Vesterbros Torv is a

public square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

located at the corner of

Vesterbrogade Vesterbrogade () is the main shopping street of the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The 1.5 km long street runs from the City Hall Square in the east to Pile Allé in Frederiksberg in the west where it turns into Roskildevej. On ...

and Gasværksvej in the heart of the Vesterbro district 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 ...

. It is dominated by Elijah's Church.

History and architecture

The square was established in 1850. Its triangular shape of the space was determined by a series of

rope walk A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropew ...

s which used to be located at the site. The two buildings which flank Elijah's Church date from the establishment of the square. The church was completed as an infill in 1907. It is designed by

Martin Nyrop Martin Nyrop (11 November 1849 18 May 1921) was a Danish architect. Early life and education Nyrop was born on 11 November 1849 at Holmsland, Ringkøbing, the son of parish priest Christopher Nyrop (1805–1879) and Helene Ahlmann (1807–1874). ...

. On the opposite side of the square, the two buildings which flank the passageway which passes through The New Theatre, one of them with a characteristic tower, was built as part of the large theatre complex. The theatre was inaugurated in 1908 and is built to a design which mixes Art Nouveaux with other styles.

Features

Hercules Fountain

The Hercules Fountain dates from 1915 and was a gift from the society ''Hovedstadens forskønnelse''. It was designed by the sculptor

Rasmus Harboe Rasmus Harboe (25 October 1868 in Skælskør - 4 June 1952 in Frederiksberg) was a Danish sculptor. He was a frequent collaborator with several of the leading Danish architects of his time, including Martin Nyrop. Early life and educatiobn Harboe ...

who had previously created the reliefs on the facade of Elijah's Church.

Memorial plaque

A plaque on No. 55A commemorates the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

resistance fighter Erik Koch Michelsen. He was shot at the site on 3 March 1945.

Underground lavatories

In 1901 city architect

Ludvig Fenger Ludvig Peter Fenger (7 July 1833 – 9 March 1905) was a Danish architect. He was a proponent of the Historicist style, and from 1886 to 1904 he held the title of City Architect in Copenhagen. Among his works are several churches, the Centra ...

fitted the square with underground lavatories. Similar facilities were constructed at the City Hall Square,

Amagertorv Amagertorv (English: Amager Square), today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, is often described as the most central square in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is also one of the oldest, taking its name from the Amage ...

and

Nyhavn Nyhavn (; New Harbour) is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 1 ...

References

External links

{{coord, 55.6721, 12.5552, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Squares in Copenhagen Streets in Vesterbro/Kongens Enghave