Esplanaden (; "The
Esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
") is a street 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. It extends eastwards from
Store Kongensgade and runs along the south side of the city's 17th-century fortress
Kastellet and
Churchillparken until it reaches the waterfront at
Nordre Toldbod, just south of
Langelinie, passing
Amaliegade,
Bredgade
Bredgade (literal translation, lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Esplanaden ...
and
Grønningen on the way. It marks the northern border of the
Frederiksstaden
Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was in ...
district.
It is best known as the address of the headquarters of
A.P. Moller-Maersk, the largest shipping company in the world. In Danish media and daily usage, the street name is often used as a
metonym
Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...
for company's top management.
History
The street is located on
Kastellet's former
esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
. Then known as Toldbodvej, literally "Custom House Road", was created as an access road to the
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
, complementing
Toldbodgade ("Custom House Street"), which came from the south along the water.
In the 1780s, a tree-lined avenue, which quickly became a popular venue for promenades, was established between the end of Bredgade and the harbourfront a little to the north of Toldbodvej. A total of 3,000 trees from
Jægersborg Dyrehave were planted in the grounds. It was around the same time that the first town houses began to appear on the south side of Toldbodvej. The tree-lined promenade largely disappeatrdd with the construction of the
Port Authority Building (1868 ), the
Royal Nautical Charts Archive (1873), and later the Resistance Museum.
On 21 October 1885, council president
Jacob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup was the target of an attempted assassination outside No. 34. The unsuccessful assassin was Julius Rasmussen.
In the 19th century, the
Guard Hussars barracks were located at the western end of the street, first on its north side and later also in a building on its south side. It was demolished about 1900 and the site was built over in connection with the establishment of
Grønningen. The masterplan for the area was adopted on 29 June 1903. The smaller streets in the area have names associated with the island of
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...
.
Toldbodvej was renamed Esplanaden in 1953.
Notable buildings and residents
Several of the buildings on the streets were designed by
Andreas Hallander
Andreas Hallander (13 November 1755 – 3 April 1828) was a Danish master carpenter and architect who made a significant contribution to the city of Copenhagen. Together with the buildings of Johan Martin Quist, his classically styled apartment h ...
, including the two buildings on the corner of Amaliegade, No. 46 (1791) and No. 48 (1789), which are both listed.
No. 6 is from 1785 and was designed by
Andreas Kirkerup.
No. 15 was completed in 1850 to a
Neoclassical design by
Gustav Friedrich Hetsch. It now houses the A.P. Møller and Wife Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation. Bertelsen & Scheving completed a major renovation of the building in 2013. No. 19 originally housed the
Royal Nautical Charts Archive as well as the Meteorological Institute. The building was designed by
Vilhelm Petersen and built in 1872–1873.
Restaurant
Lumskebugten has existed since 1854 and is located in a listed building.
Babette Hotel (No. 22 ) is a boutique hotel operated by
Guldsmeden Hotels..
See also
*
C. K. Hansen
References
External links
Esplanadenon indenforvoldene.dk
{{coord, 55, 41, 16, N, 12, 35, 41, E, region:DK_type:landmark_source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title
Streets in Copenhagen