Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest
public and
teaching hospital in
Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in
Denmark. The hospital's main building is a 16-storey
functionalist highrise, one of the tallest structures in the central parts of the city. Rigshospitalet neighbours the
Panum Building which houses the
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the
University of Copenhagen. As a
teaching hospital it is part of the framework organisation
Copenhagen University Hospital.
Name
The Danish name is not usually translated to English. The prefix ''Rigs-'' is used in the names of some Danish state institutions, especially in a solemn or prestigious context or for authorities serving for the whole
Danish Realm including
Greenland and the
Faroe Islands. It is the genitive of ''rige'' ('realm, kingdom, empire') and the
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
word is used similarly in Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic and Dutch (and in German until 1945). The prefix ''Stats-'' ('of the state') is more widely used, but implies a slightly lower level in the hierarchy. Although Rigshospitalet was founded as a state hospital, as opposed to the normal hospitals operated by counties, the Danish term ''Statshospital'' was until 1977 used only for psychiatric institutions.
The hospital itself explains the name was given because its predecessor,
Royal Frederick's Hospital, was handed over to the state and became open to patients from the whole Danish Realm.
Rigshospitalet is often abbreviated ''RH'' and colloquially also called ''Riget'' (literally meaning 'the realm' or 'the kingdom'), hence the name of
von Trier's thriller TV series ''
The Kingdom'' which was set at the hospital, and
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's American version ''
Kingdom Hospital''.
History
Rigshospitalet was founded on 30 March 1757 as
Kongelig Frederiks Hospital, named after
King Frederick V and situated in
Bredgade
Bredgade ( lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major stre ...
in central Copenhagen. The buildings are now occupied by the
Danish Museum of Art & Design
The Designmuseum Denmark () is a museum in Copenhagen for Danish and international design and crafts. It features works of famous Danish designers like Arne Jacobsen, Jacob Jensen and Kaare Klint, who was one of the two architects who remodeled ...
. Since 1903 the state has been the owner of the hospital (whereas other hospitals in Denmark are owned by the
regions, formerly by the
counties). In 1910 the hospital was renamed and moved to its present location in ten low buildings surrounding a central garden designed by architect
Martin Borch. In 1970 most of the buildings were replaced by the present highrise concrete building designed by architect
Jørgen Stærmose
Jørgen is a Danish, Norwegian, and Faroese masculine given name cognate to George
People with the given name Jørgen
* Jørgen Aall (1771–1833), Norwegian ship-owner and politician
* Jørgen Andersen (1886–1973), Norwegian gymnast
* Jørgen ...
, while some of the surrounding older buildings still serve hospital functions. In 1995 the hospital was handed over to
Hovedstadens Sygehusfællesskab
Hovedstadens Sygehusfællesskab (H:S) was a Danish health trust which was founded on 1 January 1995 to run health care services in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. There were five hospitals under its command.
After the structural reform, Hovedstade ...
(HS, The Capital Hospital Trust) which in 2007 was absorbed by the
Capital Region. In 2007 a
helipad
A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft.
While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
was built on top of the hospital. Until then,
rescue helicopters and helicopters transferring patients would land in the neighbouring park
Fælledparken.
In 2021 Rigshospitalet was ranked as the worlds 15th best hospital by
Statista and
Newsweek.
Key figures
As of 2021, some key figures at Rigshospitalet are:
Services
Rigshospitalet's mission is to be Denmark's leading hospital for patients needing highly specialized treatment. Its main specialist role has been enhanced in recent years by the decision that it should serve as the host institution for many of Copenhagen's speciality departments. Because of this, other hospitals refer patients to Rigshospitalet for the unique expertise available there.
Rigshospitalet's neighbor, the
Panum Building, houses the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. This proximity optimizes a close cooperation between the two in the fields of research and development. The Nordic Cochrane Centre and the University Centre for Nursing and Care Research are in Rigshospitalet.
With 1,120 beds, Rigshospitalet has responsibility for 65,000 inpatients and approximately 420,000 outpatients annually. In addition to its 8,000 personnel (7,000 full-time equivalents), the hospital trains, hosts, and has the in-service advantages of students of medicine and other health care sciences, as well as scientists working within Rigshospitalet under a variety of research grants.
Rigshospitalet has a
trauma centre specialised at receiving severely injured patients. Ordinary
emergency department
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
treatment has been relegated to the other hospitals in Copenhagen.
Social and cultural significance
The hospital was the location of von Trier's television horror mini-series ''
The Kingdom''.
Members of the Danish royal family prefer to give birth here.
Queen Margrethe
Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...
and
Prince Henrik's children,
Crown Prince Frederik and
Prince Joachim, were both born at Rigshospitalet. Likewise
Crown Princess Mary gave birth to her four children by
Crown Prince Frederik:
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
,
Isabella,
Vincent
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
, and
Josephine, and all of
Prince Joachim's four children were born here:
Nikolai,
Felix,
Henrik and
Athena.
Blood contamination
Two patients were infected with
HIV at Rigshospitalet in February 2007 after getting a blood transfusion with infected blood. The contagion could, according to experts, probably have been discovered if the blood had been tested with a
nucleic acid test, which since 2009 is a requirement.
[ 070818 berlingske.dk]
Images
Rigshospitalet 20130427 0004F (8739514693).jpg, Main entrance
File:Takeoff (8725559246).jpg, EH101 helicopter takeoff from helipad
File:Rigshospitalet 1910.jpg, Rigshospitalet in 1910
See also
*
Rikshospitalet
*
Karolinska University Hospital
*
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
References
External links
*
Website of Copenhagens University Hospital, (in Danish only)
{{Authority control
Hospitals in Copenhagen
1757 establishments in Denmark
Hospitals established in the 1750s
Skyscrapers in Denmark