Knippelsbro (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

: Knippel Bridge) is a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

across the Inner Harbour 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 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 ...

, connecting Børsgade (English: Stock Exchange Street) on

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

-side

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 c ...

to Torvegade (English: Market Street) on

Christianshavn Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of t ...

. It is one of only two bridges to carry motor vehicles across the harbour in central Copenhagen, the other being

Langebro Langebro (literally "Long Bridge") is a bascule bridge across the Inner Harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, connecting Zealandside H. C. Andersens Boulevard to Amagerside Amager Boulevard. It is one of only two bridges to carry motor vehicles across ...

. The bridge, the fifth on the site, is 115 metres long and was inaugurated in 1937.

History

1620: The first bridge

The first bridge between Copenhagen and Christianshavn was constructed in 1618-20 by Christian IV in connection with the foundation of Christianshavn. The bridge was called the "Great Amager Bridge" or "the long bridge".

1712: The second bridge

A new wooden bridge was built in the same location in 1712. It was decorated with four

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

sculptures by the artist Johan Christopher Sturmberg. Neither the sculptures or images of them exist today.

1816: The third bridge

The bridge was replaced by a new, wooden bridge in 1816. The bridge had two gates which were decorated with four wooden sculptures of "The Four Winds". They were created by the sculptor Frederik Christian Willerup and are now owned by the Museum of Copenhagen.

1869: The Burmeister & Wain bridge

In 1868-69,

Burmeister & Wain Burmeister & Wain was a large established Danish shipyard and leading diesel engine producer headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded by two Danes and an Englishman, its earliest roots stretch back to 1846. Over its 150-year history, it ...

constructed a railway bridge based on renderings from the grocers J. Adolphs and Christian August Broberg. It ran from

Slotsholmsgade Slotsholmsgade (literally "Slotsholm Street") is a street which runs along the rear side of Børsen on Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Located next to the Danish parliament building Christiansborg, most of the buildings in the street ...

Torvegade Torvegade ( lit. "Market Street") is the central thoroughfare of Christianshavn in Copenhagen, Denmark, linking the city centre by way of Knippel Bridge with Amagerside Copenhagen at Christmas Møllers Plads. The street crosses Christianshavn Ca ...

and it was therefore possible to use the old bridge while it was built. It opened on 1 August 1869.

1908: The Axel Berg bridge

A new railway bridge was built in 1908. It was designed by the architect Axel Berg and had two characteristic pavilions. It was built by the Port Authority's building master H. C. V. Møller and opened on 30 December 1908. It ran from Børsgade to Torvegade.

1937: The current bridge

In the first half of the 1930s, it was once again decided to build a new bridge. It was decided to build it at the same site as the old one and it was therefore necessary to build a temporary bridge. It was in use from 1934 to 1937. The current Knippelsbro was inaugurated on 17 December 1947. It was designed by

Kaj Gottlob Niels August Theodor Kaj Gottlob, usually known as Kaj Gottlob, (9 November 1887 – 12 May 1976) was a Danish architect who contributed much to Neoclassicism and Functionalism both as professor of the School of Architects at the Royal Danish Aca ...

and built by Wright, Thomsen & Kier in collaboration with Burmeister & Wain.

Name

The bridge was originally known as Store Amager Bro (English: Great Amager Bridge) or Langebro (English: Long Bridge) and from around 1700 Christianshavns Bro (English: Christianshavn's Bridge) is seen. The current name stems from Hans Knip who became bridge caretaker in 1641, in charge of operating the bridge and collecting tolls from passing ships. His house became known as Knippenshus and during the 17th century the bridge became known as Knippensbro. The current form of the name is seen from the second half of the 19th century but has never been officially approved.

Cultural references

* The '' Olsen-banden'' steals the priceless Bedford Diamonds from a car on Knippel Bridge at 0:57:54 in ''

The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang ''The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-bandens sidste bedrifter) is a 1974 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald, Poul Bundgaard and Kirsten Walther. This was the sixth film in the ...

.. * A view of Knippel Bridge from Hotel Europa (now DanHostel Copenhagen City) is also seen at 1:07:19 in ''

The Olsen Gang on the Track ''The Olsen Gang on the Track'' ( da, Olsen-banden på sporet) is a 1975 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the seventh in the ''Olsen-banden''-series. Plot Following the Olsen Gang's only su ...

''.

Gallery

File:Knippelsbro - C. F. Tietgens Hus.jpg, View along the bridge from Christianshavn File:Knippelsbro kontroltårn.jpg, Knippelsbro control tower seen from North, now functioning as a cafe File:Knippelsbro Control Tower seen from east.jpg, Knippelsbro control tower seen from East

References

External links

Listing
by the

Danish Heritage Agency The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces ( da, Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) is an agency under the aegis of the Danish Ministry of Culture. The agency carries out the cultural policies of the Danish government within the visual and performing arts, ...

* G. Lorenz.
Ny Knippelsbro
, page B1-B18 (13-30). ''

Ingeniøren ''Ingeniøren'' (full name: ''Nyhedsmagasinet Ingeniøren'', literally ''The News Magazine "The Engineer"'') is a Danish weekly newspaper specialising in engineering topics. History and profile The paper has covered science and technology issues ...

'', 8 January 1938. {{Bridges in Copenhagen Bridges in Copenhagen Bascule bridges Road bridges in Denmark Bridges completed in 1937 1937 establishments in Denmark Listed transport buildings and structures in Copenhagen Listed bridges in Denmark Port of Copenhagen