By Thorsten Overgaard. January 29, 2026. Republished photo reportage from September 2008.
Preface: THIS STORY was originally written and photographed for the September 2008 issue of the monthly magazine of Jyllands-Posten (the largest newspaper in Denmark) and was a 20-page story. I picked it up from the cutting room floor and thought it was still a good story to tell, thus here is the republished version. This one even include a slideshow video.
Maybe part of the story is that Jens Kaiser, who was the editor then, like me, loved history, architecture, and good storytelling. Unlike the trend then and now, we disagreed with the idea that "people only have time for short stories" and created a monthly feature about some big or small subject that we felt was interesting—maybe not for the entire world, but very interesting for some of the people in the world.
Thus, we would sit in his office, drink coffee, and have bread with cheese while we conspired about which stories to do. We never asked anyone outside the room if they thought it was a good story. If we liked it, we did it, and the newspaper printed it. If anyone at the newspaper questioned our judgment, Jens Kaiser never bothered me with it. We just went on with one 20-page story after the other, and as far as I know, nobody ever bothered us.
On one hand, I believe this is like living in a fantasy world, but on the other hand, I still feel there is a need for someone who tells the stories they feel should be told, the way they should be told. Storytelling rather than just news reporting. I would love to read a 12-page story in The New York Times or a 25-page interview and photo reportage in Vogue.
A story of two twin houses, restored
For almost a year bypassers could only guess what was going on behind the huge scaffold that covered the twin buildings Knold & Tot (named after "Max und Moritz", The Katzenjammer Kids, a 1912 comics strip). This entire photo essay was produced with Leica Digilux 2.
We can now disclose, even in details, that what went on was a careful renovation deploying the most honorable handcraft principles in each detail of the project. One might even call it a reconstruction as the work in fact had as an aim that the two buildings should come back to their original form and look. And even with some details that the architect planned, but was never - for economical reasons or whatever - fulfilled back in 1909. So now they are, more original than ever.
Slideshow
Enjoy the slideshow of pictures from Knold & Tot. This was originally made with Soundslides, now converted to video:
The two buildings were built in 1909 as private family houses for the two bricklayer-brothers Severinsen and was bought in 1998 and 2001 by the three brothers Boyter of the toilet seat manufacturer Pressalit Group - with the purpose to house the executive division and meeting facilities in the center of Aarhus, Denmark. The Pressalit factory lies a 20 minute drive outside Aarhus why they wanted a central location in Denmark's second-largest town, Aarhus.
That is turned into a costly effort is no secret, Dan Boyter tells; "But there were probably no other way of doing it if the company and the three brothers were to take our responsibility of two jewels of the Aarhus history seriously. And in doing so we at the same time wanted to have a headquarter in Aarhus that exemplifies the cores values of design and quality that has become the trademark of Pressalit Group."
The brothers Boyter own and run the Pressalit Group - a company of 1954 employing 450 people and known for quality products and awarded several times for their social responsibility in society. The cores values of their company is easily recognized in the two 'reconstructed' buildings.
The renovation turned out to include a new foundation under one of the buildings. Likewise, some of the buildings outer walls were rebuilt because the existing ones had turned unequal. All outer walls has been treated with hydraulic mortar that doesn't contain cement, and the timbering has been reconstructed those places where it throughout time had been cancelled. Oh well, and then there was the roof that had to be reestablished completely with new timber which - for sake of the historic correctness - was assembled without screws, but with small pieces of wood as in the old days.
”That's how it is with old houses," says Dan Boyter. "Every time you start something, something unexpected always surface."
Århus City awarded the buildings in 2007 for the stellar renovation.
Thorsten von Overgaard is a Danish-American multiple award-winning photographer, known for his writings about photography and Leica cameras. He travels to more than 25 countries a year, photographing and teaching workshops to photographers. Some photos are available as signed editions via galleries or online. For specific photography needs, contact Thorsten Overgaard via email.
You can follow Thorsten Overgaard at his television channel magicoflight.tv.
