A new, fourth City Hall in

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 ...

, was built between

Gammeltorv Gammeltorv (Old Market) is the oldest square in Copenhagen, Denmark. With adjoining Nytorv it forms a common space along the Strøget pedestrian zone. While the square dates back to the foundation of the city in the 12th century, most of its buil ...

and

Nytorv Nytorv ( English: New Square or New Market) is a public square in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjoining Gammeltorv it forms a common space, today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone. The square is dominated by the impo ...

in 1728 on the foundations of its predecessor which had been destroyed in the first Great Fire of Copenhagen earlier that same year. In 1795 it was itself destroyed in the second Great Fire of Copenhagen and later replaced by the new combined city hall and courthouse at Nytorv which was completed in 1815.

Building

The new city hall was built by Johan Conrad Ernst and

Johan Cornelius Krieger Johan Cornelius Krieger (1683–1755) was a Danish architect and landscape architect, who from the 1720s served as both the country's chief architect, and head of the royal gardens. Krieger oversaw the construction of Fredensborg Palace and its ...

and completed already the same year. Seven bays wide, the building consisted of two storeys and a cellar, under a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

topped by a

ridge turret A ridge turret is a turret or small tower constructed over the ridge or apex between two or more sloping roofs of a building. It is usually built either as an architectural ornament for purely decorative purposes or else for the practical housing ...

. The facade was decorated with statues, columns and a bust of King

Christian VI Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

above the royal coat of arms. The rear side of the building had fewer decorations but also featured the royal coat of arms flanked by that of Copenhagen on either side. The rear of the building also had an open gallery similar to that of the old city hall.

Use

The city hall was used by the city council and also housed the administration as well as the city's fire guard and police force. As had been the case at least since 1619, the new city hall also served as

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

. There were cells both in the cellar, on the ground floor and on first floor. The cellar also contained a drinking establishment which served both wine and foreign beer. That the magistrate was entitled to run a "town cellar" as this establishment was called, was a tradition which can be traced back to at least

Christopher of Bavaria Christopher of Bavaria (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Christoffer''; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kristofer''; 26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), King of Sw ...

's ''Stadsret from 14 October 1443.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copenhagen City Hall (1728-1795) 1728 establishments in Denmark Buildings and structures demolished in 1795

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

Former seats of local government Government buildings completed in 1728

Building

Use

See also

References

External links