Amager ( ), located in the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...

, is

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including

Kalvebod Fælled Kalvebod Fælled ("Kalvebod Commons"), also known as Vestamager ("Western Amager"), is a scenic area that takes up roughly a quarter of the island of Amager near Copenhagen, Denmark. The area consists of reclaimed sea bed, with a number of fo ...

) makes up more than one-third of the island's total area of 96 km². The Danish capital,

Copenhagen Municipality Copenhagen Municipality (), also known in English language, English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the Capital Region of Denmark, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other three ...

, is partly situated on Amager, covering the northern part of the island, which is connected to the much larger island of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

by eight bridges and a metro tunnel. Amager also has a connection across the Øresund to Sweden, the

Øresund Bridge The Øresund or Öresund Bridge is a combined List of road–rail bridges, railway and motorway cable-stayed bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the second longest bridge in Europe and combines both roadway and r ...

. Its western part begins with a tunnel from Amager to another Danish island,

Peberholm Peberholm ( , ()) is a small artificial island in the Danish part of the Øresund strait, created as part of the Øresund Bridge connecting Denmark with Sweden. Peberholm lies approximately 1 km south of the larger natural island of Salthol ...

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (, ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, as well as the wider Øresund Region, including Zealand and the southern Sweden, Swedish province of Scania. In 2023 it was the largest ai ...

is located on the island, around from Copenhagen city centre. Amager is the largest island in the Øresund, and the only one with a large population. , 212,661 people lived on the island, including its northern tip,

Christianshavn Christianshavn () 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 the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...

. The northern part is included in the Copenhagen municipality. The middle part comprises

Tårnby Tårnby () is a town in Denmark, the seat of Tårnby Municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark. It is located approximately south of central Copenhagen on the island of Amager. Neighbouring settlements include the Copenhagen suburb of S ...

municipality, and

Dragør Dragør () is the main town of Dragør Municipality, (Denmark), which includes the village of Store Magleby. The city hall and seat of the municipal council lies on Kirkevej 7 (postal code 2791 Dragør) in Store Magleby, which has enough space ...

municipality is located on the southeast part of the island. Most of the western part of the island today comprises land that was claimed from the sea from the 1930s to the 1950s. This enlargement, from the shallow sound towards

, is known as ''Kalveboderne''. The enlargement has never been built-up and its soil is unsuitable for agricultural use. However, the area between Dragør town and the airport is cultivated land of high quality. Amager has in the past been referred to as the "kitchen of Copenhagen". At the border of the enlargement there is an old

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

forest, ''Kongelunden'' (The King's Grove).

History

Amager has long been populated, and well used, thanks to its rich soil and proximity to Copenhagen. In 1521,

Christian II A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words ''Christ'' and ''Ch ...

invited some

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

farmers to move to Amager and grow vegetables to supply the Danish Court and Copenhagen. These farmers enjoyed certain privileges such as their own government and institutions, as well as their own schools and priests. Due to this and a ban on mixed marriages, they maintained their own language, Amager Dutch, which remained spoken until 1858. This dialect's spelling and vocabulary was influenced by Danish, and it had heavier phonological and grammatical influence from

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

, due to the importance of Low German in trade in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

and the influence of Low German-speaking

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

clergy. It was only in the late 19th century that Copenhagen began to expand onto the island (Sundbyerne), and in 1902 these built-up areas were incorporated into Copenhagen. During the Second World War, high unemployment in Copenhagen led authorities to drain a large part of the sea, west of the island, and build a dam to hold out the water, effectively adding one half of Amager's previous area to the island. The claimed area is currently known as

, and was originally a military area, but today it is part of a major construction area called the

Ørestad Ørestad () is a developing city area in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Amager. The area was developed using the new town concept, closely linked with the M1 (Copenhagen), M1 line of the Copenhagen Metro. Economically, income for the plan w ...

, being thought of as an extension to

central Copenhagen Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. The area houses major facilities such as: *

Bella Center Bella Center (abbreviated BC) is Scandinavia's second largest exhibition and conference center (after Messecenter Herning), and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in Ørestad between the city centre and Copenhagen Airport, it offers an ...

, a convention and exposition center *

Field's Field's is a shopping centre in Ørestad, Copenhagen, close to the E20 motorway and Ørestad Station on the Copenhagen Metro. At 115,000 m2, it is the second-largest mall in Denmark after Waves, and one of the largest in Scandinavia. It is o ...

