Serampore Danish Tavern and College

Serampore, in Hooghly district of West Bengal on the west bank of the Hooghly River, was a Danish trading settlement called Frederiksnagore from 1755 until 1845, when Denmark sold it to the British East India Company. The Danes had held the site by agreement with the Nawab of Bengal, and the colony grew as a trading centre in textiles. In the early 19th century, Serampore became a centre of learning through the Baptist missionaries William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward, known as the Serampore Trio. They set up a printing press that produced Bengali and other Indian-language books, and founded Serampore College in 1818, which received a royal charter from the King of Denmark in 1827. The college's main building was constructed in the early 1820s, and its imposing Neoclassical facade faces the river, with a tall portico of Ionic columns and a long front. It is the only institution in India that holds a charter from Denmark, and it awards degrees in theology and in arts and sciences. The college library has a collection of rare books, including early printed works and manuscripts. The Denmark Tavern, a former Danish inn on the riverfront, has been restored by the Danish and Indian authorities and is used as a heritage hotel and visitor space, while St Olav's Church of 1806 stands nearby, along with the Danish Governor's residence and the old Danish cemetery. Conservation has been supported by the National Museum of Denmark and the state government. Visitors usually walk the riverfront and view the college in a half-day trip from Kolkata.