Fiolstræde is a
pedestrianised shopping street in central
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 passes the square
Frue Plads
Frue Plads (literally "Square of (Our) Lady") is a public square located on the north side of the Church of Our Lady in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It occupies a rectangular space which is bounded on the other sides by University of Copenhagen's ...
on its way from
Nørreport station
The fortifications of Copenhagen underwent a comprehensive modernization and expansion in the 17th century. The project was commenced and was largely the masterplan of Christian IV in the early 17th century but was continued and completed by his s ...
in the north to
Skindergade in the south where
Jorcks Passage connects it to the shopping street
Strøget.
Copenhagen Cathedral is located on the street which also passes the rear side of
Copenhagen University Library.
History
The area along the street was until the 17th century dominated by green areas, and the name more likely refers to the
violet flower (Danish: viol) rather than the fiddle (Danish: fiol). The section from
Nørre Voldgade to
Krystalgade was originally called Store Fiolstræde (Large Violet Alley) while the section from Krystalgade to Skindergade was called Lille Fiolstræde (Small Violet Alley).
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg (3 December 1684 – 28 January 1754) was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Denmark–Norway, Dano–Norwegian dual monarchy. He was infl ...
lived the last years of his life (died 1754) in a professorial residence at No. 8. The building was destroyed during the
British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807. A plaque on the wall at No. 8 commemorates the event.
The street was formerly known for its many
used bookstore
Used bookstores (usually called "second-hand bookshops" in Great Britain) buy and sell used books and out-of-print books. A range of titles is available in used bookstores, including in print and out-of-print books. Book collectors tend to freque ...
s.
[ Fiolstræde was pedestrianised in 1968 following the successful pedestrianisation of Strøget in the early 1960s.]
Notable buildings and residents
The most notable building in the street is the former Copenhagen University Library. It was completed in 1861 to a Historicist
Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...
design by Johan Daniel Herholdt
Johan Daniel Herholdt (13 August 1818 – 11 April 1902) was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th ...
.
No. 4–6 is the former Metropolitan School from 1811–15. It was designed by Christian Frederik Hansen who was also responsible for the rebuilding of Church of Our Lady on the other side of the street in the years after the British bombardment.
Hotel Sankt Petri is located in the former Daells Varehus department store. Built in 1935, it was one of the first buildings designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen and one of the earliest Modernist buildings in Copenhagen.
Stiftsprovstsboligen (No 8), located on the corner of Store Kanikkestræde, was built in 1841 as official residence for the provost (''Stiftsprovst'') at Church of Our Lady. The house and a section of wall shielding the courtyard from the street was listed in 1939.
No. 11 (1828), No. 12–14 (1839), No. 13 (1831), No. 15 (1834), No. 16 (1732), No. 17 (1851), No. 18 (1734), No. 19 (1836), No. 20 (1811), No. 21 (1836), No. 12 (1835), No. 24 (1857), No. 25–27 (13–15), No. 26 (1809), No. 28 (1814–51), No. 29 (1810), No. 30—32 (1809/1823), No. 34–36 (1812), No. 38 (1827) and No. 40–42 (1828) are also listed.
The Neo-Baroque building with a rounded corner on Nørre Voldgade was built for the School of Merchantry (Købmandsskolen) in 1902 to design by Valdemar and Bernhard Ingemann. It still houses one of the campuses of Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College.
Public art and memorials
Under a group of trees at the southern end of the street stands Jean Arp
Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (; ; 16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist.
Early life
Arp was born Hans Peter Wilhelm Ar ...
's abstract sculpture ''Cupulate Fruit''. It was installed at the site in 1979.
In front of Copenhagen University Library's gable towards Frue Plads stands a monument to the geophysicist Inge Lehmann. It was unveiled on 15 May 2017.
Today
Today pedestrian traffic is consistent throughout the year due to the presence of students during winter (about 11–12,000 people daily). However, it is a quiet street on weekends and evenings.
References
External links
Fiolstræde
on indenforvoldene.dk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiolstraede
Streets in Copenhagen
Pedestrian streets in Copenhagen