Havnegade is a waterfront promenade 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 ...

, which runs between

Knippelsbro Knippelsbro (English: Knippel Bridge) is a bascule bridge across the Inner Harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, connecting Børsgade (English: Stock Exchange Street) on Zealand-side Slotsholmen to Torvegade (English: Market Street) on Christianshavn. ...

and the mouth of the

Nyhavn Nyhavn (; New Harbour) is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 1 ...

canal. Most of the street is lined with buildings from the 1860s and 1870s that were constructed as part of the redevelopment of the

Gammelholm Gammelholm ( lit. "Old Islet") is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in the city centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is bounded by the Nyhavn canal, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal, Niels Juels Gade and the waterfront along Havnegade. For cen ...

naval dockyards. It is the only place along Copenhagen's main harbourfront where residential buildings of that age face the water, although older warehouses and other industrial buildings elsewhere have been converted into residential use. The Modernist Bank of Denmark building is located at the western end of the street.

History

The street was created when the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Isla ...

decommissioned its last operations in the area, which used to be a naval shipyard, and it came under urban redevelopment. From about 1960 and until 1999, the street was a hub for tax-free ferries to

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

on the other side of the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width v ...

. Plans to transform Havnegade into a

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

were put on hold in October 2008 due to budget cuts. In the spring of 2011 construction of the project finally began and it is expected to be completed in December 2011.

Buildings

The free-standing, oval building on the quay (No. 44), nicknamed the

pencil case A pencil case or pencil box is a container used to store pencils. A pencil case can also contain a variety of other stationery such as sharpeners, pens, glue sticks, erasers, scissors, rulers and calculators. Pencil cases can be made from a v ...

due to irs shape, is a former custom house and ferry terminal. The building was designed by Kristoffer Varming in the Functionalist style and is from 1937. It has now been converted into a jazz club and restaunt complex called The Standard. The first part of the street (No. 5) passes Bank of Denmark. The Modernist building was designed by

Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...

as a replacement for the National Bank's old building in

Holmens Kanal Holmens Kanal is a short street in central Copenhagen. Part of the main thoroughfare of the city centre, it extends from Kongens Nytorv for one block to a junction with a statue of Niels Juel where it turns right towards Holmens Bro while the thro ...

No. 23 is the former Navigation School designed by

Ferdinand Meldahl Ferdinand Meldahl (16 March 1827 – 3 February 1908) was a Danish architect best known for the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle after the fire in 1859. Meldahl was one of the leading proponents of historicism in Denmark. Biography He was ...

and built from 1863-65. The Levin House (No. 29) was designed by

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 ...

for a grocer named Levin and built from 1865 to 1866. The building served as headquarters for

Danish Distillers Danish Distillers ( da, Det Danske Spiritus Kompagni known as ) is a company that was headquartered in Aalborg, Denmark. Isidor Henius, the father of Max Henius, was one of the founders of a company that was acquired by Danish Distillers, which e ...

between 1926 and 1968. No. 37, which now houses Hotel Copenhagen Strand, was built in 1870. No. 39 was built in 1869 and later came to serve as headquarters for Nordisk Frøkontor ("Nordic Seed Office"), a company founded in 1879, whose name is still seen on the façade. A passageway next to the building opens to a yard and a former warehouse on its rear. The building has now been converted into serviced offices. The last building in the street, on the corner with Nyhavn, is called The Navigators' House (Navigatørernes Hus, No. 55). Its rounded corner is topped by a dome designed in the style of a

diving bell A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers from the surface to depth and back in open water, usually for the purpose of performing underwater work. The most common types are the open-bottomed wet bell and the closed bell, which c ...

and the façade is decorated with

caryatid A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...

Public art

Kirsten Ortwed Kirsten Møller Ortwed (born 28 May 1948) is a Danish artist, now based in Cologne, Germany. She is noted for her striking sculptures in public spaces and her sometimes surprising combinations of traditional and unconventional materials. Early li ...

's sculpture, ''Full Length'' was installed on the square in 2016.

Ships

Havnegade is a hub for ferries to the Swedish island

Ven Ven may refer to: Places * Ven, Heeze-Leende, a hamlet in the Netherlands * Ven (Sweden), an island * Ven, Tajikistan, a town * VEN or Venezuela Other uses * von Economo neurons, also called ''spindle neurons'' * '' Vên'', an EP by Eluveiti ...

. The restaunt cruise ship Saga Queen for many years docked at Havnegade but was in 2012 sold and moved to London.

Cultural references

Havnegade is used as a location in several ''

Olsen-banden The ''Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-banden, no, Olsenbanden, german: Die Olsenbande) is a Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's ...

'' films, for instance in ''

The Olsen Gang in a Fix ''The Olsen Gang in a Fix'' ( da, Olsen-banden på spanden) is a 1969 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the second in the ''Olsen-banden''-series. Plot After yet another unsuccessful robbery Ego ...

'' (0:45:17 ), ''

The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang ''The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-bandens sidste bedrifter) is a 1974 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald, Poul Bundgaard and Kirsten Walther. This was the sixth film in the Ol ...

'' (0:59:05 ), and ''

The Olsen Gang Outta Sight ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (0:29:05).

References

External links

Archeological survey

History
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