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..

References

External links

Esplanaden
on indenforvoldene.dk {{coord, 55, 41, 16, N, 12, 35, 41, E, region:DK_type:landmark_source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title Streets in Copenhagen

History

Notable buildings and residents

See also

References

External links