Drewsen – Silkeborg's powerful man
Drewsen came to Silkeborg in 1844 and lived here for the next 30 years. During this period, he had an enormous influence on the town's development, including lobbying for roads and railways, establishing a gasworks and telegraph connection, and purchasing the ‘Hjejlen’, which still sails on the Silkeborg lakes.
Controversy over the memorial
After Drewsen's death in 1874, it was proposed that a statue be erected in his memory. In 1892, a group of citizens applied to have it erected in Torvet, but not everyone agreed. Critics believed that Drewsen had primarily served his own interests and had not secured the future of his former workers.
The statue today
Nevertheless, the statue was placed in Torvet, designed by the artist Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan and cast in bronze. Pedersen-Dan is also known for the statue of Holger Danske at Kronborg. Today, it is a tradition for new graduates to dance around Drewsen every year when they celebrate their graduation.
