Kvæsthusgade is a short street in the Nyhavn Quarter of 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 runs from the mouth of the

Nyhavn Nyhavn (; New Haven) is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the Inner Harbour just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early ...

canal in the south to

Ofelia Plads Ofelia Plads is a public space situated on the Kvæsthus Pier next to the Royal Danish Playhouse on the harbourfront in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is owned by the Ministry of Culture and Jeudan and is used as an open-air venue by the Royal Danish The ...

in the north. The rear side of the

Royal Danish Playhouse The Royal Danish Playhouse () is a theatre building for the Royal Danish Theatre in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is situated on the waterfront of the Inner Harbour in the Frederiksstaden neighbourhood. It was created as a purpose-built venue ...

dominates the east side of the street. The

Zinn House The Zinn House (), located at Kvæsthusgade 3, is a historic townhouse around the corner from the Nyhavn Canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It takes its name from the Johann Ludvig Zinn, Zinn family, a wealthy family of merchants who owned it ...

at No. 3 and the neighbouring building at No. 5 are both listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places.

History

The street takes its name after the Kvæsthus, a military hospital, which relocated to the site in 1680. It is known that a hospital for boatsmen was founded in 1618 and it was then most likely situated at the

Church of Holmen The Holmen Church () is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the weddi ...

. It was moved to

Gothersgade Gothersgade (; see #The name, below) is a major street in the Indre By, City Centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Kongens Nytorv to The Lakes, Copenhagen, Sortedam Lake, passing Rosenborg Castle and Rosenborg Castle Gardens, Gardens, Nø ...

in 1628 and again in 1658 to Sejlhuset at

Bremerholm Gammelholm () is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in the city centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is bounded by the Nyhavn canal, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal, Niels Juels Gade and the waterfront along Havnegade. For centuries, the area ...

. In 1668, the hospital moved to Børnehuset in

Christianshavn Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...

and in 1675 to Guldhuset in

Rigensgade Rigensgade () is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It links Sølvgade in the west with Øster Voldgade in the east. An underpass for pedestrians link the beginning of the street with Rosenborg Castle Gardens on the other side of Sølvgade. ...

. The name Kvæsthus was introduced with the inauguration of the new building for the institution at the corner of present-day Kvæsthusgade and

Sankt Annæ Plads Sankt Annæ Plads (English language, English: St. Ann's Square) is a Town square, public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and Frederiksstaden neighborhoods of central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which e ...

in 1685. It was designed by Hans van Steenwinckel the Youngest. The institution was later split into a ''Søkvæsthus'' for the Navy which remained in the old building and a ''Landkvæsthus'' for the Army, which took over '' Københavns Ladegård'', a former farm under

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle () was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bishop Absalon (c. 112 ...

. The naval hospital relocated to the so-called

Søkvæsthuset Søkvæsthuset is a former Naval hospice located on Christianshavn Canal in the Christianshavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The listed building housed the Royal Danish Naval Museum indtil 2016. The collection has been moved to and is exhibit ...

building on

in 1777. The building in Kvæsthusgade was then for a while used as a warehouse for textiles that arrived to Copenhagen by ship. In 1827, the building came into use as military barracks. In 1872, it was acquired by

DFDS DFDS is a Danish international shipping and logistics company. The company's name is an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (literally ''The United Steamship Company''). DFDS was founded in 1866, when Carl Frederik Tietgen, C.F. Tiet ...

. An area on the east side of the street was reclaimed and the Kvæsthusbroen Pier was built to increase the quayside area and the number of ships that could dock at the site.

Notable buildings

No. 1 was built in 1884–1886 with cellar og three storeys for J. P. von Osten. It was later used as headquarters for

Em. Z. Svitzers Bjergningsenterprise (), usually known simply as Maersk ( ), is a Danish shipping and logistics company founded in 1904 by Arnold Peter Møller and his father Peter Mærsk Møller. Maersk's business activities include port operation, supply chain management, war ...

. The

(No. 3) is from 1751 and was owned by members of the wealthy Zinn family for more than 150 years. No. 5 is from 1736 and was built for royal cellar master Ph. Jacob Zalathe and later heightened by two storeys in 1845. Danish Documentary Production is based in the building. No. 3 and No. 5 are both listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places. The former Kvæsthus Building (No. 7-11) is now home to the

Danish Nurses' Organization The Danish Nurses' Organization ( abbrev. DNO; in Danish ''Dansk Sygeplejeråd'', abbrev. ''DSR'') is a trade union in Denmark. It represents 95% of all nurses with a membership of 75,000. The DNO is affiliated with the FTF – Confederation of ...

. The building was adapted for DFDS in 1872.

References

External links

Kvæsthusgade
at indenforvoldene.dk
Image
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvæsthusgade Streets in Copenhagen Odonyms referring to a building

History

Notable buildings

See also

References

External links