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' task ...

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The building is situated on City Hall Square in

central Copenhagen Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Architecture

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

National Romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

but with inspiration from the Siena City Hall. It is dominated by its richly ornamented front, the gilded statue of

Absalon Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of Denm ...

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 Martin Nyrop 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 centur ...

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 ...

. 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 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 ...

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 impo ...

. The first city hall was in use from about 1479 until it burned down in the great

Copenhagen fire of 1728 The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of 20 October 1728 and continued to burn until the morning of 23 October. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city (measured by cou ...

. 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 Denmark, 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 ...

. It burned down in 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. ...

. 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 The Copenhagen Court House ( da, Københavns Domhus) is a historic building located on Nytorv in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a combined city hall and courthouse, it now serves as the seat of the District Court of Copenhagen. Inaugura ...

. In 2007, the National Bank of Denmark 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 Lili Ilse Elvenes (28 December 1882 – 13 September 1931), better known as Lili Elbe, was a Danish painter and transgender woman, and among the early recipients of sex reassignment surgery. She was a successful painter under her birth name Ein ...

( Eddie Redmayne) 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