The Copenhagen Court House ( da, Københavns Domhus) is a historic building located on

Nytorv Nytorv (English: New Square or New Market) is a public square in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjoining Gammeltorv it forms a common space, today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone. The square is dominated by the impo ...

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 a ...

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. Originally built as a combined

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

and

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

, it now serves as the seat of the District Court of Copenhagen. Inaugurated in 1815, it was built to the design of Christian Frederik Hansen in

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

History

A modern style court of justice, ''

Hof- og Stadsretten was a modern-style court, court of justice introduced in Denmark, specifically for Copenhagen, by Johann Friedrich Struensee in 1771. In 1805, it was merged with the new for Eastern Denmark as . It was replaced by the Københavns Byret and Østr ...

'', was introduced in Denmark, specifically for Copenhagen, by

Johann Friedrich Struensee Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish governmen ...

in 1771. Located in Viborg and Copenhagen, two High Courts were introduced as courts of appeal in 1805. It was for this emerging legal system that a new courthouse was needed. In the Great Fire of 1795, Copenhagen's city hall, located between Nytorv and

Gammeltorv Gammeltorv (Old Market) is the oldest square in Copenhagen, Denmark. With adjoining Nytorv it forms a common space along the Strøget pedestrian zone. While the square dates back to the foundation of the city in the 12th century, most of its build ...

, was among the many buildings lost to the flames. It was the second consecutive city hall at that spot to meet this fate; the first building, built in 1679 at the same site, had been lost in the Fire of 1728. After the fire, it was decided to build a combined city hall and courthouse at Nytorv, at a site previously occupied by the Royal Orphanage built in 1728. The project also included a jailhouse. Christian Frederik Hansen, the leading Danish architect of the time, was charged with the commission. Construction started in 1803 and was completed in 1816. The project was delayed by scarcity of building materials as well as the British bombardment of the city in 1807 in the Battle of Copenhagen. Materials from the demolition of Hirschholm Palace were used for the building. The building served its dual purpose for almost 100 years, until the current

Copenhagen City Hall Copenhagen City Hall ( da, Københavns Rådhus) is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen. Architec ...

was inaugurated in 1905. After that it has exclusively been used for the District Court of Copenhagen.

Architecture

The facade is dominated by six large Ionic

Column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...

s, flanked by masonry with a minimal number of windows. Behind the columns a staircase leads up to the

vestibule Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court". Anatomy In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...

with four more

Ionic columns 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 o ...

. From here a complex network of corridors and stairs connects to the rest of the building. Although the courthouse has been renovated several times, the overall layout of rooms with columns,

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

has been preserved. On each side of the building, it is flanked by a large arch. On the left the arch provides a walkway above the street, connecting the courthouse to the jail on the other side. The jail building has an austere expression with small windows. Both the facades of the courthouse and the jail features inscriptions. The inscription above the entrance of the courthouse, "Med lov skal man land bygge" (English: "With law shall land .e. the nationbe built"), is a quotation from the

preamble A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subj ...

Codex Holmiensis ''Codex Holmiensis C 37'' contains the oldest manuscript of the Danish ''Code of Jutland'' ( da, Jyske Lov),Riis, Thomas. Det kongelige bibliotek, Denmark. Det kongelige bibliotek, Denmark. a civil code enacted under Valdemar II of Denmark. The ...

, while the inscription on the jail reads " For almeen sikkerheden" (English: "For the public security").

References

External links

{{coord, 55, 40, 38, N, 12, 34, 23, E, region:DK_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dawiki, display=title Courthouses in Denmark Buildings and structures in Copenhagen Neoclassical architecture in Copenhagen Government buildings completed in 1815 Christian Frederik Hansen buildings City and town halls in Copenhagen

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links