Blågårds Plads () is a

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

attached to Blågårdsgade, a side street to

Nørrebrogade Nørrebrogade is the principal shopping street of the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from The Lakes, Copenhagen, The Lakes in the southeast to Nørrebro station in the northwest, linking Frederiksborggade and Dronning Louises B ...

in the

Nørrebro Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...

district of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

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 ...

. It is a popular venue for events and various activities in the summer time.

History

The square takes its name from a country estate, '' Blågård'' (English: Blue Manor), which was established at the site by

Christoffer Gabel Christoffer Gabel (6 January 1617 – 13 October 1673) was a Danish statesman. He was the father of Vice Governor-general of Norway, Frederik Gabel. Biography He was born on 6 January 1617 at Glückstadt.Bruun (2008), p.110Bricka (1891), p ...

in the middle of the 17th century on the grounds of a former brickyard. Later owners included

Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Landgrave of Laurvig (20 July 1638 – 17 April 1704) was the illegitimate son of Frederick III of Denmark-Norway. A good relationship to his half brother, Christian V, secured him a position as one of the leading stat ...

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and Peter von Scholten. Anker Heegaards fabrikker 1890erne

In 1827 the owner obtained a licence from King Frederick VI to convert the property into an iron foundry. From 1852 to 1889, Copenhagen's old fortification ring was gradually decommissioned and the area began to undergo rapid urbanisation, becoming one of the densest and poorest parts of the city. The foundry's highly polluting activities posed a severe health hazard and the neighbourhood became known as the ''Black

Square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

'' (Danish: ''Den Sorte Firkant''). In 1898 the city acquired the property to turn it into a public space. The first square was laid out in 1902, enclosed by two rows of large-leaved Linden trees. In the 1980s, the old buildings on two sides of the square were demolished and replaced by new houses.

Buildings

Blågård Church is located on the north side of the square. It was built in 1926 to a design by Andreas Clemmensen and Johan Nielsen, replacing a temporary church by

Martin Nyrop Martin Nyrop (11 November 1849 18 May 1921) was a Danish architect. Early life and education Nyrop was born on 11 November 1849 at Holmsland Municipality, Holmsland, Ringkøbing, the son of parish priest Christopher Nyrop (1805–1879) and Helen ...

from 1905. The church is flanked by two buildings from circa 1900. The buildings on the two other sides are from the early 1980s.

Kai Nielsen sculptures

The space is dominated by 22 granite figures integrated into a low granite wall enclosing a depressed, rectangular section in the centre of the square. Designed by sculptor Kai Nielsen in collaboration with the architect

Ivar Bentsen Ivar Bentsen (13 November 1876 – 21 May 1943) was a Denmark, Danish architect and educator. He was a central figure in the Bedre-Byggeskik movement and succeeded Carl Petersen as a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts's School ...

, they depict people plying a trade—a tailor, a cooper, a barber, and a baker etc.—all in the company of a toddler. In the corners stand larger figure groups depicting playing children.

Blågårds Plads today

With a community centre, a library and several popular cafés, Blågårds Plads is a focal point for the life of the surrounding neighbourhood, which is still known as the Black Square. The depressed central section serves as a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

pitch in summer and features an ice-skating rink in winter. The street gang known as

Loyal to Familia Loyal to Familia is a Danish street gang. Origins Loyal to Familia was established in Nørrebro in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2013. In the summer of 2017, the gang had a membership of 225. Prohibition In August 2017, the Minister of Justice Sør ...

(LTF) was founded around Blågårds Plads in 2013. They became entangled in a violent gang conflict with their rivals, Brothas, situated in Mjølnerparken, during 2017.

References

External links

Pictures
of Kai Nielsen's statues
Source
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blagards Plads 1902 establishments in Denmark Listed buildings and structures in Nørrebro Squares in Copenhagen Streets in Nørrebro