Behind the City Hall of Copenhagen you can find another red-brick building that reusables to a fortress. This is the Central Fire Station in Copenhagen (Københavns Hovedbrandstation).
The building was built in 1889 in historicist style after the plans of the architect Fenger. Fenger was also appointed as the City Architect in Copenhagen in the second half of the 19th century. The historicist style makes the building to resemble to a medievel Italian castle. After 3 years of contraction the new fire station was inaugurated on the 30th April in 1892. Emblematic part of the building is the tower. Today the building hosts the alarm central for the Greater Copenhagen area; furthermore it is responsible for the emergency services in some central parts of the capital city.
The Marble Church (Marmorkirken or Frederiks Kirke) is easy to be spotted because of its outstanding green copper dome. It lies near the Amalienborg castle, which is the official residence of the Danish queen and her family. Nowadays the church is serving as a popular wedding site and touristic attraction, and belongs to the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Entrance fee: DKK 35 (Adults), DKK 20 (Students and youth under 18)
Marble?
Most of the church is constructed of Norwegian marble, however, the upper parts are built from different materials (For example Danish faxe marble). This is because the original plan turned out to be too expensive to carry out, hence they had to cut the amount of costly Norwegian marble.
Architecture
According to the original plans the Marble church was erected to honour the anniversary of the Danish royal family's (the Oldenburg dynasty) 300 years reign. Initially Nicolai Eigtved made the plans (see on the upper picture) in 1740 in rococo style. Nine years after King Frederik himself laid the foundation stone. When Eigtved died in 1754 the plans for the church were modified by Nicolas Henri Jardin, a French architect. The constructions was stopped because of budgetary reasons, and only finished in 1894.
The dome has a majestic 46 metres high. There are 12 pillars that carry the dome. The diameter of the dome is 31 metres, which makes this dome one of the largest domes in Europe, and the larges church in Denmark.
Interesting
The construction was stopped for years because of lack of funding. Finally, it was a rich financier C.F. Tietgen (founder of the Tuborg brewery) who donated money to complete the construction.
The church which is famous for being the venue where the Queen of Denmark had her wedding ceremony and for being the burial site for many famous Danish heroes.
Holmen was a little island close to the centre of Copenhagen in the medieval times. Later in the 16th century constructions works started and the island was turned into a peninsula surrounded by the Holmens Canal. In the 19th century this canal was filled up, and the new street preserved the name Holmens Kanal.
The Church of Holmen (Holmens Kirke) lies near the street called Holmens Kanal, in the centre of Copenhagen. It was built in the 16th century to forge anchors for vessels. However, later in the 17th century king Christian IV converted the building to a naval church belonging to the Danish lutheran denomination. The first church looked not much different from the forge in 1619. However, later on in 1641 the building was rebuilt in a cruciform church.
Interesting
Even though the great fire and the siege of Copenhagen by the English did not damage the church significantly, the Swedish assault in 1658 left a mark on the building: a cannonball is still visible in the plinth of the northern side of the choir.
Did you know that the Court House (Københavns Byret) used to be the town hall of Copenhagen for 300 years? If not, read this article and find out more interesting facts about this neoclassical building at Nytorv, Copenhagen.
A postcard from 1910 with the present Court House at Nytorv. Source: www.indenforvoldene.dk
King Christian IV modernised the city centre and Nytorv in the beginning of the 17th century. Then it was decided that the newly erected town hall of Copenhagen will also serve as the city court. The first town hall and court house was built in the Dutch renaissance style (like Rosenborg Castle). Unfortunately the great fire of Copenhagen destroyed the old building in 1795. Hence, it was decided to build a new building with the same joint functions (city hall and court).
The first Court House and Town Hall was burnt down in 1795. Source: www.copenhagenet.dk
The present Court House
After the fire the constructions started in 1805 and the building was only completed in 1815 because of material shortage and the siege of the city by the British in 1807 during the napoleonic wars. The new building was designed in neoclassical style with a beautiful tympanon and Ionian columns. The designer was the Danish professor and architect C. F. Hansen (he also planned the Church of our Saviour).
The tympanon
Above the Ionian columns you can see the neoclassical tymoanon with the inscription: "Med lov skal man land bygge" ( With law the country shall be built). This is a quotation from the Jutlandic law Valdemar the Victorious from 1241.
In 1905, when the new town hall was finished the city council moved from the Court House to the present Københavns Rådhus at Rådhuspladsen. Since then the Court House has one sole function, the City Court for Copenhagen. This is the largest of the 24 city courts in Denmark.
Movie venue
In the famous Scandinavian series Broen (The Brige) this court house is being used during the trial of a policeman who is accused of abusing a man to death.
The Round Tower (Rundetårn), the centre of Denmark
If
you’re planning a visit to Copenhagen, be sure to include the Round Tower on
your itinerary. In fact, put it on the top of your list! This structure is
something you can’t miss, and here is why.
Round Tower
Tourism
On
your trip to Denmark, be visit the Round Tower. The view from the top of the
tower will give you a good idea of the streets below, so you can get an
overview of the entire city. The tower has been drawing tourists for centuries.
In 1716, Tsar Peter the Great of Russia traveled hundreds of miles on horseback
to visit the observatory.
History of the
Tower
Like many buildings in
Copenhagen, the round tower is quite antiquated. It was built between 1637 and
1642 by Denmark’s King Christian IV. The building was originally a church,
observatory, and library. Copenhagen was once well known for its advancements
in astronomy, and the tower was used as for observing the heavens. It was also
used to measure air temperature and pressure, so one might say that it was the
first weather station in Denmark! Today, scientists no longer use the
observatory, although amateur still love to watch the stars there.
Architecture
The Round Tower was
inspired by Tycho Brahe, one the fathers of astronomy. He envisioned the tower
as a university observatory. Sadly, he died in 1601, 40 years before the tower
was completed. The tower was designed by Hans van Steenwinckel, who strove to
create something both beautiful and functional. His idea was to streamline the
tower by creating the complex in a focused and restrained style. The tower is
not nearly as tall as today’s skyscrapers, but it was massive for its time,
standing at 24,8 meters. It is built in a cylindrical fashion, with a spiraling
walkway around the tower’s empty core. Outside, the tower contains red and
yellow bricks that were imported from the Netherlands.
The Core of the Tower
In the center of the tower
is the famous core. This empty space is important both geographically and
economically. Many tourists come to the tower to stand on the sturdy glass
floor, which is suspended 25 meters above the ground below. Visitors can stand
on the glass and peer between their feet to see the center of the tower far
below. When Denmark was triangulated in the 1760s, this core was used as point
zero.
Now that you know the
basic history of the tower, be sure to visit during your trip to Denmark and
learn even more! There is so much fascinating history and information that
centers on this structure. Don’t miss it!
If you decide to visit the
Round Tower, here are some things you should know. The tower’s address is Købmagergade
52A. If you need help finding it, you can call +45 33 73 03 73. Their website
is www.rundetaarn.dk/en/, and their
email is post@rundetaarn.dk. The
entrance fee to visit the tower is DKK 25 for adults and DKK 5 for children
under 15.
