Ribe Cemetery
In the northwest corner of Ribe Old Cemetery (
), well hidden among four large
deciduous trees and evergreen shrubs, stands a large grave monument dedicated to C. J.
Backhaus and Marie Backhaus. The site
is the burial place of a married couple belonging to the second generation of one of Ribe’s best-known immigrant families.
The Progenitor
In 1854, the family patriarch, Georg August Johan Backhaus (born 1826), walked all the way to Ribe from the Duchy of Lauenburg, which at that time was part of the Danish Monarchy. (Denmark had received the duchy as compensation for the loss of Norway to Sweden following the peace treaty of 1814 after the Napoleonic Wars!)
He settled in Ribe as a pastry chef
with his own shop on Sortebrødregade. However, as early as 1856, he purchased the property at Grydergade 14 for 2,100 rigsdaler and moved his business there.
Here, for 34 years, he ran a modest
bakery and pastry shop with great diligence and
skill. Over time, the building became too small, and in 1886 the adjacent lot behind it was purchased to expand the business.
Carl Julius Backhaus
Two years later, in 1888, the business was handed over to his son, Carl Julius Backhaus (1859–1936), who purchased the neighboring properties in 1906 and 1913.
C. J. Backhaus was very interested in rare animals and plants, which led
him to create a beautiful and popular pleasure garden with a rich variety of flora and fauna adjacent to the pastry shop. In 1919, he demolished the neighboring property he had purchased, Grydergade 12, and instead built an indoor winter garden spanning two floors and designed as a palm garden in the style of the time. Gradually, the site developed into a larger amusement complex featuring an indoor palm garden (
) and an outdoor garden (
) with dining facilities and a zoo. The pleasure garden had aviaries with pheasants, birds of paradise, parrots,
chickens, ducks—and monkeys.
Older residents of Ripen still remember the story of a playful monkey that was a source of much amusement but once got its hands on a female visitor’s overcoat. This led to a lawsuit. In the end, the monkey’s owner was ordered to pay 40 kroner in compensation for the coat and 30 kroner in legal costs.
The amusement park was decorated in the German style with an artificial stone grotto,
a stalactite cave, and a fountain.
On summer evenings, the park was lit
with colored lamps, and
every evening there was dancing to live
music.
Ribe’s citizens gathered here for
family and other celebrations. The place was
known throughout the country. In the 1930s,
guests and school classes were drawn from
a large catchment area both north and south of
the border, not least because of
the monkeys in the garden. In 1933 alone,
approximately 2,300 schoolchildren visited Backhaus’ Have.
Around 1964, the Palm Garden
was converted into a two-story building, with
a cafeteria, kitchen, and restaurant on
the ground floor, while the first floor
was fitted out with a banquet hall and
restrooms. C. J. Backhaus managed
the establishment for 42 years until his death in 1930. His widow, Marie Backhaus (née Adolfsen), then took over the management.
Manufacturer August Julius Theodor
Backhaus
One of Carl Backhaus’s sons is August Backhaus (1889–1966), a well-known manufacturer in Ribe (
). He completed his apprenticeship at Thrige-Titan in Odense. After four years in Argentina, he was hired in 1930 as manager of the chicory factory “A/S Sønderjyllands Kaffeerstatning” on Slotsgade in Ribe.
(Chicory is a plant whose taproot
was roasted, ground, and used
as a coffee substitute)
In 1937, he purchased the factory.
In 1934, he had started a bakelite factory in the same building
.
(Bakelite is a type of plastic that was invented around 1905–07 by a Belgian chemist.)
The material is used for handles on
pots and pans, door handles, and, in the past,
also for electrical outlets and sockets.
The company Backhaus & Co had
20 employees. August Backhaus ran the factory until his death in 1966.
Later, the company went bankrupt.
In 1998, the buildings were demolished, and
the site was developed with a block
of cooperative housing under the name Slotsbo. August Backhaus was married to Signe Buhl Petersen (1896–1990).
Today
The Backhaus Hotel and Restaurant at
Grydergade 12 is still going strong at
, featuring a kitchen and two dining rooms on the ground floor, as well as restrooms and a large banquet hall on the first floor. In addition, the establishment also operates
as a hotel. Lysthaven was long ago
closed down and converted into an outdoor dining area
and a parking lot.
The premises provide space for several meeting rooms,
club meetings, general assemblies
, and private gatherings.
This story was written by the Kirkegårdene
Storytelling Group with assistance from a descendant of the Backhaus family.
The historical photos were kindly made available to
by Torben Hestehave’s photo archive. Original Story