, the second-largest

shopping center A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

Royal Arena The Royal Arena is a multi-use indoor arena in the Ørestad#Ørestad South, Ørestad South area of Copenhagen, Denmark. The ground was broken for construction on 26 June 2013 and the arena opened in February 2017. It has a capacity of 13,000 for ...

, a multi-use indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

This project was initiated by the Danish government. The beach area to the east of the island, known as

Amager Strandpark Amager Strandpark (Amager Beach Park) is a seaside public park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on the island of Amager and includes an artificial island and offers a total of of beaches. From the beach, the Middelgrunden wind farm can be s ...

(Amager Beach Park), which had fallen into disrepair since its inception in the 1930s, was extensively redeveloped between May 2004 and August 2005. A 2-km-long artificial island was constructed just off the mainland, from which it is separated by a small lagoon. Until the 1970s, Amager was used as a place to dump latrine waste; this led to a slang term for the island 'Lorteøen' (Shit Island). See

Renholdningsselskabet af 1898 Renholdningsselskabet af 1898 ( Danish for "The 1898 Cleansing Company"), commonly known as R98, is a Danish company owned by Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities. It serves the people there by collecting waste (including garden waste, ha ...

Amenities

Large parts of Kalvebod Fælled are rich in nature and have many grazing cows and horses. This area allows the citizens of Copenhagen to experience nature, without travelling far from the city. Amager is also home to the Amager Bio, a cinema, concert and cultural venue. Top bands from the last 40 years have played there, both those of international origin (

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Alien Ant Farm Alien Ant Farm is an American rock band that formed in Riverside, California in 1996. They have released six studio albums and sold over 5 million units worldwide. The band's cover of Michael Jackson's " Smooth Criminal" topped the ''Billboard ...

, P.O.D,

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...

, Uriah Heep,

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers were an English blues rock band led by multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter John Mayall. The band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues musicians. Many of the best known bands t ...

, Jethro Tull,

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals) and Clint W ...

MGMT MGMT () is an American rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by singers and multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, Ben Goldwasser. Originally signed to Cantora Records by the nascent ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing musi ...

) and from Denmark ( D.A.D, Dodo and the Dodos, Johnny Deluxe, Big Fat Snake). Amager Common ( Danish: ''Amager Fælled'') is a 223 hectare

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in north-west Amager. The former military area is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna; including forests, fields, and Highland cattle. The King's Grove (Danish: ''Kongelunden)'' is a large oak forest located on the southern side of Amager. It's popular for cycling, bird watching, and horseback riding. The National Aquarium Denmark is situated in the east of Amager and is Northern Europe's largest aquarium.

Communities

Various communities are located on Amager, including

Islands Brygge Islands Brygge ( English: Iceland's Quay) is a harbourfront area in central Copenhagen, Denmark, located on the north-western coast of Amager. The neighbourhood is noted for its waterfront park Havneparken, which is one of the most popular area ...

, and the towns of

Kastrup Kastrup () is a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, on the east coast of Amager in Tårnby Municipality. It is the site of Copenhagen Airport. In Danish, the airport is often called ''Kastrup Lufthavn'' (Kastrup Airport) or ''Københavns Lufthavn, Kast ...

, and

Transport

Amager is connected by tunnel to the artificial island

from which

connects Denmark to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The construction of the bridge has had a significant impact on the physical geography of the island, largely due to the construction of new highways. The Copenhagen Metro connects Amager to central Copenhagen. The metro line from Vanløse to Amager divides into M1 and M2 lines at Christianshavn and then continue to Vestamager and Lufthavnen (Copenhagen Airport).

is in the eastern part of Amager. It is linked by train, metro and bus services.

Expressions with 'Amager'

* Amar! – an

incantation An incantation, spell, charm, enchantment, or bewitchery is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung, or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremonial ri ...

for

innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is prior to the sense of legal guilt and is a primal emotion connected with the sense of self. It is often confused as being the op ...

, a mild

oath Traditionally, an oath (from Old English, Anglo-Saxon ', also a plight) is a utterance, statement of fact or a promise taken by a Sacred, sacrality as a sign of Truth, verity. A common legal substitute for those who object to making sacred oaths ...

(honest Injun! cross my heart!) * Amagergarn –

mercerised cotton Mercerisation is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric and yarn, mainly cotton and flax, which improves dye uptake and tear strength, reduces fabric shrinkage, and imparts a silk-like luster. Development The process was ...

embroidery thread Embroidery thread is yarn that is manufactured or hand- spun specifically for embroidery and other forms of needlework. Embroidery thread often differs widely, coming in many different fiber types, colors and weights. Type of embroidery thread Thre ...

