Store Kannikestræde is a street in the Old Town of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , 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 ...

, connecting

Frue Plads Frue Plads (literally "Square of (Our) Lady") is a public square located on the north side of the Church of Our Lady in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It occupies a rectangular space which is bounded on the other sides by University of Copenhagen's ...

Købmagergade Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Amagertorv on Strøget to Nørreport station, although the last section, north of Kultorvet, is part of Frederiksborggade, which continues on the othe ...

. Its history is closely associated with the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

and some of Copenhagen's oldest halls of residence are located in the street. It has been pedestrianized since 1973. Lille Kannikestræde is a short side street which extends from the south side of Store Kannikestræde, connecting it to

Skindergade Skindergade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Running roughly parallel to Strøget, to which it is connected through Jorcks Passage, it extends for approximately 400 metres from Gammeltorv to Købmagergade. History Its name dates back to ...

History

Kannik is derived from ''

canonicus Canonicus (c. 1565 – June 4, 1647) was a chief of the Narragansett Indigenous Peoples. He was wary of the colonial settlers, but he ultimately befriended Roger Williams and other settlers. Biography Canonicus was born around 1565,Benjami ...

''. The street takes its name after the eight canons associated with Church of Our Lady. After the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

took over the Roskilde bishops' premises north of the church (now known as the University Quadrangle). The houses in Store Kannikestræde were used as residences for professors at the University.

Ole Worm Ole Worm (13 May 1588 – 31 August 1654), who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician, natural historian and antiquary. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen where he taught Greek, Latin ...

who lived with his family on the corner of Store Kannikestræde and Fiolstræde established a museum of curiosities in his home. In the early 18th century the University had a total of 11 residences for professors in the street. They were all destroyed along with the other houses in the street in the

Copenhagen Fire of 1728 The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of 20 October 1728 and continued to burn until the morning of 23 October. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city (measured by coun ...

. Five of them were rebuilt in 1735 while the other six were not rebuilt until the 1750s. The houses were all designed by Joachim Frederik Ramus, professor in mathematics. They were of considerable size and each contained a single residence, demonstrating the high social status of the professors at the time. The street was pedestrianized on 23 May 1973 along with Købmagergade and Rosengården.

Notable buildings and residents

Three of the oldest halls of residence in Copenhagen are located in the street.

Regensen Regensen (original Latin name: ''Collegium Domus Regiæ'', English: ''The College of the Royal House'') is a residential college for students at the University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark (DTU). It is situated in the heart o ...

was founded by

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

, although only the two lower floors of the section to the east of the gate in Store Kannikestræde date from the original building of 1623. The section west of the gate was destroyed in the fire of 1728 but rebuilt in 1749. The third floor was added in 1777.

Elers Kollegium Elers' Kollegium is a student residence located in the medieval part of Copenhagen. The dormitory or society provides living quarters for 20 students from the University of Copenhagen or from the Technical University of Denmark The Technical U ...

(No. 9) was built in 1705 to a design by royal building master

Johan Conrad Ernst Johan Conrad Ernst (16 June 1666 – 23 September 1750) was a Danish architect and royal master builder. He was the son of Johan Adolf Ernst, a successful linen merchant who had immigrated from Nuremberg and had a luxurious residence on Amagertor ...

. Its interior was destroyed by the fire in 1728 but restored by

Johan Cornelius Krieger Johan Cornelius Krieger (1683–1755) was a Danish architect and landscape architect, who from the 1720s served as both the country's chief architect, and head of the royal gardens. Krieger oversaw the construction of Fredensborg Palace and its g ...

in 1730. Borchs Kollegium (No. 12) was destroyed by fire both in 1728 and 1807. The current building was completed in 1825 to a design by Peder Malling who also designed the University's main building on Frue Plads. Det Lille Apotek (No. 15) was established in 1720, making it the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen. The location specializes in

Danish cuisine Danish cuisine ( da, det danske køkken) originated from the peasant population's own local produce and was enhanced by cooking techniques developed in the late 19th century and the wider availability of goods during and after the Industrial Rev ...

. The restaurant was frequented by prominent Danish authors and poets, such as

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisti ...

and Peter Faber. Professorgården (No. 11) was built in 1753 as residences for professors.

Admiral Gjeddes Gård Admiral Geddes Gård, formerly known as Kanslergården , is a listed, 18th-century property now operated as an event venue at Store Kannikestræde 10 in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. History Giede family The site was formerly part of a la ...

(No. 10) on the other side of the street was built in the 1730s and is now used as an event venue. Other listed buildings in the street include No. 6, No. 8 (1730s), No. 11, No. 13 and No. 15 (1829). Completed in 1920 to design by

Arthur Wittmaack Arthur Carl Johann Wittmaack (2 June 1878 – 30 October 1965) was a Danish architect. His work was part of the architecture event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Biography Wittmaack was born in Malmø, Sweden. He was th ...

and

Vilhelm Hvalsøe Frederik Vilhelm Hvalsøe (23 May 1883, Holbæk - 3 March 1958, Copenhagen) was a Danish architect. Biography Hvalsøe was born at Holbæk on the island of Zealand, Denmark. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1905 to 1916. ...

, the building at No. 19 is the former headquarters of Danish YWCA. The limestone frieze with Biblical motifs was created by the sculptor Axel Poulsen.

Lille Kannikestræde

Krigsråd Mørks Minde, located around the corner at Lille Kannikestræde 4, was built in 1831 by Aagaard and was in 1865 converted into charitable housing foundation by 1865 af Emilie Mørk in memory of her husband. The low complex on the other side of the street at Lille Kannikestræde 1–3 is also listed. It consists of a two-storey building from 1862 and a one-storey building from 1865 facing the street and a building from 1814 in the courtyard on the rear.

Memorials

On the façade of No. 19 is a

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

commemorating

Ernst Henrich Berling Ernst Henrich Berling (22 March 1708 – 16 October 1750) was a German-Danish book printer and publisher. From 1749 he published ''Danske Post Tidender,'' which would later become ''Berlingske Tidende.'' Biography Berling was born in Mecklenburg ...

, founder of

Berlingske ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

, whose printing business was founded at the site in 1734. Above the main entrance of No. 15 is a gilded relief, portraying

Peter Faber Peter Faber (french: Pierre Lefevre or Favre, la, Petrus Faver) (13 April 1506 – 1 August 1546) was a Jesuit priest and theologian, who was also a co-founder of the Society of Jesus, along with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. Pope Fra ...

, who lived in the building from 1845.

References

External links