Dronningegården is a

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

residential complex 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 ...

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, consisting of four L-shaped buildings defining an urban space around the intersection of Adelgade and

Dronningens Tværgade Dronningens Tværgade ( lit. "The Queen's Cross Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs from Bredgade to Rosenborg Castle Garden. The street originally formed a link between the King's Garden (Rosenborg Castle Gardens) and t ...

. Designed by

Kay Fisker Kay Otto Fisker, Hon. FAIA (14 February 1893 – 21 June 1965) was a Danish architect, designer and educator. He is mostly known for his many housing projects, mainly in the Copenhagen area, and is considered a leading exponent of Danish Functi ...

in collaboration with

C. F. Møller Christian Frederik Møller (31 October 1898 – 5 November 1988), generally referred to as C. F. Møller, was a Danish architect, professor and, from 1965 to 1969, the first rector of the Aarhus School of Architecture. His former practice, Arki ...

and Svenn Eske Kristensen, it was built between 1943 and 1958, during the transition from Traditionalism to Modernism, as a notable example of Nordic Functionalism.

History

Dronningegården was built as the result of one of the first and largest condemnation initiatives in Copenhagen. The area around

Borgergade Borgergade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Gothersgade to Store Kongensgade. As one of relatively few streets in central Copenhagen, the street, in its western part, is dominated by modern buildings. The eastern part passe ...

and Adelgade had escaped both the Great Fires of 1728 and

1795 Events January–June * January – Central England records its coldest ever month, in the Central England temperature, CET records dating back to 1659. * January 14 – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Uni ...

but the old houses, many of which dated from the late 17th or 18th century had fallen into disrepair and their gardens and courtyards were built over, transforming the neighbourhood into the most notorious

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...

in the city. In 1939 it was decided to renew the area. Demolition began in the early 1940s. Dronningegården was one of the residential projects which was planned in the area. The two western corners were built during World War II, but the project was put on hold in 1943 and the eastern part was not completed until 15 years later.

Architecture

Dronningegården is characterised by a Functionalist design that balances monumentality with local tradition. The four L-shaped buildings are 9 storeys tall and are built in red machine-moulded brick with detailing in yellow brick. Bricks are laid in the

English bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by si ...

with recessed joints. The west and east sides of the complex, which run parallel to Adelgade, are broken up by alternating gabled sections with open, recessed balconies, and inter-connecting sections decorated with cross motifs in yellow brick. The interior sides of balconies and entrances are clad in yellow brick. The original intention was to build Dronningegården in yellow brick to resemble the buildings that had been demolished. However the design was shaped by the shortage of materials during the war and red brick was chosen instead. The arches above the windows were chosen to minimize the need for cement and iron.

Urban space

The tall, homogeneous facades, define the four sides of a central urban space. This arrangement was inspired from the English

garden square A garden square is a type of communal garden in an urban area wholly or substantially surrounded by buildings; commonly, it continues to be applied to public and private parks formed after such a garden becomes accessible to the public at large. ...

s. The use of gables on two sides of the complex serves to enhance Dronningens Tværgade as an axis. The concept with two intersecting axes bears testament to the planning of nearby

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was in ...

around two axes, along

Frederiksgade Frederiksgade is a street in the Frederiksstaden neighbourhood of central Copenhagen. It runs east from Store Kongensgade to Toldbodgade on the waterfront, passing the Marble Church, Bredgade and Amaliegade on the way. At the Marble Church the ...

and

Amaliegade Amaliegade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred. Amaliegade extends from Sankt Annæ Plads to Esplanaden, passing through the central plaza o ...

, which intersect at the central plaza of

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors arou ...

. File:Dronningegården - facade.jpg, The north-east corner File:Dronningegården - balconies.jpg, Balconies File:Dronningegården, Copenhagen 3.jpg, Patterned section File:Kay fisker, dronningegården, 1943-1958.jpg, Yellow internal walls File:Dronningegården (Kay Fisker) - facade.jpg, Masonry and windows

Dronningegården today

The four buildings are individually known as Prinsessegården, Dronningegården, Kongegården and Christiansgården. They contain a total of 160 apartments. Contrary to the original intentions, the central space is today mainly used for parking.

References

External links