Vandkunsten () is a small square in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on the corner of Rådhusstræde with Løngangstræde. The name also refers to a fountain from 1910 that stands in the middle of the square.

History

The square takes its name from a watermill that starting in the 14th century supplied

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle ( da, Københavns Slot) was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bisho ...

on nearby

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Bishop Absalon constructed the ci ...

with water through a system of wooden pipes. A mill pond was located at the site where the square is today. A pumping station was built at the site in 1539 but the water was polluted in connection with one of the many adaptions of Copenhagen Castle and it therefore had to be shut down. For many years the site was left as a waste dump until it was finally cobbled over upon orders from

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

; starting 1684 it was used as a fish market. The square escaped both the Copenhagen Fire of 1728 and the Fire of 1795. It has also played host to a flea market.

Notable buildings and residents

Four buildings on the square are listed in the Danish registry of protected buildings and places. Two of them. No. 8 and No. 10, were built as breweries. No. 8 is from 1750. In the 1810s, the brewer moved his activities to Kompagnistræde No. 39 on the other side of the block and the house on Vandkunsten was then converted into a residence for him and his family. The four

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

pilasters on the façade date from this time. The Ording House ( No. 10), on the corner of Gåsegade, is from 1803 and was also built as a brewery. A memorial plaque on the corner commemorates the Swedish storm assault on Copenhagen which took place February 10 and 11, 1659 at this site0. The three-bay house at No. 11 (1735) and No. 13 (1754) are also listed. The large property at the end of the square (No. 12, on the corner of Løngangsstræde, is called Kronborg due to its Historicist design which is remniscient of that of Kronborg Castle in Helsingør. The building is from 1895 and formerly served as headquarters of the Danish Teachers' Association. The building on the corner of

Frederiksholms Kanal Frederiksholms Kanal is a canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs along the south-west side of Slotsholmen, together with Slotholmens Kanal separating the island from Zealand. The name also applies to the continuation of Rådhusstræde whi ...

(Vandkunsten 1) is from 1910 and was designed by

Aage Langeland-Mathiesen Aage Langeland-Mathiesen (22 May 1868 – 19 June 1933) was a Danish architect. He was active both in building design and restoration, and was associated with the National Museum for many years. His building designs are strongly influenced ...

Fountain

The water feature was commissioned by Københavns Kunstfond (Copenhagen Art Foundation( from the architect Johannes Magdahl Nielsen in 1907 and inaugurated on 15 September 1910. The central stele is made of granite with decorative details in bronze and gilded metal. Its cylindrical, lower part is decorated with fish scales and the water jumps from four fish heads, details that commemorates the square's former use as a fish market. Its top is a hemisphere in polished red granite.

Cultural references

Vandkunsten 6-8 is used as a location in the 1967 film ''

Nyhavns glade gutter ''Onkel Joakims hemmelighed'', also known as ''Nyhavns glade gutter'', is a 1967 Danish family film directed by Carl Ottosen and starring Gunnar Lauring. Cast *Gunnar Lauring as Viktor Erdner *Sigrid Horne-Rasmussen as Emilie Erdner *Vivi Bach ...

'',

References

External links

Vandkunsten
at indenforvoldene.dk
Source

Source

Vandkunsten 11
{{coord, 55.6761, 12.5742, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Fountains in Copenhagen Squares in Copenhagen Streets in Copenhagen