Copenhagen City Hall ( da, Københavns Rådhus) is the headquarters of the

Copenhagen City Council The Copenhagen City Council (Danish: ) is the municipal government of Copenhagen, Denmark, and has its seat at Copenhagen City Hall. The city council is Copenhagen's highest political authority and sets the framework for the committees' tasks. ...

as well as the Lord mayor of the

Copenhagen Municipality Copenhagen Municipality ( da, Københavns Kommune), also known in English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the Capital Region of Denmark, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other ...

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 ...

. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen.

Architecture

The current building was inaugurated in 1905. It was designed by the architect

Martin Nyrop Martin Nyrop (11 November 1849 18 May 1921) was a Danish architect. Early life and education Nyrop was born on 11 November 1849 at Holmsland, Ringkøbing, the son of parish priest Christopher Nyrop (1805–1879) and Helene Ahlmann (1807–1874). ...

in the National Romantic style but with inspiration from the Siena City Hall. It is dominated by its richly ornamented front, the gilded statue of Absalon just above the balcony and the tall, slim clock tower. The latter is, at 105.6 metres, one of the tallest buildings in the generally low city of Copenhagen. In addition to the tower clock, the City Hall also houses

Jens Olsen's World Clock Jens Olsen's World Clock or Verdensur is an advanced astronomical clock which is displayed in Copenhagen City Hall. The clock was designed and calculated by Jens Olsen (1872–1945), who was a skilled locksmith, and later learned the trade of ...

History

The current city hall was designed by architect

and the design for the building was inspired by the city hall of

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Construction began in 1892 and the hall was opened on 12 September 1905. Before the city hall moved to its present location, it was situated at Gammeltorv/

Nytorv Nytorv ( English: New Square or New Market) is a public square in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjoining Gammeltorv it forms a common space, today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone. The square is dominated by the imposi ...

. The first city hall was in use from about 1479 until it burned down in the great Copenhagen fire of 1728. The second city hall was built in 1728 and was designed by J.C. Ernst and

J.C. Krieger Johan Cornelius Krieger (1683–1755) was a Danish architect and landscape architect, who from the 1720s served as both the country's chief architect, and head of the royal gardens. Krieger oversaw the construction of Fredensborg Palace and its g ...

. It burned down in the Copenhagen fire of 1795. In 1815 a new city hall, designed by C.F.Hansen, was erected on Nytorv. It was intended to house both the city hall and a court. Today it is still in use as the Copenhagen Court House. In 2007, the

National Bank of Denmark Danmarks Nationalbank (in Danish often simply ''Nationalbanken'') is the central bank of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a non-eurozone member of the European System of Central Banks ( ESCB). Since its establishment in 1818, the objective of the Na ...

issued a 20 DKK

commemorative coin Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries ...

of the tower.

Cultural references

* Many of the hospital scenes where Lili Elbe (

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. Known for his roles in biopics and blockbusters, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Olivier Awards. He ...

) undergoes her operations in the 2015 drama film ''

The Danish Girl ''The Danish Girl'' is a novel by American writer David Ebershoff, published in 2000 by the Viking Press in the United States and Allen & Unwin in Australia. Summary The novel is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe, one of the fir ...

'' were filmed in the atrium of Copenhagen City Hall.

Image gallery

File:Copenhagen City Hall detail.jpg File:Copenhagen City Hall Tower.jpg, Tower File:Copenhagen City Hall - tower.jpg File:Koebenhavns Raadhus Copenhagen raadhushaven detail.jpg File:Copenhagen City Hall - Absalon.jpg, Absalon relief File:Copenhagen townhall tower clock 2.jpg, Clock File:Copenhagen City Hall - courtyard.jpg, From the courtyard File:Copenhagen City Hall interior.jpg, Interior File:Town Hall of Copenhagen (aerial view).jpg, Aerial view, with surrounding buildings

References

External links

Source
{{Authority control City and town halls in Copenhagen Martin Nyrop buildings Listed city and town halls in Denmark Government buildings completed in 1905 Listed government buildings in Copenhagen

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Buildings and structures in Copenhagen Municipality National Romantic architecture in Copenhagen Art Nouveau architecture in Copenhagen 1905 establishments in Denmark