Frue Plads (literally "Square of (Our) Lady") 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 on the north side of the Church of Our Lady 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 ...

. It occupies a rectangular space which is bounded on the other sides by

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

's main building to the north,

Nørregade Nørregade (literally "North Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, linking Gammeltorv in the south with Nørre Voldgade in the north. Landmarks in the street include Church of Our Lady, Bispegården, St. Peter's Church and Folk ...

to the west and pedestrianized

Fiolstræde Fiolstræde is a pedestrianised shopping street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It passes the square Frue Plads on its way from Nørreport station in the north to Skindergade in the south where Jorcks Passage connects it to the shopping street Str ...

to the east.

History

In the Middle Ages, Our Lady's Square was located a little further to the north while the current square occupies the grounds of Church of Our Lady's graveyard. A new residence for the Roskilde Bishops was built on the square in about 1420, shortly after

Eric of Pomerania Eric of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was the ruler of the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439, succeeding his grandaunt, Queen Margaret I. He is known as Eric III as King of Norway (1389–1442), Eric VII as King of Denmark (1396 ...

had taken over

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle ( da, Københavns Slot) was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bisho ...

. After the Reformation,

took over the building complex. It was later expanded with various new buildings. In 1644,

Simon Paulli Simon Paulli (6 April 1603 – 25 April 1680), was a Danish physician and naturalist. He was a professor of anatomy, surgery and botany at the University of Copenhagen. The genus ''Paullinia'' is named after him.

took the initiative of converting one of the university's buildings overlooking Church of Our Lady's graveyard into an anatomical theatre,

Domus Anatomica Domus Anatomica was an anatomical theatre which existed from 1644 until 1728 in Copenhagen, Denmark. History There are references to a modest ''lectorium medicorum'' in Copenhagen from 1605 but in 1621 the statutes of the university stressed that ...

, although Paulli did not hold his first public lecture until 3 March 1645. The building was completely destroyed in the

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 coun ...

and subsequently replaced by

Theatrum Anatomico-chirurgicum Theatrum Anatomico-chirurgicum was an anatomical theatre which existed from 1736 until 1785 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built as a replacement for Domus Anatomica which had been destroyed in the Copenhagen Fire of 1728 and was itself succeeded ...

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 othe ...

. The British bombardment of Copenhagen on 3–5 September 1807 hit the area hard. Its main building and the professorial residences on the corners of Fiolstræde and Store Kannikestræde were destroyed by fire together with the church. It was subsequently decided not to reconstruct the graveyard but to create a new square in its place.

Christian Frederik Hansen Christian Frederik Hansen (29 February 1756 – 10 July 1845), known as C. F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art (''De ...

, who was responsible for the rebuilding of Church of Our Lady, was also charged with the design of a new building for Our Lady's School on Fiolstræde at the eastern end of the square. The school wished to change its name to Copenhagen Cathedral School but this was rejected after protests from

Roskilde Cathedral School Roskilde Cathedral School ( da, Roskilde Katedralskole, Roskilde Domskole) is a historic high school in Roskilde, Denmark. It was established around 1020 with close connections to Roskilde Cathedral. The school has since 1969 been located on Holbæ ...

and the name was instead changed to Metropolitan School in 1917. The building was taken over by the university when the school moved to new premises in

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current Nørreport station ...

in the 1930s. Denmark's economy suffered greatly from the war with England and many public buildings needed to be rebuilt after the bombardment. The university therefore had to use

Regensen Regensen (original Latin name: ''Collegium Domus Regiæ'', English: ''The College of the Royal House'') is a residential college for students at the University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark (DTU). It is situated in the heart o ...

and various other temporary premises around the city while they waited for a new home to be built. In 1819, Peter Malling, one of C. F. Hansen's students, was charged with the design of a new main building. His proposal was well received but far too expensive and in 1922 the project was once again put on hold. In 1829 when the plans were finally revived, it was in a smaller version. A set of

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. ...

s was constructed in the square during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. They were removed after the war.

Architecture

Malling's main building for the university is built to a

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

design. It is flanked by the gables of the Community Building (''Kommunitetsbygningen'') on Nørregade and

Copenhagen University Library The Copenhagen University Library (Danish language, Danish: Københavns Universitetsbibliotek) in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the main research library of the University of Copenhagen. Founded in 1482, it is the oldest library in Denmark. The old mai ...

on Giolstræde. One of few buildings at the site that survived the bombardment in 1807, the former dates from the Middle Ages. In his design of the university library, which was completed in 1861,

Johan Daniel Herholdt Johan Daniel Herholdt (13 August 1818 – 11 April 1902) was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th an ...

has tried to balance the gable on Frue Plads with that of the Community Building in terms of design and proportions. The former Metropolitan School on Fiolstræde is now known as the Metropolitan Annex. It is a simple, Neoclassical building typical of C. F. Hansen's style. At the other end of the square, on Nørregade, is the Bishop's House where the

Bishop of Copenhagen The Diocese of Copenhagen (Danish: ''Københavns Stift'') is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. The Bishop of Copenhagen is currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen, who replaced Erik Normann Svendsen in 2009. The main cathedral of ...

has his official residence and office.

