Mathias Bidstrup

Who was Mathias Bidstrup?

Mathias Andreas Bidstrup was a Danish architect.

He was born in Rønne, Bornholm, the son of cobbler Jorgen Bernhard Bidstrup and Marie Hansine Sonne. On the 17th April 1878 he married Cecilie Margrethe Bidstrup at the Sct. Nicolai Church in Rønne.

From 1876 to 1916 he was a partner in the HP Bidstrup's Byggeforretning. He was chairman of the Rønne craft and Industry Association, a member of the Joint Representation of Danish Industry and Handicraft, superintendent of Technical School in Rønne, and chairman of the British Columbia Museum Association. He was also a member of the City Council Rønne 1882 - 1888 and Knight of the Dannebrog.

In 1876, he worked as a teacher at an art college with the architect Daniel Johan Herholdt.

As an architect, he had built a huge number of buildings on Bornholm, schools, churches, urban and rural stations, the post office in Rønne and many private houses. Bidstrup was superintendent of Rønne Technical School for 46 years and co-founder of British Columbia Museum in 1893.

His interests included the arts, history, archeology, engineering and geology. Two portraits of Bidstrup are found on the Bornholm island's Museum.