Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
. It connects
Amagertorv
Amagertorv ( English: Amager Square), today part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, is often described as the most central square in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is also one of the oldest, taking its name from the Am ...
on
Strøget
Strøget () is a pedestrian, car free shopping area in Copenhagen, Denmark. This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe at 1.1 km. Located at the centre of the old city o ...
to
Nørreport station, although the last section, north of
Kultorvet
Kultorvet (literally "The Coal Market") is a public square in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with Købmagergade and the southern part of Frederiksborggade, it forms a pedestrian zone between Nørreport station and Amagertorv on St ...
, is part of
Frederiksborggade, which continues on the other side of the railway station.
History
The history of the street dates back to about 1200 when it was part of the main route between
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
and the small settlement
Havn, which was a hub for crossings to
Amager and
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...
. Between 1380 and 1463, documents refer to the street as Bjørnebrogade. It later became known as Kiødmangergade after the butchers who had their stalls along the street. Kjødmanger ("meatmonger") is an old Danish word for butcher. The meat market later moved to
Skindergade
Skindergade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Running roughly parallel to Strøget, to which it is connected through Jorcks Passage, it extends for approximately 400 metres from Gammeltorv to Købmagergade.
History
Its name dates back ...
but the name stuck with to the street, although it later changed to Kjøbmagergade and then Købmagergade. The form Kjødmagergade is first known from 1595 although the old form Kjødmagergade is still seen in documents from 1656.
The North Gate was moved to the northern end of the street in 1671.
The
Royal Porcelain Manufactury was founded in the street in 1775. The company left the street after being taken over by
Aluminia
Aluminia was a Danish factory of faience or earthenware pottery, established in Copenhagen in 1863. (1838-1922) was the founding owner of the Aluminia factory in Christianshavn
Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") is a ne ...
, joining the new owners at their site in
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...
(now
Porcelænshaven
Porcelænshaven in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark, is the former premises of the Royal Porcelain Manufactury, an industrial complex dating from the 1880s which was converted into a mixed-use neighbourhood in the 2000s. Located ...
) in 1884.
Købmagergade was pedestrianised in 1973 following the successful pedestrianisation of Strøget in the early 1960s.
Notable buildings and residents
Buildings in the street include the
Round Tower
A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...
,
Regensen
Regensen (original Latin name: '' Collegium Domus Regiæ'', English: ''The College of the Royal House'') is a residential college for students at the University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark (DTU). It is situated in the heart ...
and the
Møinichen Mansion
Møinichen Mansion (Danish: Møinichen s Palæ) is a town mansion Købmagergade in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It later served as headquarters of Royal Danish Mail from 1779 until 1912 and was known as the Royal Mail House (Danish: Den Kongelig ...
, now Købmagergade Post Office with the Post & Tele Museum.
No. 42 is the former
Varehuset Messen department store which opened in 1895. The building was designed by
Emil Blichfeldt and is topped by a
Hermes
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
statue by
Julius Schultz
Julius Schultz (25 September 1888 – 8 July 1966) was an Australian cricketer. He played in four first-class matches for South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. ...
. It is now used by Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College whose main building is on Kultorvet.
Public art, monuments and memorials
Next to the Round Tower stands a monument to the two 18th-century poets
Peter Herman Wessel and
Johannes Ewald
Johannes Ewald (18 November 174317 March 1781) was a Danish national dramatist, psalm writer and poet. The lyrics of a song from one of his plays are used for one of the Danish national anthems, ''Kong Christian stod ved højen mast'' which ...
. The monument was designed by
Otto Evens and installed in 1879. It features reliefs in bronze of the two poets.
Shopping
The Illum Department Store is located on the corner of Købmagergade and Strøget. The Arnold Busch chain of book stores has a two-storey flagship store at the Round Tower. International brands and chains with flagship stores in the street include
Esprit,
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle store, lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hick ...
,
Vans
Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the co ...
and
Diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...
.
Cultural references
The opening scene of
Herman Bang
Herman Joachim Bang (20 April 1857 – 29 January 1912) was a Danish journalist and author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough.
Biography
Bang was born in Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son of a South Jutlandic vica ...
's impressionist 1887 novel ''Stucco'' is set on Købmagergade just before the shops close.
Image gallery
Image:Købmagergade 22 - Købmagerhus.jpg, No 22. 22. Købmagerhus from 1898
Image:Messen - 42 Købmagergade.jpg, No. 42: Varehuset Messen
Image:Regensen (Copenhagen).jpg, Regensen
Regensen (original Latin name: '' Collegium Domus Regiæ'', English: ''The College of the Royal House'') is a residential college for students at the University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark (DTU). It is situated in the heart ...
See also
*
H. H. Thiele
*
Vilhelm Prior
Vilhelm Prior (10 April 1835 - 20 May 1910) was a Denmark, Danish book dealer and publisher. He was awarded the title book dealer to the Greek court in 1876 and to the Danish court in 1906. His book shop was from 1875 based at Købmagergade 52 i ...
*
Cornelius Knudsen
Cornelius Knudsen was a manufacturer of scientific instruments based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company gained an international reputation and its instruments were used on a number of polar expeditions.
History
The company was founded on 10 Marc ...
References
External links
SourceSource1840 censusSources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobmagergade
Pedestrian streets in Copenhagen
Shopping streets in Copenhagen
Streets in Copenhagen