Peter Sabroe
Elias Ølsgaard (1873-1964)
Skulpturen Peter Sabroe, der står på Østbanetorvet, er lavet af Elias Ølsgaard (1873-1964). Peter Sabroe blev født i 1867 i Gødvad ved Silkeborg. Han kom i skomagerlære som 14-årig og blev socialdemokrat i en tidlig alder. I 1888 blev han journalist ved dagbladet Demokraten. Fra 1900-1908 var han socialdemokratisk medlem af Aarhus Byråd, og fra 1901-1913 var han folketingsmedlem. Fra 1910-1913 var han desuden ansat ved dagbladet Social-Demokraten i København.
Peter Sabroes hjerte brændte for samfundets svage, og hurtigt blev han kendt og anerkendt for sin energiske indsats for at finde løsninger på en lang række sociale problemer – ikke mindst dem, som vedrørte misrøgt og mishandling af børn og unge. Det drejede sig f.eks. om forbedring af forholdene på børnehjem og opdragelsesanstalter og om gennemførelse af en ny tyendelov, der skulle give bedre forhold for tjenestefolk. Sabroe var ikke altid lige diplomatisk i sin argumentation og måtte derfor jævnligt affinde sig med voldsom kritik, bøder og fængselsdomme.
Den 26. juli 1913 omkom Peter Sabroe ved den store jernbaneulykke ved Bramming i Sydvestjylland. Han fik en stor begravelse i Aarhus, der blev overværet af 50.000 mennesker. Sabroes gravsten på Nordre Kirkegård i Aarhus er smykket med et relief, der – som monumentet på Østbanetorvet – er udført af Elias Ølsgaard.
Elias Ølsgaard var uddannet billedhugger fra Kunstakademiet i København. Han boede i Aarhus det meste af sit liv, og der er i byen en meget lang række værker med Ølsgaard signatur.
English abstract
Peter Sabroe was born in 1867 in Gødvad near Silkeborg. At the age of 14 he began an apprenticeship as a shoemaker and became an early member of the Social Democrats. In 1888 he became a journalist for Demokraten. From 1900 to 1908 he was a Social Democratic member of the Aarhus City Council. From 1901 to 1913 he was a member of the Danish Parliament. From 1910 to 1913 he was also employed by Social-Demokraten in Copenhagen.
Peter Sabroe had a soft spot for society's weakest, and he quickly became known and recognized for his energetic efforts to find solutions to a wide range of social problems, particularly those involving the neglect and abuse of children and young people. His work ranged from bettering conditions in orphanages and reformatories to the implementation of a new domestic servant law that aimed to improve conditions for domestic workers. Sabroe was not always diplomatic in his arguments, and as a result, he had to endure fierce criticism, fines, and prison sentences.
Peter Sabroe died in a train accident near Bramminge on July 26, 1913. He was given a public funeral in Aarhus, attended by 50,000 people, and his gravestone at Nordre Cemetery in Aarhus is adorned with a relief created by Elias Ølsgaard (1873-1964). The monument of Peter Sabroe was made by Elias Ølsgaard and is situated at Østbanetorvet.