, pearl yarn, perle cotton, coton perlé (in German: :de:Perlgarn) * Amagerbroderi (Amager

embroidery Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

) is colourful flat sewing known from Amager * Amagersyning (Amager stitching) is Dutch-inspired embroidery techniques * Amagerhylde – Amager shelf, an A-shaped triangular shelf for trinkets * Amagermad – Amager sandwich, consisting of one slice of brown and one of white bread with butter between them, and possibly cold cuts * Amager-nummerplade (

vehicle registration plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British, Indian and Australian English), license plate (American English) or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for ...

of Amager) is a

lower-back tattoo Tattoos on the lower back became popular in the first decade of the 21st century, and gained a reputation for their erotic appeal. The tattoos were sometimes accentuated by low-rise jeans or crop tops. Their popularity was in part due to the in ...

Notable people

* Christiane Koren (1764–1815) a Danish-Norwegian writer *

Klaus Rifbjerg Klaus Rifbjerg (15 December 1931 – 4 April 2015) was a Danish writer. He authored more than 170 novels, books and essays. In 1965 he co-produced the film '' 4x4'' which was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. Biography R ...

(1931–2015) a Danish writer * Ole Rasmussen (born 1952) a Danish former football player *

Frank Arnesen Frank Arnesen (born 30 September 1956) is a former Danish footballer and sporting director at Dutch football club Feyenoord. Arnesen was the director of football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and was sporting directo ...

(born 1956) a former Danish footballer * Morten Stig Christensen (born 1958) a former Danish handball player *

Brian Holm Brian Holm Sørensen (born 2 October 1962) is a retired Danish professional rider in road bicycle racing from 1986 to 1998, who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 1997 and was part of the team that brought his fellow Dane Bjarne Riis to victory ...

(born 1962) a retired Danish professional rider in road bicycle racing *

Peter Frödin Peter Frödin (born 7 January 1964) is a Danish actor, comedian and singer.Who is ... Peter Frö ...

(born 1964) a Danish actor, comedian and singer IMDb Database
retrieved 28 January 2019 *

Linse Kessler Lenina "Linse" Coleman (born Lenina Christiansen) better known as Linse Kessler (born 31 March 1966) is a Danish television personality, actress and businesswoman. She is known for her ownership of "Scandinavia's largest silicone breasts" and for ...

(born 1966) a Danish television personality, actress and businesswoman * Jacob Moe Rasmussen (born 1975) a Danish former cyclist *

Mikkel Kessler Mikkel Kessler (born 1 March 1979) is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) title (Super and Regular versions) th ...

(born 1979) a Danish former professional boxer *

Christine Milton Christine Milton (born 18 July 1985) is a Danish singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was one of the participants in Denmark's version of the ''Popstars'' franchise, having competed in season 2. Despite not winning, she was signed to record ...

(born 1985) a Danish pop singer, songwriter and professional dancer *

Martin Bernburg Martin Løfqvist Bernburg (; born 26 December 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He previously notably played for FC Nordsjælland and Brøndby IF and also gained caps for the Danish national team. Cl ...

(born 1985) a Danish professional footballer *

Joey Moe Joey Lanni Moe Lynghave (born 8 June 1985) is a Danish singer and producer. During his career, he has collaborated with a number of other Danish artists. Career Joey Moe graduated from Sankt Annae Gymnasium (high school) in 2004. In 1996, when ...

(born 1985) a Danish-Hawaiian hip hop pop singer and producer *

Nicklas Bendtner Nicklas Bendtner (; born 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. His preferred position was centre-forward, but he has also played on the Forward ...

(born 1988) a Danish professional footballer *

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

(born 1992) also known as ''Christopher Nissen'', is a Danish singer *

Cisilia Cisilia Ismailova (born 19 December 1998 in Amager, Denmark) is a Danish singer from Copenhagen better known by her mononym Cisilia. She was born to mixed Macedonian and Moroccan origins. Her debut album ''Unge øjne'' topped Hitlisten, the offi ...

(born 1998) also known as ''Cisilia Ismailova'', is a Danish singer

References

External links

Amager Beach Park

Amager BioPaintings from Amager
{{Authority control Geography of Copenhagen Islands of Denmark