Kødbyen (; also known as the Meat District or Meatpacking District, after the New York
Meatpacking District
The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District alo ...
) is a district of
Vesterbro 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 is situated between the railway lines going into
Copenhagen Central Station
Copenhagen Central Station (, ; abbreviated ''København H'', colloquially usually referred to as ''Hovedbanegården'' or simply ''Hovedbanen'') is the Central station, main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station ...
and Sønder Boulevard. The district consists of three separate areas, referred to as the White, Grey and Brown Kødby for the dominant colour of their buildings.
The brown part (''Den brune Kødby'') is the oldest area, closest to the Central Station, and dating from 1883. It has since c. 2000 been changed into a new
creative cluster with galleries, art cafés, nightlife and small creative businesses like studios and architecture firms in the historical buildings. It is also home to
DGI-byen, a sports, swimming and conference complex, and the exhibition hall
Øksnehallen, originally a stabling place for 1,600 cattle before slaughtering.
The newer white area (''Den hvide Kødby'') is a 400 × 600 m enclave of white modernistic structures, built in 1934 to the design of city architect Poul Holsøe. The area is listed for conservation and is still serving its original purpose of housing businesses relating to the
meat industry
The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry is ...
, such as the Inco
cash and carry
Cash and carry (or inspect and pay) is a type of operation within the wholesale sector.
Overview
The main features of cash and carry are summarized best by the following definitions:
*Cash and carry is a form of trade in which goods are sold ...
wholesale warehouse for the catering business and the
Copenhagen Hospitality College. A municipal master plan aims at creating a mixed-use area, encouraging cultural, design, and gastronomy businesses to settle there, while retaining the meat industry.
The smaller grey district has been revitalized to a lesser extent than the aforementioned white and brown areas, still having a low-scale meat industry. Nonetheless, it still contains restaurants, residences, and offices and has importance in Danish industrial history.
History
First stages
In 1671 a cattle market was established at the private initiative of Court Butcher Niels Olufsen at the border of
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...
and
Vesterbro. Called Trommesalen (English: "The Drum Hall") because it was opened to the sound of a drum in the morning, it remained the main cattle market of the area for more than two centuries.
In 1878, due to shortage of space and fear of
cholera epidemics, the City decided to construct a new cattle market. A municipal committee suggested a location at
Kalvebod Beach, which at the time was situated where the square
Halmtorvet (English: Haymarket) is today. The site was located on the grounds of a large estate which the city had acquired from the
Royal Copenhagen Shooting Society in 1870. The new cattle market was constructed partly on an area previously occupied by
shooting range
A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue, or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by milita ...
s, partly on new land
reclaimed
Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ...
along Kalvebod Beach.
The new market opened on 28 November 1879, planned and designed by architect
Hans Jørgen Holm
Hans Jørgen Holm (9 May 1835 – 22 July 1916) was a Danish architect. A pupil of Johan Daniel Herholdt, he became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and a leading Danish proponent of the National Romantic style.
Biograp ...
. The market, stretching from Halmtorvet to the gasworks harbour, was bissected by a broad internal road lined with cattle
stable
A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed.
Styles
There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
s, sheep
pen
PEN may refer to:
* (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI)
* PEN International, a worldwide association of writers
** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International
** PEN America, located ...
s and dealers offices on both sides. In 1883, three
slaughterhouse
In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a mea ...
s for cattle were constructed and later a slaughterhouse for pigs and two slaughterhouses for cattle, calves and lambs were added. The market area also housed cooling houses and various
rendering businesses like
tallow
Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton suet, primarily made up of triglycerides.
In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton suet. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, inc ...
melting houses and blood dryers producing
blood meal
Blood meal is a dry, inert powder made from blood, used as a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer and a high protein animal feed. By weight, it is generally 12% nitrogen with trace amounts (≤1%) of phosphorus and potassium. It is one of the hig ...
.
As a result of the improved conditions at the new cattle market, all slaughterings at the numerous private open air
stockyards around the city were prohibited starting 1 January 1888, and all slaughterings had to take place in the public slaughterhouses. Mandatory meat control was also introduced, requiring all fresh meat coming into the city to be inspected and stamped.
In 1901, the cattle market was extended with construction of
Øksnehallen, a 5,200 m
2 market hall. It housed dealers' offices and had a capacity for 1600 head of cattle. The extension also included new
pens
PEN may refer to:
* (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI)
*PEN International, a worldwide association of writers
**English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International
**PEN America, located in ...
for cattle and sheep and was built by city architect L. P. Fenger.
With the construction of Øksnehallen, the city's attention became directed at the morning trade in fresh pork meat, at that time taking place at
Gammeltorv 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 ...
