Langebro (literally "Long Bridge") is a bascule bridge 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 Zealandside

H. C. Andersens Boulevard H. C. Andersens Boulevard is the most densely trafficked artery in central Copenhagen, Denmark. The 1.3 km long six-lane street passes City Hall Square on its way from Jarmers Plads, a junction just north of Vesterport station, to Lange Bridge ...

Amager Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (includi ...

side

Amager Boulevard Amager Boulevard is a street on Amager in Copenhagen, Denmark. It begins at Langebro Bridge and initially follows Stadsgraven east to a Y-junction from where it continues inland to Amagerbrogade while the street Ved Stadsgraven continues along t ...

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

History

1690: The first Langebro

Completed in 1690, the first bridge located roughly where Langebro is today was known as Kalvebodbro (Kalvebod Bridge) and connected the Western Rampart's Rysensteen Bastion on Zealand with Christianshavn Rampart's Christianshavns Vold#Kalvebod Bastion 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 was a wooden structure with a drawbridge in the middle that allowed ships to pass. The bridge was built for the military but was also open to civilian pedestrians. The bridge was refurbished several times. It was widened in 1875–76.

1903: The Swing Bridge

Plans for a new Langebro were first presented in 1885 but not realized until 1903. The new bridge was located 400 ft to the south of the old one, Vestre Boulevard (now H. C. Andersens Boulevard) and connected to the

on the other side of the harbor. It was a swing bridge resting on nine stone pillars. The swing bridge was both used for both trams and the Amagerbanen railroad.

1939: The temporary bridge

With growing automobile traffic, the new bridge soon became outdated and a new temporary bridge was constructed in 1930. The bridge was subject to sabotage on 23 March 1945.

1954

The temporary bridge was replaced by the current Langebro in 1954.

Lille Langebro

Lille Langebro Lille Langebro ( en, Little long bridge), is located close to and named after the Langebro bridge, is a walking and cycling bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was designed by WilkinsonEyre and it is classified as a double-swing bridge. The unique ...

pedestrian and cycling bridge north of Langebro was completed in 2019.

Cultural references

* Søren Kierkegaard's pseudonymous author, Hilarius Bookbinder, mentions the bridge in ''

Stages on Life's Way ''Stages on Life's Way'' ( da, Stadier på Livets Vej; historical orthography: ''Stadier paa Livets Vej'') is a philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard written in 1845. The book was written as a continuation of Kierkegaard's prior work ''Either/O ...

'' (1845): "Langebro ong Bridgehas its name from its length; that is, as a bridge it is long but is not much as a roadway, as one easily finds out by passing over it. Then when one is standing on the other side in Christianshavn, it in turn seems that the bridge must nevertheless be long, because one is far, very far away from Copenhagen." (''Stages on Life's Way'' p. 259) * ''Langebro'' is a play by Hans Christian Andersen, named for the bridge in Copenhagen. * The Danish-American 1961 giant monster film '' Reptilicus ''includes Scenes from a panic-stricken Langebro are featured in. * Langebro is seen in many of the '' Olsen-banden'' films, including '' The Olsen Gang'', '' The Olsen Gang in a Fix'' (1:14:47) and ''

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 ...

'' (1:29:16). * " Langebro" is the name of Gasolin's 1971 adaption of

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

's version of Geordie, where the setting is shifted from London to Copenhagen and Langebro takes the place of London Bridge.

Gallery

File:Langebro control tower.jpg, Langebro Control Tower, seen from southeast File:Langebro control tower east-southeast.jpg, Langebro Control Tower, seen from east-southeast

References

External links

Source/Unage
{{Bridges in Copenhagen Bridges in Copenhagen Arch bridges in Denmark Bascule bridges Road bridges in Denmark Former railway bridges Listed bridges in Denmark Listed transport buildings and structures in Copenhagen Bridges completed in 1954 1954 establishments in Denmark Port of Copenhagen