Søndergade, Aarhus
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Søndergade or Strøget is a street in
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, Denmark. It is located in the inner city neighborhood and runs 350 metres south to north from
Ryesgade Ryesgade is a street straddling the border of the Nørrebro and Østerbro districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with Ravnsborggade, its continuation to the south, it forms the backbone of a small neighbourhood bounded by The Lakes to the e ...
to ''Skt. Clemens Stræde'' and provides access to the alleys ''Telefonsmøgen'' and ''Posthussmøgen''. Søndergade was created between 1854 and up through the 1860s as the city expanded southwards following the abolition of octroi and the city walls. The word ''Sønder'' is an older Danish form of "south" and the name thus means "Southward-street". Søndergade is part of the 750 meters long shopping street and pedestrian zone ''Strøget'' which runs from Aarhus Central Station to Aarhus Cathedral, consisting of the three streets Søndergade, ''St. Clemens Street'' and
Ryesgade Ryesgade is a street straddling the border of the Nørrebro and Østerbro districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with Ravnsborggade, its continuation to the south, it forms the backbone of a small neighbourhood bounded by The Lakes to the e ...
. Strøget has about 47,000 visitors on a daily basis and some 14 million visitors annually, making it among the busiest commercial streets in Denmark.


History

In 1851 octroi was abolished in Denmark and tolls were no longer collected at the city limits of the market towns, including
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
. The walls and city gates were subsequently dismantled and the city had more freedom to grow. The
industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...
taking place in the 19th century resulted in a rapid population boom and the city gradually expanded onto the surrounding farmland. Most of Aarhus was at the time situated north of the Aarhus River although some limited development had taken place along the south shore. The southern boundary of the city was marked by what is today the alleyways ''Telefonsmøgen'' and ''Posthussmøgen'' which at the time had been toll stations. The merchant ''Henrik Schandorff'' owned the land immediately south of the city and in 1854 he petitioned the city council for permission to parcel the land off and construct new streets. The city council approved the proposal but demanded the primary, central street in the new neighborhood be wide which was considerable at the time. The initial development happened gradually and the new street was not fully built up until the late 1860s largely due to the fact that it was a dead end street ending at the river in a steep hill. In order to get to the center of the city from the railway station by carriage or tram it was necessary to move along
Skolegade Skolegade ( Lit.: School Street) is a street in Aarhus, Denmark which runs north to south from Mejlgade to ''Mindebrogade''. The street is situated in the Midtbyen neighborhood. Skolegade is home to two listed buildings and runs past the Aarhu ...
and use the bridge ''Mindebro'' while going through Søndergade was only possible for pedestrians and then required a significant detour. In 1884 the bridge ''Skt. Clemens Bro'' was constructed in Søndergade, effectively lengthening it and making it, along with
Ryesgade Ryesgade is a street straddling the border of the Nørrebro and Østerbro districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with Ravnsborggade, its continuation to the south, it forms the backbone of a small neighbourhood bounded by The Lakes to the e ...
, a direct route from the Central Railway Station to the central square
Store Torv Store Torv ( lit. Great Square) is a public square located in the Indre By neighborhood in Aarhus, Denmark. It is situated between Lille Torv and Aarhus Cathedral, shaped as an elongated triangle. It is the largest public square in Aarhus and one ...
and the cathedral. The opening of Skt. Clemens Bro made Søndergade into the premier commercial street in the city, connecting the old neighborhoods north of the river to the newer developments, such as
Frederiksbjerg Frederiksbjerg is a borough in Aarhus, Denmark. Frederiksbjerg is part of the postal district Aarhus C and is located just south of the historical city centre, separated from it by a broad railway yard and connected by three bridges. Despite being ...
, south of the river. Several buildings constructed in the 1850s were demolished in favor of larger structures that could accommodate the need for larger businesses. In 1904 The first electrical tram lines were built to run through
Ryesgade Ryesgade is a street straddling the border of the Nørrebro and Østerbro districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with Ravnsborggade, its continuation to the south, it forms the backbone of a small neighbourhood bounded by The Lakes to the e ...
and Søndergade and in 1929 it was widened to a double line. In 1972, on 7 November, Søndergade was pedestrianized, the tram lines removed and new paving stones,
street light A street light, light pole, lamp pole, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or path. Similar lights may be found on a railway platform. When urban electric power distribution ...
s, benches, trees and phone booths put in while heating was installed under the street to keep it snow-free during winter. 30 years later in 2001-02 the paving was replaced again and the pedestrian zone expanded to include
Ryesgade Ryesgade is a street straddling the border of the Nørrebro and Østerbro districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with Ravnsborggade, its continuation to the south, it forms the backbone of a small neighbourhood bounded by The Lakes to the e ...
. In 1944 an act of Schalburgtage carried out by the Peter group demolished a number of buildings in Søndergade in 5-6 explosions. The destroyed buildings were Søndergade 1A, 29, 47, 49, 58 and 60 with the first building hit being ''Ankerhus'' that burned down and was never rebuilt. The first explosion occurred at 1.20 in the night and the rescue operations were underway when the other bombs went off.


Structures

The first parcel of land sold in 1954 went to Søren Frich who established his factory Frichs there before it moved to Åbyhøj. In 1919 the factory was removed and the prominent ''Regina'' building was constructed in its place, designed by local architect
Axel Høeg-Hansen Axel Høeg-Hansen (27 June 1877 – 30 August 1947) was a Danish architect. Stylistically he mainly worked in neoclassical and functionalist styles. He primarily worked in and around Aarhus at the turn of the 20th century. Background Ax ...
. The Regina building was a central event venue, hotel and cinema in the city for many years, but was later used for other purposes including and arcade with stores, a pub and a restaurant. From 2017, Regina is being redeveloped to house luxury apartments, but with the same original facade. The large department store Salling is located in Søndergade and there is a sculpture and fountain by the sculptor Erik Heide named ''Fugl med Guldæble'' (Bird with Gold Apple) close by. Regina-krydset 01.jpg, The granite fountain "''Fugl med Guldæble''" (Bird with Golden Apple) and the Regina building in the background Copper-roofed entrance.JPG, An entrance to the Regina building 2015-06-30 Aarhus Ryesgade RB1023.jpg, Street sales Søndergade.jpg, Søndergade is pedestrianized Salling (indgang).jpg, Salling department store Salling Christmas 2016 2.jpg, Salling department store decorated for Christmas


References

;Publications * *


External links

{{Aarhus Streets in Aarhus