Kvæsthusgade is a short street in the
Nyhavn Quarter of central
Copenhagen,
Denmark. It runs from the mouth of the
Nyhavn canal in the south to
Ofelia Plads
Ofelia Plads is a public space situated on the Kvæsthus Pier next to the Royal Danish Playhouse on the harbourfront in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is owned by the Ministry of Culture and Jeudan and is used as an open-air venue by the Royal Danish Thea ...
in the north. The rear side of the
Royal Danish Playhouse
The Royal Danish Playhouse ( da, Skuespilhuset) is a theatre building for the Royal Danish Theatre, situated on the harbour front in the Frederiksstaden neighbourhood of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was created as a purpose-built venue for dr ...
dominates the east side of the street.
The
Zinn House
The Zinn House ( da, Zinnske Gård), located at Kvæsthusgade 3, is a historic townhouse around the corner from the Nyhavn Canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It takes its name after the Johann Ludvig Zinn, Zinn family, a wealthy family of merch ...
at No. 3 and the neighbouring building at
No. 5 are both listed in the
Danish registry of protected buildings and places.
History
The street takes its name after the Kvæsthus, a military hospital, which relocated to the site in 1680. It is known that a hospital for boatsmen was founded in 1618 and it was then most likely situated at the
Church of Holmen. It was moved to
Gothersgade
Gothersgade is a major street in the City Centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Kongens Nytorv to Sortedam Lake, passing Rosenborg Castle and Gardens, Nørreport Station and Copenhagen Botanic Gardens on the way.
Every day at 11:30 am, ...
in 1628 and again in 1658 to Sejlhuset at
Bremerholm
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 centu ...
. In 1668, the hospital moved to
Børnehuset in
Christianshavn
Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of th ...
and in 1675 to Guldhuset in
Rigensgade.
The name Kvæsthus was introduced with the inauguration of the new building for the institution at the corner of present day Kvæsthusgade and
Sankt Annæ Plads
Sankt Annæ Plads (English: St. Ann's Square) is a public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and Frederiksstaden neighborhoods of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which extends inland from the waterfron ...
in 1685. It was designed by
Hans van Steenwinckel the Youngest. The institution was later split into a ''Søkvæsthus'' for the Navy which remained in the old building and a ''Landkvæsthus'' for the Army, which took over ''
Københavns Ladegård'', a former farm under
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 ...
.
The naval hospital relocated to the so-called
Søkvæsthuset building on
Christianshavn
Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of th ...
in 1777. The building in Kvæsthusgade was then for a while used as a warehouse for textiles that arrived to Copenhagen by ship. In 1827, the building came into use as military barracks. In 1872, it was acquired by
DFDS
DFDS is a Danish international shipping and logistics company. It is the busiest shipping company of its kind in Northern Europe and one of the busiest in Europe. The company's name is an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (literally ...
. An area on the east side of the street was reclaimed and the
Kvæsthusbroen Pier was built to increase the quayside area and the number of ships that could dock at the site.
Notable buildings
No. 1 was built in 1884-1886 with cellar og three storeys for J. P. von Osten. It was later used as headquarters for
Em. Z. Svitzers Bjergningsenterprise.
The
Zinn House
The Zinn House ( da, Zinnske Gård), located at Kvæsthusgade 3, is a historic townhouse around the corner from the Nyhavn Canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It takes its name after the Johann Ludvig Zinn, Zinn family, a wealthy family of merch ...
(No. 3) is from 1751 and was owned by members of the wealthy
Zinn family for more than 150 years. No. 5 is from 1736 and was built for royal cellar master Ph. Jacob Zalathe and later heightened by two storeys in 1845.
Danish Documentary Production
Danish Documentary Production, formerly Danish Documentary, is a documentary film production company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The firm is based at Kvæsthusgade 5
Kvæsthusgade 5 is a historic property in Kvæsthusgade, a short street betw ...
is based in the building. No. 3 and No. 5 are both listed on the
Danish registry of protected buildings and places.
The former Kvæsthus Building (No. 7-11) is now home to the
Danish Nurses' Organization
The Danish Nurses' Organization ( abbrev. DNO; in Danish ''Dansk Sygeplejeråd'', abbrev. ''DSR'') is a trade union in Denmark. It represents 95% of all nurses with a membership of 75,000.
The DNO is affiliated with the FTF – Confederation of ...
. The building was adapted for DFDS in 1872.
See also
*
Em. Z. Svitzers Bjergningsenterprise
References
External links
{{Commons
Kvæsthusgadeat indenforvoldene.dk
Image
Streets in Copenhagen
Odonyms referring to a building