Hvidovre Church, located just west of Hvidovre Torv in

Hvidovre Hvidovre is the main town in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark. The town, a suburb of Copenhagen, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by Frederiksberg. History Hvidovre has ...

, is one of the oldest churches in the

Greater Copenhagen The urban area of Copenhagen (also known as Greater Copenhagen) ( da, Storkøbenhavn or ), lying mostly in the Capital Region of Denmark but also in Region Zealand, consist of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities and the former Copenhagen ...

area and the oldest building in

Hvidovre Municipality Hvidovre Kommune is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Hovedstaden near Copenhagen on the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 22 km2, and has a total population of 53,416 (1 Janua ...

History

The church was built in the Romanesque style. The oldest part of the church is the eastern part of the nave. The chancel was demolished in circa 1155 to make room for an expansion at both ends. Part of the church was torn down during the Swedish Wars (1658-1659) and used as building materials for military structures by Swedish troops. The church was rebuilt in 1660. In 1675 the church was expanded with a side nave to create symmetry in the architecture. The side nave became known as the Valby Nave (Valbyskibet) since it was reserved for the farmers from

Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single ...

when they were no longer allowed to attend Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen and did not want to mix with people from Hvidovre. The first porch, built with timber framing, was replaced by a new one in 1763. The gable and the west wall of the tower are decorated with two sandstone crowns. They were originally located on Copenhagen's Western City Gate. It was demolished in 1857 and the crowns were placed on the church in 1886. It had a steeple with three clocks which was removed in circa 1790. It

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

is now located on the church tower and features Frederick IV's monogram. The priest's room (præsteværelset) was constructed on the west side of the Valby Nave in 1952.

Cemetery

The church is as other village churches surrounded by a small cemetery. The oldest surviving grave is from around 1750. A private chapel built in red brick stands at the northern cemetery wall. It was built for a Hvidovre farmer and his wife.

Burials

Thøger Birkeland Thøger Birkeland (20 March 1922 – 6 April 2011) was a Danish teacher and writer mostly known for his children's books. Birkeland was born in Kalundborg. The most notable of his works are ''Saftevandsmordet'' (''The Lemonade Murder'') and the st ...

(1922-2011), author * Bertel Budtz-Müller (1890-1946), poet * Karen Margrethe Harup (1924-2009), swimmer * Peter Herman Hoffmark (1907-1987), composer * Victor Johansen (1888-1967), painter *

Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan (1 August 1859 – 21 April 1939) was a Denmark, Danish sculptor. Early life and education Pedersen-Dan was born at Itzehoe in Schleswig-Holstein. He was the son of Ole Pedersen (1820-1902) and Elisabeth Sofie Johansen (1 ...

, sculptor (1859-1939), sculptor *

Johanne Pedersen-Dan Johanne Agnete Theresia Pedersen-Dan née Betzonich (1860–1934) was a Danish actress, singer and sculptor. After performing in plays and operettas in Copenhagen until 1888, she devoted the rest of her life to sculpture, frequently exhibiting he ...

, sculptor (1860-1934), actress and sculptress

Cultural references

The church was used as a location in the Bodil Award-winning 1955

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 opposing ...

drama film ''

Der kom en dag ''Der kom en dag'' () is a 1955 Danish dramatic film directed by Sven Methling, It stars John Wittig, Kjeld Jacobsen and Astrid Villaume as Danish resistance fighters during the last days of the German occupation of Denmark in World War II. ...

''.

References

External links

Official website
{{Copenhagen churches Churches in the Diocese of Helsingør 12th-century churches in Denmark Buildings and structures in Hvidovre Municipality