Skovshoved is a former fishing village on the

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

coast north of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. The area is part of

Charlottenlund Charlottenlund is a suburban area on the coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the administrative seat of Gentofte Municipality. Bordered to the east by the Øresund, to the South by Hellerup and to the north by Klampenborg, it is one of the ...

postal district and

Gentofte Municipality Gentofte Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the Capital Region of Denmark (''Region Hovedstaden'') on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. It covers an area of , and has a total pop ...

. Local landmarks include Skovshoved Church, Skovshoved Hotel and the listed

Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects, Hon. FAIA (; 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to functionalism (architec ...

-designed

Skovshoved Petrol Station The Skovshoved Petrol Station () is a historic, still-operating filling station in Skovshoved at the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. First opened in 1936, it was designed by Arne Jacobsen and is an example of the functionalist style ty ...

from 1938.

History

The first known reference to Skovshoved (''Scogshouet'') is from

1275 Year 1275 (Roman numerals, MCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Neopatras: Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos assembles a Byzantine expeditionary force (so ...

. It was originally a small fishing village with just a few houses. An inn, Skovshoved Kro, opened in the village in 1660. In 1620 it obtained status of royal privileged inn, enabling it to brew its own

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

. Skovshoved was known for its fish wives, ''Skovserkoner'', who would carry the day's catch in caskets on their back to the fish market at

Gammel Strand Gammel Strand (modern Danish for "old beach"; originally meant "the old shoreline", i.e. prior to land reclamations) is a street and public square in central Copenhagen, Denmark. On the south side it borders on the narrow Slotsholmens Canal wh ...

in Copenhagen. The first harbor was built in 1869. In the middle of the 19th century, Skovshoved, like the other fishing villages along the Øresund coast, began to attract summer visitors from Copenhagen. Some visitors stayed at the inn while others rented rooms with the local fishermen. With the opening of the Klampenborg Railway in 1863 and the

Coast Line Coast Line may refer to: * Coast Line (California), a railroad line * Coast Line (Denmark), a railroad line * Coast Line (Sri Lanka), a railroad line See also * Coastline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea ...

the area became more accessible. The more wealthy summer visitors began to build country houses. Skovshoved Inn was converted into a modern beach hotel by the architects Viggo Klein and Andreas Thejll in 1895. Skovshoved Parish was disjoined from that of

Ordrup Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre. History Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...

in 1915. With the construction of the new Coastal Road in 1936-38, Skovshoved gradually developed into a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Copenhagen. A new and larger harbor was built in 1938.

Landmarks

Much of the old fishing village has survived. Rydhave, now the official residence of the United States' Ambassador to Denmark, is an example of the country houses that were built in the area in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was built in 1885 for E. Schackenborg, the owner of a brickyard. The 22-room Skovshoved Hotel has been listed as one of the world's 50 top hotels by

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...

in 2003.

Skovshoved Church Skovshoved is a former fishing village on the Øresund coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The area is part of Charlottenlund postal district and Gentofte Municipality. Local landmarks include Skovshoved Church, Skovshoved Hotel and the listed Ar ...

is from 1915 and was designed by Alfred Brandt. The listed

was completed to a Modernist design by

in 1936.

In media and culture

* In the 2014–15 DR documentary series ''I Am the Ambassador'', which followed the US ambassador

Rufus Gifford John Rufus Gifford (born August 5, 1974) is an American politician and diplomat who was finance chair of the Harris 2024 presidential campaign since July 2024. He was the chief of protocol of the United States from 2022 to 2023. Between 2013 and ...

, Rydhave featured prominently.

Notable people

Meyer Herman Bing Meyer Herman Bing (4 June 1807 – 15 September 1883) was a Denmark, Danish businessman. He was a co-founder of Bing & Grøndahl. Early life and education Bing was born in Copenhagen, the son of bookseller Herman Jacob Bing (1776–1844) and Sara ...

(1807 - 1883 in Skovshoved) a Danish businessman, a co-founder of

Bing & Grøndahl Bing & Grøndahl was a Danish porcelain manufacturer founded in 1853 by the sculptor Frederik Vilhelm Grøndahl and merchant brothers Meyer Hermann Bing and Jacob Herman Bing. The trademark backstamp for Bing & Grøndahl (B&G) porcelains is the t ...

Carl Brummer Carl Harald Brummer (12 July 1864 – 14 February 1953) was a Danish architect who was influential in the design of homes at the beginning of the 20th century. Early life and education Brummer was born in Bogense as the son of Hans Frederik Brum ...

(1864 – 1953 in Skovshoved) an architect, influential in the design of homes *

Julie Fagerholt Julie Fagerholt (born 17 April 1968) is a Danish fashion designer and founder of the luxury clothing brand Heartmade. She also creates ''haute couture''. Her customers include Queen Mary of Denmark. Biography Julie Fagerholt grew up in Skovshoved ...

(born 1968) a Danish fashion designer, grew up in Skovshoved *

Kasper Eistrup Kashmir is a Danish alternative rock band consisting of Kasper Eistrup (vocals and lead guitar); Mads Tunebjerg (bass); Asger Techau (drums) and Henrik Lindstrand (keyboards and guitar). History In the spring of 1991, Eistrup, Tunebjerg an ...

(born 1973 in Skovshoved), musician with

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

Sport

Kurt Nielsen Kurt Nielsen (19 November 1930 – 11 June 2011) was a Danish tennis player. He was born in Copenhagen, and was the first Danish tennis player ever to have played in a men's singles final in a Grand Slam tournament. Nielsen reached the single ...

(1924 in Skovshoved – 1986) a Danish professional footballer, manager and coach of the

Denmark national football team The Denmark national football team ( or ''herrelandsholdet'') represents Denmark and Greenland in men's international Association football, football competitions. It is controlled by the Danish Football Association (DBU), the governing body for ...

from 1976 to 1979 *

Inge Sørensen Inge Sørensen (18 July 1924 – 9 March 2011), later Inge Tabur, sometimes known as "Lille henrivende Inge" ("Little endearing Inge") was a Danish swimmer who at age 12 won a bronze medal in the 200 meter breaststroke at the 1936 Summer Oly ...

(1924 in Skovshoved - 2011) a Danish swimmer, who at age 12 won a bronze medal in the 200 metre breaststroke at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

Karen Harup Karen Margrethe Harup Petersen (20 November 1924 – 9 July 2009) was a Danish swimmer. She competed in four events at the 1948 Summer Olympics and won three medals: a gold in the 100 m backstroke and silvers in the 400 m and 4 × 100 m freestyl ...

(1924 in Skovshoved – 2009) a Danish swimmer, won a gold and two silver medals at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

References

External links

Skovshoved Hotel
{{Coord, 55.7597, N, 12.5894, E, source:wikidata, display=title Gentofte Municipality