1918
Højgaard & Schultz is founded
In 1918, Sven Schultz and Knud Højgaard founded the company Højgaard & Schultz. The two founders had met each other as employees of Christiani & Nielsen's St. Petersburg branch, and displaced by the Russian Revolution, they formed their own Danish company.
1919
DSB
The first ever order for Monberg & Thorsens was a railway bridge in Taastrup for DSB. The collaboration with DSB continued over the years, including electrification through the ELKON consortium in the 1980s, and today MT Højgaard Danmark is building a number of workshops for DSB.
1919
Monberg & Thorsen is founded
A few months later, in February 1919, Axel Monberg and Ejnar Thorsen founded the company Monberg & Thorsen. The two founders had met at a session and had become friends.
1924
Ford Factory
Monberg & Thorsen's first major order was a car factory for Ford worth DKK 2.25 million.
1928
The Berlingske House
Monberg & Thorsen built the Berlingske House in Pilestræde, which was inaugurated in 1928.
1930
Carlsberg
In the 1920s and 1930s, Højgaard & Schultz built a number of reinforced concrete buildings for Carlsberg, including the Boilerhouse.
1931
The Temporary Langebro
Højgaard & Schultz built the temporary Langebro for the City of Copenhagen and the Port of Copenhagen. The bridge was allowed to stand until 1954, when it was replaced by the current Langebro.
1933
Gdynia
Højgaard & Schultz had great success with work in Gdynia, Poland in the 1930s. The first job in Gdynia turned into many more, and Højgaard & Schultz ended up carrying out work worth over DKK 100 million in the city.
1935
Odin's Tower
Odin's Tower was built by Monberg & Thorsen using steel pipes from the caissons of the Old Little Belt Bridge. The tower was located at Bolbrobakke in Odense, and at 175 metres, it was the second tallest tower in Europe. However, the Gestapo bombed the tower in 1944 in revenge for a series of actions by the Resistance Movement, which Monberg & Thorsen happened to be very active in.
1935
The Old Little Belt Bridge
Monberg & Thorsen built the Old Little Belt Bridge, which was inaugurated in 1935 and is still in operation. They won the project because they came up with an innovative foundation method with specially designed caissons. Højgaard & Schultz also bid on the project, but their consortium came second after Monberg & Thorsen.
1940
The Ghaflan-Kouh Bridge
In the 1940s, Monberg & Thorsen built numerous railways and railway bridges in Iran. Along the way, they had major problems when World War II broke out and they were unable to provide the necessary guarantees on the projects.
1948
The Rømø dam
Monberg & Thorsen began work on the Rømø Dam in 1939, and the project was only supposed to last 4-5 years. However, World War II meant that the project was delayed by four years, as manning failed and only a small core of less than 200 men stayed on site, so the project was not handed over and inaugurated until 1948.
1950
Knud Højgaard and Ejnar Thorsen
There were strong ties between Monberg & Thorsen and Højgaard & Schultz long before the companies merged. Here, Knud Højgaard and Ejnar Thorsen are photographed together as they agree with the Americans that Danish companies will participate in construction projects at the bases in Greenland.
1955
Bellahøj Houses
Højgaard & Schultz built Copenhagen's first two six-storey tower blocks: Bellahøj Houses. The two tower blocks were built using the so-called Kallton method.
1957
The Library Courtyard
Knud Højgaard bought the building on Kultorvet in 1955, and for the next few years Højgaard & Schultz worked on creating the City of Copenhagen's Main Library. Since then, the building has housed Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College and is today known as Knud Højgaards Hus.
1958
Collaboration with F.L. Schmidt Group
Over the years, Monberg & Thorsen has collaborated with the F.L. Schmidt Group to establish cement factories in Denmark, Poland, Greece and Jamaica. The picture shows the construction of cement factories in South Korea and Kenya in 1958.
1960
Concrete buildings
In the 1960s, many concrete buildings were constructed, such as the Lewaldsvænge housing complex in Lyngby. This period was characterised by a significant growth in urbanisation, and there was a great need to create residential areas that could accommodate the many newcomers to the cities.
