Kongens Nytorv
Kongens Nytorv | |
| Coordinates | 55°40′49″N 12°34′9″E / 55.68028°N 12.56917°E |
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Kongens Nytorv (lit. "The King's New Square") is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with a major extension of the fortified city, and has an equestrian statue of him at its centre. The initiative moved the centre of the city from the medieval area around Gammeltorv, at that time a muddy medieval marketplace, to a cobbled new square with a garden complex, inspired by the Royal city planning seen in Paris from the early 17th century.[1]
Important buildings facing the square include the
History
New Copenhagen
In the beginning of the 17th century, the area later to become Kongens Nytorv was located outside the
Creating the square
At this time, under the reign of
Shortly after Christian V was crowned in 1670, he decided to level and cobble the square. This decision was taken mainly for military reasons, its strategic location with almost the same distance to all points along the ramparts of the city making it well suited as a central alarm square. At the same time, the square was to serve as a place royale with inspiration from France.[2]
Early buildings
Land around the new square was distributed among interested wealthy citizens, including people from the new ranks. Buildings facing the square were required to be in at least two stories and meet certain standards.
In 1688, a
Features
Equestrian statue
The
With direct inspiration from the equestrian statue of
At the foot of the
Even though Lamoureux depicted the horse in a
Krinsen garden complex
Krinsen is an old form of the Danish word Krans, meaning circle or wreath. It is an elliptical parterre surrounding the statue of Christian V. The ellipse was a favoured geometrical shape at the time, an obvious example bing the elliptical pattern in the paving around the Marcus Aurelius statue at Piazza del Campidoglio. Around the parterre, two rows of trees were planted. In 1711, the garden complex was remodelled, before it was given up in 1747 the garden was removed to make room for military drills, with some of the trees being dug altogether up, leaving only the equestrian statue. Some of the trees were dug up and reused for the establishment of the avenue Østre Allé. New rows of elm trees were planted around the statue in 1855–56, but by 1998 they were dying from Dutch elm disease and removed. In 2001, 80 lime trees were planted as part of a major refurbishment of the square.
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Old kiosk
On the square stands an old kiosk and telephone stand from 1913. It is built in Baroque Revival style with a copper-clad roof and hand-carved ornamentation. It also used to offer the first public telephonic connection in Copenhagen from where it was possible to call every day except Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm.[2] Today it houses a small café with outdoor service.
Surrounding buildings
Nyhavn to Holmens kanal
Built 1672–1683, Charlottenborg Palace is the oldest building on the square. It is now home to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts as well as the exhibition space Kunsthal Charlottenborg.
The Harsdorff House (No. 3-5,) was built in 1780 to design by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff. The building's facade was to serve as a model for the many master builders of the time who had little or no academic training.
The Royal Danish Theatre's current building (No. 1) is from 1872 to 1874 and was designed by Wilhelm Dahlerup. Its Art Nouveau-style 1931 extension Stærekassen, which spans the street Tordenskjoldsgade, was built both as an extension of the theatre and a new home for Danmarks Radio.
Nyhavn to Gothersgade
The
The Lihme House (No. 18) is from 1787.
Gothersgad to Holmens Kanale
No. 26 was built for the
Magasin du Nord (No. 13), a leading department, opened in 1893–94. Hviids Vinstue (No. 19) is the oldest tavern in Copenhagen.
Use
Outdoor exhibition space
The square is frequently used as an open-air exhibition venue, especially for photo exhibitions.
Ice skating rink
In winter a 2,200 m2 (23,681 sq ft) circular ice skating rink is constructed around Krinsen. Skating is free of charge and ice skate rental is available.
High school graduation celebrations
As an old tradition, graduating high school students from the Copenhagen area, when they graduate in June, come to Kongens Nytorv in buses, trucks or horse wagons to dance and run around Krinsen, throwing their graduation caps into the air, celebrating their graduation.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Kongens Nytorv". Selskabet for Københavns Historie. Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ a b "Kongens Nytorv". Copenhagen Portal. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Tillykke til den gamle dame på Kongens Nytorv: Magasin du Nord fylder 150 år". Copenhagen kbh. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
Bibliography
- Hartmann, Sys; Hartmann, Godfred (1988). "Bind 5: Kgs. Nytorv, Rosenborg og Nyboder". In Bramsen, Bo (ed.). København, før og nu - og aldrig (in Danish). Copenhagen: Forlaget Palle Fogtdal. ISBN 87-7248-033-5.
External links
55°40′49″N 12°35′9″E / 55.68028°N 12.58583°E
