Mejlgade is a street in Aarhus which runs north to south from ''Østbanetorvet'' to Skolegade and intersects ''Nørrebrogade''. The street is situated in the historic

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistro ...

neighborhood and has the highest number of historic and

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in the city. Mejlgade is one-way and no-parking zone for cars for most of its length and pedestrians and cyclists are given priority. The single lane is tiled and a part of the ''Cykelringen'' bicycle ring which circumnavigates the city center. Mejlgade has a high number of small specialty shops and some cafés and bars.

History

Mejlgade is first mentioned in the 1400s as "Medelgade" from the word ”mæthal”, meaning "middel" (English: Middle). In the 1700s it is catalogued as "Middelgade" and by the late 1800s it is known as the present Mejlgade. Mejlgade stems from the earliest history of the city in the early

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

. It was established within the initial ramparts of the viking settlement and later the city walls around the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

town. In the early to mid-1800s it was the primary arterial and busiest trade street in the town and between 1828 and 1851 the north end of the street had one of 7 city gates where access taxes were collected on produce entering the town. Many merchants houses were built in Mejlgade, close to the city gate, typically with multiple wings and a courtyard for stables and storage. In 1851 the access taxes were abolished and the city walls and gates torn down. Houses on the east side of the street initially had backyards leading to the waters edge on the coast until 1871 when ''Kystvejen'' was established, separating the houses from the coast. The street was

cobbled Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fr ...

through the 1800s but in 1900 it was paved with

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

as the first street in the city.

Structures

Mejlgade contains 9 buildings listed in the Danish registry of protected buildings and places and many architectural styles from different periods are represented throughout the street. The

Jutland Art Academy Jutland Art Academy ( da, Det Jyske Kunstakademi, abbreviated DJK), is a state recognized institute for higher education in Aarhus, Denmark, offering a 5-year programme in contemporary art. The academy has no departments and focuses on conceptuall ...

(Danish: Det Jydske Kunstakademi) has been situated in the

historicist Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying their history, that is, by studying the process by which they came about. The term is widely u ...

building from 1803 in no. 32 since 1964. Mejlgade no. 6 was previously known as the mayors house. The first mayor to live there was Ulrik Christian von Schmidten, mayor from 1866–1885, and it was used by his successors until 1919 when electoral reform made the office an elected position. The stately Mejlborg building is situated on the site of the former city gate at the north end of the street. It was designed by Sophus Frederik Kühnel in 1896–98 for luxury condominiums with a commanding view of the

Bay of Aarhus The Bay of Aarhus, or Aarhus Bay, is a Danish waterway by Aarhus in eastern Jutland. The Bay of Aarhus is bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the east Jutland coast to the w ...

. In the 1899 fire Mejlborg burned down but was rebuilt the same year almost identically.

Listed buildings

The

Cathedral School Cathedral schools began in the Early Middle Ages as centers of advanced education, some of them ultimately evolving into medieval universities. Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, they were complemented by the monastic schools. Some of these ...

from 1195 lies on a parcel of land bordering Mejlgade, ''Skolegyde'' and ''Kystvejen'' and contains a number of buildings of which 4 are listed. One is the building facing Mejlgade, the

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and baroque "white building" from 1766 by architect Christian Jensen Mørup. The building was renovated and extended 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 ...

in 1849 by

Jørgen Hansen Koch Jørgen Hansen Koch (4 September 1787 – 30 January 1860) was a Neoclassical Danish architect. He was chief of the national Danish building administration from 1835 and director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1844 to 1849. K ...

. Mejlgade no. 7 from 1848 was built by Hans Wilhelm Schrøder in late classicist style. No. 19 is Juul's House, a half-timbered 4-winged structure from 1629 in

renaissance style Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought a ...

. Juul's House has been a paint shop since 1842 and is the oldest paint shop in the country. Mejlgade 25 is a half-timbered building from 1585. The 4

buildings are the late-classicist houses in no. 43 from 1831 and no. 45 from 1864 in

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...

, no. 48 from 1864 and the classicist no. 52-54 from 1837. Mejlgade No. 48 was home to

Århus Stiftstidende ''Århus Stiftstidende'' (colloquially ''Stiften'') is a Danish newspaper based in Aarhus, Denmark, focusing largely on local topics. History and profile First published by Niels Lund on 3 January 1794, ''Århus Stiftstidende'' is among the ol ...

and its printing press, in differing buildings, from 1794 until 1906 when it was turned into an elementary school. File:Aarhus Katedralskole2.jpg, Aarhus Cathedral School from 1766 File:Juuls Farvehandel.JPG, Juul's House 1629 File:Mejlgade 25-2.jpg, Mejlgade 25. File:Mejlgade 43-3.jpg, The Empire style Mejlgade no. 43

Gallery

File:Mejlgade 01.JPG, Mejlgade is prioritized for bicycles and pedestrians File:Oli Nico.jpg, Restaurants and street life. File:Risras filliongongong.jpg, The bar Ris Ras Filiongongong

References

External links

* {{Coord, 56.1599, 10.2129, region:DK_type:landmark, display=title Streets in Aarhus