1960
Magasin in Lyngby
Højgaard & Schultz built Magasin du Nord in 1960. These were boom times and the Danes' standard of living and shopping opportunities rose sharply during these years.
1970
The new Little Belt Bridge
Monberg & Thorsen carried out the superstructure of the new Little Belt Bridge, and also won here with an alternative solution where the bridge deck consisted of welded closed steel sections and internal ventilation instead of the traditional painted steel structure. This principle made the ongoing maintenance (rust protection) of the bridge significantly cheaper and has become a commonly used method on large bridges.
1971
Maarmorilik
Monberg & Thorsen were part of the workers at the Maarmorilik mine in Greenland. The mine operated from 1973-1990, where, as the name suggests, it was used to extract marble.
1975
Enemærke & Petersen founded
At Klostergården in Ringsted in 1975, Gunnar Enemærke and Jørgen Petersen founded the company Enemærke & Petersen as a roofing company in the renovation market for cooperative and owner-occupied housing associations.
1979
Vejlefjord Bridge
Monberg & Thorsen was part of the Vejlefjord consortium responsible for the construction of the Vejlefjord Bridge in 1979.
1984
Tietgens Bridge
Højgaard & Schultz lifted the Tietgens Bridge in Copenhagen in 1984. There was insufficient clearance under the Tietgens Bridge and the railway station hall when catenary wires were suspended over the long-distance train tracks. One night in May 1984, the 3,600 tonne bridge was lifted 25.5 cm at the abutment at Bernstorffsgade and 9.6 cm at the opposite end.
1985
Faroe bridges
The Faroe bridges were another top-class engineering achievement from Monberg & Thorsen. In fact, they strongly challenged the tender documents and came up with a better proposal than what was originally tendered.
1989
Planetarium
In 1989, Monberg & Thorsen built the Planetarium, which is located by Skt. Jørgens Sø in Copenhagen. The building is known for its unique and striking architecture, designed as a large cylinder. The cylinder is 38 metres high.
1990
Steel bridges
Monberg & Thorsen was a prominent player in the field of steel bridges both at home and abroad and carried out a number of notable projects in the 1990s. These include the Askøy Bridge, which has the longest span in Norway and was Scandinavia's longest suspension bridge when it was built (1992) and the High Coast Bridge, a suspension bridge north of Stockholm (1997).
1994
Great Belt West Bridge
Højgaard & Schultz built the West Bridge in the years 1989-1994 on the Great Belt link between Funen and Sprogø.
1996
The Great Belt Tunnel
Monberg & Thorsen was the contractor on the 8,024 metre long East Tunnel on the Great Belt Link.
1998
The Black Diamond
Højgaard & Schultz built The Black Diamond in 1998. When the sun shines on the building and you stand on the opposite side, you can clearly see on the facade why it is called The Black Diamond.
2000
The Øresund Bridge
One project that really brought the idea of merging Højgaard & Schultz and Monberg & Thorsen to life was the Øresund Bridge, where the two companies were part of the joint venture that created the bridge. The collaboration went well and it became clear that both companies could both complement and challenge each other.
2000
Acquisition of Enemærke & Petersen
Højgaard & Schultz acquires Enemærke & Petersen.
2001
Merger
Højgaard & Schultz and Monberg & Thorsen merge to become Denmark's largest construction and civil engineering company, MT Højgaard. At the same time, Højgaard Holding A/S is founded.
2004
Fields
Together with E. Pihl & Søn, MT Højgaard is building Fields on Amager, which when it opened in 2004 was the largest shopping centre in the Nordic region.
2006
Construction factory in Glostrup
Enemærke & Petersen's construction factory in Glostrup is established, which today is the cornerstone of the company's renovation concept with prefabricated building components.
2007
DR Concert Hall
The construction of the DR Concert Hall was spectacular both inside and out. The difficult task was to create the so-called peripheral channel that runs between the stair towers and the extra columns that support the "floating", walnut-shaped concert hall.
