Amagertorv (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: Amager Square), today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, is often described as the most central square in central

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Second only to

Gammeltorv Gammeltorv (Old Market) is the oldest square in Copenhagen, Denmark. With adjoining Nytorv it forms a common space along the Strøget pedestrian zone. While the square dates back to the foundation of the city in the 12th century, most of its build ...

, it is also one of the oldest, taking its name from the

Amager Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (includi ...

farmers who in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

came into town to sell their produce at the site. Now the square is a central junction in the heart of Copenhagen, dominated by its Stork Fountain and a number of buildings, the oldest of which dates back to 1616. In opposite directions, Strøget extends towards

Kongens Nytorv 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 wit ...

and the City Hall Square, the two largest squares in Copenhagen, to the northwest

Købmagergade Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Amagertorv on Strøget to Nørreport station, although the last section, north of Kultorvet, is part of Frederiksborggade, which continues on the ...

leads to Nørreport, the busiest

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in Denmark, and to the southeast Højbro Plads connects to

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Bishop Absalon constructed the c ...

across Højbro Bridge, and from there onwards to

Christianshavn Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of th ...

and Amager on the other side of the harbour. The paving is from 1993 and was designed by

Bjørn Nørgaard Bjørn Nørgaard (born 21 May 1947 in Copenhagen) is a Danish artist who has been active in a variety of fields. He has significantly influenced the art scene in Denmark both through his "happenings" and his sculptures in Danish cities. Althou ...

. It consists of a pattern of

pentagonal In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...

granite stones in five colours.

History

Amagertorv dates back to the

when Copenhagen was a small fishing village called Havn, the site was the main corridor between the village and the beach. In 1449 it is referred to as the Fishmonger's Market and in 1472 the name Amagertorv first appears. The name derives from the

farmers who came into town to sell their goods. In the 16th and 17th century the square became a setting of festivals and chivalrous tournaments. In the same time, Amagertorv continued to be the premier marketplace of the city and from 28 July 1684 all sale of fresh produce was to take place in the square. From 1656 the city's leading inn was also located on the square. Few buildings on the square survived the

Copenhagen Fire of 1795 The Copenhagen Fire of 1795 (''Københavns brandes 1795'') started on Friday, 5 June 1795, at or around 3 pm by the Navy's old base south east of Kongens Nytorv on Gammelholm, in the Navy's magazine for coal and timber, the so-called Dellehave. ...

. The adjoining Højbro Plads was established after the fire. In 1868 the market activities were moved to Christianshavn. In 1894, the Stork Fountain was constructed. It was a present to

Crown Prince Frederik Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (Frederik André Henrik Christian; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. Early life Crown Prince Frede ...

(later Frederik VIII) and Crown Princess Louise in connection with their silver wedding. In 1962, the square was closed to traffic with the establishment of the Strøget pedestrian zone.

Buildings

The Church of the Holy Ghost, located at the western end of the square, is the oldest surviving church in Copenhagen. The

Mathias Hansen House The Matthias Hansen House ( da, Matthias Hansens Gård), formerly also known as the Schoustrup House () is a Renaissance-style townhouse on Amagertorv (No. 6) in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Built in 1616, it is one of few buildings of its kind ...

(No. 6) was built in 1616 for Mathias Hansen, from 1622 the Mayor of Copenhagen. Typically of the Dutch Renaissance style, the house is built in red bricks with sandstone decorations, has a

Dutch gable A Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the termination of a ...

and a copper roof. The copper drainpipes are decorated with dragon's heads. The building was restored in 1898 by Professor

Hans Jørgen Holm Hans Jørgen Holm (9 May 1835 – 22 July 1916) was a Danish architect. A pupil of Johan Daniel Herholdt, he became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and a leading Danish proponent of the National Romantic style. Biograph ...

. The gateway is flanked by two cannon barrels used to protect the gate from entering carts. No. 9 was built 1798-1800: for linen merchant J. A. Bechmann. The original shop front at street level was altered in 1830 and again in 1870. The tobacco company W. Ø. Larsen has a small pipe museum in the building. The Ole Haslund House (No. 14) is an example of late-19th century

Historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...

. The current design is from 1867. The windows have

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

s executed as small

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

figures carrying Ionic

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

s. Klostergården at No. 29 is a former

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. The building is from 1798-00 where it replaced a house designed by

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff Caspar Frederik (Friedrich) Harsdorff, also known as C.F. Harsdorff, (26 May 1735 – 24 May 1799) was a Danish neoclassical architect considered to have been the leading Danish architect in the late 18th century. Early life and training ...

which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1795. The convent was founded in 1759. Løve Apotek (No. 33), Copenhagen's first pharmacy, was based at the site from 1620 to 1969. The current building was built for the pharmacy in 1907-1908 to design by Victor Nyebøllle and Chr. Brandstrup. It replaced a building by

C. F. Harsdorff Caspar Frederik (Friedrich) Harsdorff, also known as C.F. Harsdorff, (26 May 1735 – 24 May 1799) was a Danish neoclassical architect considered to have been the leading Danish architect in the late 18th century. Early life and training ...

Shopping

The Illum department store has been located on the corner of Strøget and Købmagergade since the 1890s. The Illum Furniture Store is also located at Amagertorv.

Royal Copenhagen Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory ( da, Den Kongelige Porcelænsfabrik), is a Danish manufacturer of porcelain products and was founded in Copenhagen in 1775 under the protection of Danish Dowager Queen Juliane Marie. It i ...

has a flagship in the historic building at No. 6.

In popular culture

Amagertorv is used as a location in the films ''

Ud i den kolde sne ''Ud i den kolde sne'' is a 1934 Danish comedy film directed by Lau Lauritzen Jr. and Alice O'Fredericks. It was Fredericks debut film as a director. The title means "Out in the cold snow" in English. Cast * Mathilde Nielsen as Baronesse Carol ...

'' (1934), '' Manden på Svanegården'' (1972), '' Romantik på Sengekanten'' (1973) and '' Mafiaen - det er osse mig'' (1974).

References

External links

Tyskemannegade

Source
{{coord, 55.6786, N, 12.5774, E, source:kolossus-dawiki, display=title Squares in Copenhagen Pedestrian streets in Copenhagen