Sculptury

In front of the university is a series of busts, depicting prominent alumni: *

Vilhelm Thomsen Vilhelm Ludwig Peter Thomsen (25 January 1842 – 12 May 1927) was a Danish linguist and Turkologist. He successfully deciphered the Orkhon inscriptions which were discovered during the expedition of Nikolai Yadrintsev in 1889. Early life and ed ...

, linguist, 1842-1927 . The bust was created by L. Brandstrup in 1921 and installed on the square in 1929. *

Johan Nicolai Madvig Johan Nicolai Madvig (; 7 August 1804 – 12 December 1886), was a Danish philologist and Kultus Minister. Life He was born on the Danish island of Bornholm, south of Sweden. He was educated at the classical school of Frederiksborg and the Un ...

, linguist, 1804–86. The bust was created by

Vilhelm Bissen Christian Gottlieb Vilhelm Bissen (5 August 1836 – 20 April 1913) was a Danish sculptor. He was also a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts with great influence on the next generation of Danish sculptors and for a while serv ...

in 1874 and installed on the square in a larger version in 1887. *

Henrik Nicolai Clausen Henrik Nicolai Clausen (22 April 1793 – 28 March 1877) was a Denmark, Danish theology, theologian and National Liberal Party (Denmark), national liberal politician. Earky life and education Henrik Nicolai Clausen was born on the island of ...

, theologian, 1793–1877. The bust was created by

in 1858 and installed on the square in a larger version in 1878. *

Joakim Frederik Schouw Joakim Frederik Schouw (7 February 1789 – 28 April 1852) was a Danish lawyer, botanist and politician. From 1821, professor in botany at the University of Copenhagen — first extraordinary professor, but after the death of J.W. Hornemann in 1 ...

, botanist, 1789–1852. Created by

in 1851 and installed on the square in 1854. *

Japetus Steenstrup Johannes Japetus Smith Steenstrup FRS(For) HFRSE (8 March 1813 – 20 June 1897) was a Danish zoologist, biologist, and professor. Life Born in Vang, Thy on 8 March 1813, he held a lectorate in mineralogy in Sorø until 1845 when he became a ...

, zoologist, 1813–97. Created by

in 1866 and installed on the square in a larger version in 1898. *

Niels Bohr Niels Henrik David Bohr (; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. B ...

, physicist, 1885–1962. Created by J. Gudmundsen-Holmgreen in 1957. Another three busts are mounted on pillars along the south side of the square. They depict the composer

Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse Christoph(er) Ernst Friedrich Weyse (5 March 1774 – 8 October 1842) was a Denmark, Danish composer during the Danish Golden Age. Biography Weyse was born at Altona, Hamburg, Altona in Holstein, which was in a personal union with Denmark. ...

and the bishops

Hans Lassen Martensen Hans Lassen Martensen (19 August 1808 – 3 February 1884) was a Danish bishop and academic. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen and Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand. Early life Martensen was born in a middle-class Lutheran f ...

Jacob Peter Mynster Jacob Peter Mynster (8 November 1775 – 30 January 1854) was a Danish theologian and clergy member of the Church of Denmark. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Zealand from 1834 until his death. Mynster was notably used as an exemplar of con ...

. A new memorial dedicated to the scientist

Inge Lehmann Inge Lehmann (13 May 1888 – 21 February 1993) was a Danish seismologist and geophysicist. In 1936, she discovered that the Earth has a solid inner core inside a molten outer core. Before that, seismologists believed Earth's core to be a sing ...

was installed on the square in 2017. The monument was designed by Elisabeth Toubro.

Arts & craft market

Every year in August, since 1983, Frue Plads plays host to an annual arts & craft market, ''Kunsthåndværkermarkedet''. It is the largest market of its kind in Denmark, featuring 130 professional artists and craftsmen in 2013.

Image gallery

Image:Bispegården - Copenhagen University.jpg, The Bishop's House Image:Frue Plads - north side.jpg

References

External links

Arts & Craft Market
official website {{coord, 55.6796, 12.5725, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Squares in Copenhagen Odonyms referring to religion