2012
The Blue Planet
The Knud Højgaard Foundation made a large contribution to the construction of the Blue Planet, so it meant a lot to us that MT Højgaard also contributed with both earthworks and concrete works.
2013
Hardanger Bridge
MT Højgaard is carrying out the steel and assembly work in the construction of the Hardanger Bridge in Norway. The two suspension cables weigh no less than 6,400 tonnes and were spun using a cable car on wheels.
2013
Anholt Offshore Wind Farm
Anholt Offshore Wind Farm is located in the Kattegat waters between Djursland and Anholt. At the time of its inauguration, it was Denmark's largest. MT Højgaard helped establish the foundations for the wind turbines at Anholt and for a number of other large offshore wind farms.
2014
Moesgaard Museum
MT Højgaard is building the exhibition building, which peeks out from under a grass-covered pitched roof of almost 13,000 square metres. It is built so that museum visitors can freely wander around the roof as a natural part of the landscape. The enormous roof surface is supported by a large and complex column-beam system.
2014
Bicycle Snake
MT Højgaard is constructing the Bicycle Snake, which connects Dybbølsbro and Byggebroen in Copenhagen. It is 230 metres long and functions as a meandering ramp that overcomes six metres of height.
2016
TRUST
Enemærke & Petersen creates the business unit, TRUST, in collaboration with KANT arkitekter, Nøhr & Sigsgaard, Dominia, Norconsult and GHB Landskab. In 2016, TRUST is appointed as the strategic partner to the City of Copenhagen to handle the municipality's institutional and school construction over the following four years. In 2021, TRUST regains the strategic partnership.
2019
MT Højgaard Holding is created
On 5 April 2019, Højgaard Holding A/S and Monberg & Thorsen A/S merged to form the continuing company MT Højgaard Holding A/S, which owns 100% of the subsidiaries in the MT Højgaard Group. This created a simpler, more transparent and cost-efficient structure with the aim of strengthening competitiveness.
2019
AARrhus
On Aarhus Ø, MT Højgaard has built 251 apartments and a number of activity centres that are centrally located in the vibrant environment on the waterfront in Aarhus. In the construction, there has been a particular focus on giving future residents the opportunity to put their own stamp on their homes.
2019
Højstrupparken
Enemærke & Petersen is leading the major renovation of Højstrupparken in Bolbro in Odense, where 587 social housing units are getting a well-deserved makeover.
2020
Divestment of companies
In the wake of the establishment of MT Højgaard Holding, we are assessing how we can best utilise management strength and financial resources to create progress. These priorities lead to the divestment of the companies Lindpro (2020), Ajos (2021) and Scandi Byg (2023).
2021
Enemærke & Petersen acquires NemByg & Raunstrup
In 2020, Enemærke & Petersen acquires the two companies Raunstrup and NemByg. Both acquisitions were made to expand the company's capacity and geographical reach in Denmark.
2021
Business archive Aarhus
The renovation of the business archive in Aarhus - also known as Smykkeskrinet - was a very special task for Enemærke & Petersen's construction management and craftsmen. The close collaboration between craftsmen, consultants and construction management ensured a good process and a result that has attracted external attention and internal pride.
2022
Dalum Paper Mill
MT Højgaard Property Development is building a new residential area that once housed Dalum Papirfabrik. The homes vary in size and style, from New Yorker-inspired apartments to family-friendly townhouses and senior-friendly homes. In 2022, the neighbouring land Dalum Kloster will also be purchased for further project development.
2022
FLUGT
NemByg carried out an extensive renovation and remodelling of the historic hospital buildings at the former refugee camp in Oksbøl to create FLUGT - Refugee Museum of Denmark.
2023
Rønne Harbour
MT Højgaard Danmark has been responsible for the renovation and expansion of Bornholm's supply harbour and cruise port. With a 450-metre extension of the outer pier and 300 metres of new heavy-duty quay, the project is one of the largest recent hydraulic engineering projects in Denmark.
2024
Svanemølleholm (Holm 8)
MT Højgaard Danmark is carrying out a turnkey contract for 57,000 square metres of head office construction for AP Pension and Nykredit in Copenhagen's Nordhavn.
