Dantes Plads ( lit. "Dante's Square") is a

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

located in front of the

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("ny" means "new" in Danish; "Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root ''glyphein'', to carve, and ''theke'', storing place), commonly known simply as Glyptoteket, is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection ...

where it connects H. C. Andersens Boulevard to

Vester Voldgade Vester Voldgade ( lit. "West Rampart Street") is a street in Copenhagen, Denmark which runs from Jarmers Plads to the waterfront between Frederiksholms Kanal and Langebro, passing the City Hall Square on the way. Together with Nørre Voldgade an ...

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 ...

History

The shape of the square was created when the grounds of Copenhagen's former West Rampart was redeveloped in the 1880s but it was then simply part of an extension of Ny Vestergade. The trapexoid shape enabled traffic to continue around the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek along present day

Tietgensgade Tietgensgade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from H. C. Andersens Boulevard in the northeast to Kvægtorvgade at the Meat-Packing District in the southwest, linking Stormgade in the city centre with Ingerslevsgade andHalmtorvet ...

, then simply known as Ny Vestergades forlængelse" (Extension of Ny Vestergade). It was not until a narrow strip of

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampe ...

was acquired by the city and the Arena Theatre was demolished that Tietgensgade was connected to Stormgade ione block further to the north. The name Dantes Plads was introduced in connection with the installation of the Dante Column in front of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in 1924. The name originally referred to the section of Vestre Boulevard (now H. C. Andersens Boulevard) between Kongensgade and Stormgade. The boulevard was redesigned in 1955 in response to the increase in traffic that followed from the inauguration of the new Lange Bridge. The whole street was at the same event renamed H. C. Andersens Boulevard to mark the 150 years anniversary of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

's birth and the name Dantes Plads was instead transferred to the trapezoid space between the boulevard and Vester Voldgade, which had until then been part of Ny Vestergade.

Current square

The square was redesigned by COBE and GHB Landskabsarkitekter in 2011. Its floor is paved with slender, yellow tiles and rises in four waves with perforated rusty red iron sides. The vegetation consists of

Robinia ''Robinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, tribe Robinieae, native to North America. Commonly known as locusts, they are deciduous trees and shrubs growing tall. The leaves are pinnate with 7–21 oval leaflets. The flowe ...

'' trees and geometrically shaped flower beds.

Dante Column

In 1921, it was decided to mark the 600-years anniversary of

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's death with a monument in Copenhagen. A collection among Danish expats in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

raised money for the monument which was designed by the sculptor

Einar Utzon-Frank Aksel (Axel) Einar (Ejnar) Utzon-Frank (30 March 1888 – 15 July 1955) was a Danish sculptor and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. During his lifetime, he produced many sculptures, some of which stand as public monuments. ...

in collaboration with the architect

Carl Brummer Carl Harald Brummer (12 July 1864 – 14 February 1953) was a Danish architect who was influential in the design of homes at the beginning of the 20th century. Biography Brummer was born in Bogense. After attending the Danish Academy from 18 ...

. It consists of a statue of

Beatrice Portinari Beatrice "Bice" di Folco Portinari (; 1265 – 8 or 19 June 1290) was an Italian woman who has been commonly identified as the principal inspiration for Dante Alighieri's ''Vita Nuova'', and is also identified with the Beatrice who acts as h ...

mounted on an antique statue which was a gift from the city of Rome. A relief on the plinth shows Dante's portrait.

Notable buildings and residents

The block on the north side of the square is known as

Holckenhus Holckenhus is a late 19th-century, residential perimeter block located between Dantes Plads (Nos. 2–6), H. C. Andersens Boulevard (No. 33), Vester Voldgade (Nos. 86–90) and Stormgade (No. 35) in central Copenhagen, Denmark. The lofts of the fou ...

after Holck's Bastion, which used to be located at the site. It was built in 1891-93 to a design by

Philip Smidth Philip Smidth (3 May 1855 – 21 June 1938) was a prolific Danish architect in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works included, commercial properties, high-end apartment buildings, hotels and hospitals. He worked in the Historicist styl ...

which draws on inspiration from French Renaissance architecture. The two lower floors have granite rustication. The upper floors stand in blank red brick with decorations in painted cement. On the south side of the square, with its façade facing H. C. Andersens Boulevard, is the shared home of the

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters {{Infobox organization , name = The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters , full_name = , native_name = Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab , native_name_lang = , logo = Royal ...

and the

Carlsberg Foundation Carlsberg Foundation ( da, Carlsbergfondet) was founded by J. C. Jacobsen in 1876, by allocating some of his shares in the Carlsberg Brewery to fund and operate the Carlsberg Laboratory and the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Palace. ...

. It was built by

Carl Jacobsen Carl Christian Hillman Jacobsen (2 March 1842 – 11 January 1914) was a Danish brewer, art collector and philanthropist. Though often preoccupied with his cultural interests, Jacobsen was a shrewd and visionary businessman and initiated the tra ...

, who is commemorated by a memorial in polished granite next to the building. Its architect was

Vilhelm Petersen Vilhelm Valdemar Petersen (5 April 1830 – 3 July 1913) was a Danish architect who became Royal Building Inspector from 1892 until his death. He was the father of architect Knud Arne Petersen. Biography Vilhelm Petersen was born in Copenh ...

. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek still has its address on Dantes Plads 1.

Public art

The Memorial to Danish Philologists was installed on the square in 1938. It was designed by William P. Larsen and Viggo Sten Møller.

References

External links

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
{{coord, 55.6735, 12.5735, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Squares in Copenhagen