The Danish Embassy in D.C.
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Denmark in the USA
The first modern embassy
In the capital of the United States of America, Washington D.C, on the hilltop of Whitehaven Street in a neighborhood that far from resembles that of downtown D.C is the Danish Embassy.
The embassy was built in 1960 and is the first modern embassy of the United States. As supposed to buying big American mansions to house their representatives like most countries did, the Danish ambassador thought that a new and modern building would represent national values, traditions and ideas as well as reflect Denmark better than an American building.
The building was designed by Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen.
At first sight
The first thing you notice when you see the building is how square it is and how different it is from all the other embassies you walk past on your way up there. Vilhelm Lauritzen is known for his contribution to modernism in Danish architecture, and this house is no different. With its flat roof, the glass façade, and its more or less open plan interior it is very similar to other modernistic buildings seen in Denmark.
It is very bright inside and atmosphere is professional like a working environment, but also has a homey feeling to it, which is a good combination, when you have visitors that may be experiencing their first impression of Denmark.
The significance of the Danish Embassy
As it says on the official website of the Danish Embassy it is: [The] Ministry of foreign affairs of Denmark. The embassy works to represent and promote Denmark and help people who may have issues concerning different matters on Denmark or related to Denmark.
The embassy is engaged in both cultural and political matters. The Danish Representation offers different services to for example artists who are interested in promoting Danish architecture and culture in the US. At the same time they work as a help to the American press who can contact the embassy if they have questions about Danish matters or about Denmark in general. They can also help with group visits to the White House or Pentagon in Washington D.C, although this service only applies to groups of Danes.
During my visit
When I visited the Danish Embassy it was to hear a lecture. The lecture was given by a man who worked with domestic policy in the US and therefore the main focus was on this. He started out by telling us that his job was to keep up to date on domestic policy in the US and take notice of how that could affect Denmark. Then we were free to ask the questions. We talked about what the chances are of a person, independent of political parties, being elected to Congress