Køge Town Hall is located in the central town square of
Køge
Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a p ...
,
Denmark
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, 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
...
. The building dates from the 16th century but was adapted in the
Neoclassical style in 1903.
History
The town hall was built in about 1552 when the citizens of Køge were granted permission from
Christian III to use building materials from the abandoned Greyfriers monastery in Vestergade for the construction of a town hall on condition that it contained granary and custom office. It was built in the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
style and had a frieze with reliefs from
Statius von Düren's workshop in
Lübeck under the windows on the first floor.
The town hall was extended northwards in 1570. It was completely rebuilt in 1903. It was listed in 1918.
Køge Municipality grew significantly in the
1970 Danish Municipal Reform
The 1970 Danish Municipal Reform was an extensive administrative reform in Denmark which on 1 April 1970 reduced the number of Danish municipalities from 1,098 to 277 and the number of counties from 25 to 14. The reform also abolished the last le ...
and an architectural competition was launched for the expansion of the town hall. It was won by Arkitektgruppen Aarhus (now
Arkitema Architects
Arkitema Architects is a Danish architectural firm headquartered in Aarhus, with branch offices in Copenhagen, Malmö, Stockholm and Oslo. Arkitema Architects was founded in 1969 in Aarhus, and nowadays has about 400 employees with its main activit ...
) and was their first major project.
Building
The old,
Neoclassical town hall building has a simple yellow facade tipped by a
triangular pediment. Two of Statius von Düren's terracotta reliefs from the Renaissance town hall flank the main entrance. The building contains the assembly hall and the mayor's office.
The modern extension consists of two long, glazed rear wings flanking a glass-covered alleyway which continues all the way to
Køge station. Citizen-oriented functions are concentrated in the ground floors while there is administration on the first floor. The north wing overlooks the garden of
Køge Museum
Køge Museum is a local history museum in Køge, Denmark.
Building
The museum is based in a two-storey, half-timbered building from the 16th century. A long side wing to the rear of the main wing forms the last remains of a larger complex which s ...
to the north. It has an exhibition space in the ground floor.
References
External links
Køge KommuneOld designbased on examination in 1905
{{coord, 55.45655, 12.18283, format=dms, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title
Listed buildings and structures in Køge Municipality
Listed city and town halls in Denmark