Custom House

The clock tower of the custom house
Source: www.aok.dk

Custom house, ferry terminal or restaurant? What is this green-roofed building with the clock tower in the harbour?

Facts

Built: 1937

Address: Havnegade 44

Background

Constructed in 1937, the Custom House (Gammelholm Toldkammer) is an outstanding architectural endeavor located in the Copenhagen harbour. Lying amidst the center of the harbor, the Slotsholm Canal, the Holmen Canal and Nyhavn, it offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding area. The oval building has also often been called the ‘pencil case’ due to its oval shape.

History

Built in a functionalist style after the plans of the Danish architect and royal building inspector, Kristoffer Nyrop, its original purpose (as the name suggests) was to act as a clearance for customs on goods to and from Sweden. Later on, the Scandilines took over the building and used it as a ferry terminal up until 2002. Today, the building is called 'The Standard' by the locals and houses a jazz club, two bars, and three restaurants.

Today

Formerly called the ‘Custom House’, it now goes by the name of ‘The Standard’ as a tribute to the Art Deco building designed by Kristoffer Nyrop. Today, visitors can enjoy both Nordic and Indian food while listening to some of the best local, regional and international jazz artists. The Almanak and Studio both serve primarily traditional Nordic food with the former offering its famous Danish open-faced sandwiches and the latter serving food prepared in an open kitchen. The Studio has also been named ‘Denmark’s third best restaurant’ by the White Guide Nordic 2015. The third restaurant in question, Verandah, mostly serves a wide variety of contemporary Indian food using some local and regional ingredients. The jazz club can seat up to 68 people and pays tribute to Copenhagen’s position in jazz history by staying true to its Danish/Nordic musical roots while playing music constructed specifically for ‘The Standard’    

The facade from the harbour
Source: www.wikimedia.org

Copenhagen Zoo Tower

The Tower of the Copenhagen Zoo (or Zootårnet in Danish) is a notable wooden tower situated in the Municipality of Frederiksberg, Greater Copenhagen Area. It is a highlight in Copenhagen as it firmly stands out from its surroundings.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonassmith/13639684284/

Facts:

• Height: 43,5 m
• Built: 1904-1905
• Address: Roskildevej 32 (situated within the limits of the Zoo)
• Telephone (Zoo): +45 72 200 200
• Website: uk.zoo.dk
• Entrance fee (Zoo): DKK 160 (Adults), DKK 95 (Children 3-11)

Height

From the top of the tower in clear weather it is possible to see all the way to the Øresund Bridge. This is because the nearly 50 meters tall Tower is standing on the top of the Frederiksberg Hill, just next to the Frederiksberg Palace, and all in all it is 70 meters over the level of the neighbouring Frederiksberg Park. 

Architecture

The architect of the constructions was the Danish Theodor Adreas Hirth, who built the tower entirely out of wood. The shape of it resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Central Fire Station

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 fire department
Source: steinwart.dk

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.