, and it was decided also to construct a market hall for trade in pork. With no vacant space at the cattle market area, the new market hall was placed on reclaimed land where the
Falck Headquarters is today. On April 15, 1910, the a new complex was inaugurated. Besides a 6,500 m
2 market hall, it included a cooling house, laboratories and administration. From that date forward all trade in pork at Gammeltorv was prohibited, although the so-called Chicken Ladies were still allowed to sell poultry by the
Caritas Well
The Caritas Well (), also known as the Caritas Fountain (Danish: Caritasspringvandet), is the oldest fountain in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in 1608 by Christian IV and is located on Gammeltorv, now part of the Strøget pedestrian zone.
I ...
. In 1925 the market hall was extended with a new hall for trade in poultry and two new cooling houses, and two years later, in 1927, the poultry vendors were banned from Gammeltorv.
The modern meat market
The many extensions and changes in applied technologies had at that time left the market area in a chaotic and unsatisfactory state. When the neighbouring gasworks closed it was therefore decided to use the vacant land, an area of 15.5 hectares, for a rational rearrangement of the market activities, including market halls, slaughterhouses and related industries in a common scheme.
Planning of the new meatpacking district started in 1928 under the direction of city architect Poul Helsøe, according to his design. In October 1932, the new Slaughterhouse and various other buildings were inaugurated, and on April 15, 1934, the new Pork Market Hall and Poultry Market Hall were ready. The development also included a total of 46,000 m
2 of rental buildings for businesses in the meat sector.
The Meat District today
Though the Meat District has remained a locus for companies and activities relating to the meat and food industry, these original functions take up much less space, and since the early 2000s, the area has been changing into a new creative cluster with galleries, restaurants, nightlife and small creative businesses such as studios and architecture firms.
Popular venues
*
Øksnehallen: A 5,200 m
2 exhibition venue, located in the former cattle market hall of the Brown Kødby. It hosts a variety of cultural and commercial exhibitions, shows and events.
*Pate Pate: The first restaurant to open in the meatpacking district. As well as being a wine bar, they also serve a fusion of Mediterranean sharing dishes.
*
Galleri Bo Bjarregård: a leading
commercial art gallery.
*
V1 Gallery
V1 Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in the Meatpacking District of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 2002 by designer Jesper Elg and photographer Peter Funch. V1 Gallery gained international notability by being the first art g ...
: Another high-profile commercial art gallery.
*
Karriere Bar An arts bar and restaurant featuring a large number of
site-specific art
Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork. Site-specific art is produced both by commercial artists, and independently, and can ...
works and hosting various parties and cultural events, also used to be a popular club but it got closed in 2014
*
Warehouse 9, performance space and art venue
Kifak venue for
LBGQT ethnic minority group Sabaah
* Kødboderne 18, a night club in a somewhat raw style.
* Jolene: A popular bar, relocated from
Nørrebro
Nørrebro (, ) is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (''Nørreport''), which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current N ...
where it had to close after neighbour complains due to noise.
* Vestauranten: A restaurant located in the Brown Kødby, operated by the neighbouring
DGI-byen.
Kødbyens Fiskebar Opened in 2008 by a forme
Nomasommelier, Anders Selmer and partners. Known for its hip atmosphere, attracting and serving celebrities like
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993, and had his breakthrough role in Denmark with the film ''Nightwatch (1994 film), Night ...
(Danish popular actor). Reputable for its fresh oysters and creative and seasonal fish dishes (from sustainable fishing). Also, a great place to try natural wines, as is the trend in Denmark since Noma was born.
* Warpigs: Brewpub opened in early 2015
* Bakken: Opened in 2010, has a nice backyard, raw and trendy place Started to serve food in 2015
* Mesteren & Lærlingen: Small bar sometimes having live music, packed outdoor during summer, generally place to start by the crowd
* Mother: Organic Pizza place, serves brunch also
* Tommi"s Burger: Icelandic burger place
* Noho: Cocktail bar
Cultural references
Kødbyen (Flæsketorvet 41) is used as location at 0:35:09 in the 1978 ''
Olsen-banden
The ''Olsen Gang'' (, ) is a Denmark, Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's leader is the criminal genius and habitual o ...
'' film ''
The Olsen Gang Sees Red
''The Olsen Gang Sees Red'' () is a 1976 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald and Poul Bundgaard. The film was the eighth in the ''Olsen Gang''-series, and was selected as the Danish entry for ...
''.
External links
The official homepage
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kodbyen
Art gallery districts
Copenhagen city districts
Entertainment districts in Denmark
Industrial buildings in Copenhagen
Vesterbro, Copenhagen