Bruger:Asiahousemathilde/sandkasse

Asia House

Asia House on Indiakaj

Asia House is an independent, neutral NPO based in Copenhagen. The company focuses on Asian countries and regional cooperation, while facilitating knowledge sharing among businesses, diplomatic institutions and academia. Asia House seeks to strengthen relationship-building between Denmark and Asia, and does so by serving as the venue for meetings and seminars related to Asia.

Lectures by visiting research scientists, university lecturers from East Asia, as well as panel discussions on relevant subjects pertaining to Asian affairs are among Asia House activities. Asia House has also engaged in joint business seminars with other institutions, notably Copenhagen Business School´s Asia Research Centre and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS). Organisations focusing on Asia, such as the Asia Pacific Business Association and the Hong Kong-Denmark Trade Association, also engage in partnerships with Asia House, as well as societies relating to countries in Asia - such as the Danish Thai Society and the Denmark Japan Society.

Asia House's key stakeholders are the largest Danish brands, the Danish diplomatic service and government institutions, Universities in Denmark, and Asian Embassies in Copenhagen.

Asia House is located on Indiakaj in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1897, and the following year, H.N. Andersen erected Asia House as the headquarters of A/S Det Østasiatiske Kompagni (the East Asiatic Company). The House served as the EAC’s headquarters up to 1907, and in the following years after that, it was used as a hiring office for sailors, a ticket office for passenger ships, a laboratory and administration complex for a pharmaceutical group, an international wool trading centre, a customs office, an exhibition centre, and more besides.

Asia House is owned by the EAC Foundation. It serves as a focal point for its work to preserve knowledge of the EAC’s history and importance and provide a meeting place for those who have an interest in Asia.

Asia House in 1897

The EAC Foundation

The EAC Foundation primarily supports projects and activities that strengthen and expand commercial and cultural relations between Denmark and the countries in which the East Asiatic Company has been active, notably in Asia.

Within this scope, the Foundation focuses on research, humanitarian grants, environmental protection, education and art.

The East Asiatic Company

The full history of both Asia House and the EAC up to the present day was brought to light in autumn 2016 with the publication of the book ‘Udsyn’ by Martin Jes Iversen. Martin Jess Iversen’s work is based on direct access to the EAC’s archives and historic heritage.

EAC has been retaining key documents, correspondence and other material as records of important events throughout the history of EAC. The old archives include material going back to the period of H.N. Andersen in Bangkok in the latter part of the 1800’s.

It was decided to transfer all historic files older than 1993 to public archives, and this transfer has been completed and the appropriate authorities are now responsible for the registration and safekeeping. In a few cases EAC has requested material to be kept confidential for a period to be determined by the board of EAC, but by far the largest part are public domain.

The main recipients are: Erhvervsarkivet in Aarhus (documents and correspondence), Handels- og Søfartsmuseet in Helsingør (photos of ships) and Det Kongelige Bibliotek (photos except ships). All Historic Heritage material is kept in Asia House. It belongs to EAC, and permission to see the material, or part thereof, is entirely at the discretion of the EAC board of Directors.