In 2025, on the occasion of the Cité internationale’s centennial, the Danish Student House celebrated the publication of the book La Fondation danoise—Kaj Gottlob à Paris, published by Still. Made possible thanks to the generous support of the Dronning Margrethes og Prins Henriks Fond, Realdania, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, the Beckett Foundation, the Consul George Jorck and His Wife Emma Jorck Foundation, and the Arne V. Schlesch Foundation, this beautiful book honors the work of Danish architect Kaj Gottlob (1897–1976), who designed the Danish Student House within the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris.
The creation of this book required a year of research and documentation. The authors and contributors drew in particular on Kaj Gottlob’s original drawings, which are preserved in the architectural archives of the Royal Library of Denmark in Søborg, near Copenhagen. These exceptional documents have provided a deeper understanding of the House’s design—from its architecture to its furnishings—conceived down to the smallest detail by one of Denmark’s greatest architects, a leading figure in Nordic functionalism and also associated with the Art Deco movement.
Richly illustrated with photographs by Jens M. Lindhe and archival documents, the book traces the history of the Danish Student House since its inauguration in 1932 and highlights the evolution of this unique place, designed to offer Danish students in Paris a true “home away from home.”
The book’s publication was celebrated at several cultural events, including a launch party at Le Bicolore in June 2025 and, later that year, during European Heritage Days in September at the Danish Student House, where the public had the opportunity to learn about the architectural history of the Maison and the legacy of Kaj Gottlob. This publishing project represents a significant contribution to the understanding and promotion of Danish heritage in Paris.
The book features a foreword by Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of Denmark, patron of the Danish Student Hoise, who did us the honor of attending the book launch alongside the residents, Jean-Marc Sauvé, President of the Cité internationale, and Her Excellency Hanne Fugl Eskær.
