lund brought it to life. He was a theatrical painter. The tower had Denmark’s first mechanical lift. It carried visitors to the top. The lift used water pressure from Copenhagen Waterworks. A system of stamps and pulleys powered it. At night, electric lights lit up the top of the bottle.
After the exhibition closed in 1889, they moved the Tuborg tower. It went next to Tuborg headquarters. This was at Strandvejen and Carolinevej in Hellerup. It cost 5 øre to enter the tower. But, you got the 5 øre back. This was if you had a beer in the nearby restaurant. Many people stopped here. The establishment closed in 1925. Other restaurants complained about unfair competition. The restaurant became a car repair shop. It was torn down in 1934.
Tuborg Breweries joined Carlsberg Group in 1969. Most beer production moved to Jutland in 1979. In 1988, the Tuborg tower moved again. It went to City Hall Square. This celebrated the Industrial Council’s 150th anniversary. It also marked the Tuborg tower’s 100th anniversary. Later, it returned to Tuborg’s former headquarters. The Tuborg tower was renovated in 2003.
The Tuborg tower has changed over time. Originally, it had a Red Tuborg lager label. This changed to a Green Tuborg label. Pilsner beer became more popular. The mechanical lift is gone. Now, a spiral staircase takes you up. The original canvas is now fiberglass. But the Tuborg tower still looks like a giant bottle.
Philip W. Heyman, Tuborg’s founder, knew marketing. The giant Tuborg tower worked. It could hold 1.5 million bottles of beer. In 1988, Carlsberg made a giant bottle opener. It was to celebrate the Tuborg tower’s 100th birthday. They displayed it next to the Tuborg tower in City Hall Square.
Today, the Tuborg tower stands as a testament to Tuborg’s innovative spirit. It reminds us of a time when a beer bottle could be a landmark, a spectacle, and a symbol of a brewery’s ambition. So, raise a glass to the Tuborg tower. A unique piece of Copenhagen’s history.