Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width ...

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 , establish ...

's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including

Kalvebod Fælled Kalvebod Fælled ("Kalvebod Commons"), also known as Vestamager ("Western Amager"), takes up roughly one fourth of the island of Amager near Copenhagen, Denmark. The area consists of reclaimed sea bed, with a number of former islets making up s ...

) makes up more than one-third of the island's total area of 96 km². The Danish capital,

Copenhagen Municipality Copenhagen Municipality ( da, Københavns Kommune), also known in English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the Capital Region of Denmark, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other ...

, is partly situated on Amager, covering the northern part of the island, which is connected to the much larger island of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

by eight bridges and a metro tunnel. Amager also has a connection across the Øresund to Sweden, the

Øresund Bridge The Öresund or Øresund Bridge ( da, Øresundsbroen ; sv, Öresundsbron ; hybrid name: ) is a combined railway and motorway bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the longest in Europe with both roadway and rai ...

. Its western part begins with a tunnel from Amager to another Danish island,

Peberholm Peberholm ( , sv, Pepparholm, links=no ()), is a small artificial island in the Danish part of the Øresund strait, created as part of the Øresund Bridge connecting Denmark with Sweden. Peberholm lies approximately 1 km south of the small ...

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordi ...

is located on the island, around from Copenhagen city centre. Amager is the largest island in the Øresund, and the only one with a large population. , 212,661 people lived on the island, including its northern tip,

Christianshavn Christianshavn (literally, "ingChristian's Harbour") 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 t ...

. The northern part is included in the Copenhagen municipality. The middle part comprises

Tårnby Tårnby () is a town in Denmark, the seat of Tårnby Municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark. It is located approximately south of central Copenhagen on the island of Amager. Neighbouring settlements include the Copenhagen suburb of Sundb ...

municipality, and

Dragør Dragør () is the main town of Dragør Municipality, (Denmark), which includes the village of Store Magleby. The city hall and seat of the municipal council lies on Kirkevej 7 (postal code 2791 Dragør) in Store Magleby, which has enough space ...

municipality is located on the southeast part of the island. Most of the western part is land that was claimed from the sea from the 1930s-1950s. This enlargement, from the shallow sound towards

, is known as ''Kalveboderne''. The enlargement has never been built-up and its soil is unsuitable for agricultural use. However, the area between Dragør town and the airport is cultivated land of high quality. Amager has in the past been referred to as the "kitchen of Copenhagen". At the border of the enlargement there is an old

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

forest, ''Kongelunden'' (The King's Grove).

History

Amager has long been populated, and well used, thanks to its rich soil and proximity to Copenhagen. In 1521, Christian II invited some

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

farmers to move to Amager and grow vegetables to supply the Danish Court and Copenhagen. These farmers enjoyed certain privileges such as their own government and institutions, such as their own schools and priests. Due to this and a ban on mixed marriages, they maintained their own language, Amager Dutch, which remained spoken until 1858. This dialect's spelling and vocabulary was influenced by Danish, and it had heavier phonological and grammatical influence from

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle ...

, due to the importance of Low German in trade in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

and the influence of Low German-speaking

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

clergy. It was only in the late 19th century that Copenhagen began to expand onto the island (Sundbyerne), and in 1902 these built-up areas were incorporated into Copenhagen. During the Second World War, high unemployment in Copenhagen led authorities to drain a large part of the sea, west of the island, and build a dam to hold out the water, effectively adding one half of Amager's previous area to the island. The claimed area is currently known as

, and was originally a military area, but today it is part of a major construction area called the

Ørestad Ørestad () is a developing city area in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Amager. The area was developed using the new town concept, closely linked with the M1 line of the Copenhagen Metro. Economically, income for the plan would be gener ...

, being thought of as an extension to

central Copenhagen Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. The area houses major facilities such as: *

Bella Center Bella Center (abbreviated BC) is Scandinavia's second largest exhibition and conference center (after Messecenter Herning), and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in Ørestad between the city centre and Copenhagen Airport, it offers an ...

, a convention and exposition center *

Field's Field's is a shopping centre in Ørestad, Copenhagen, close to the E20 motorway and Ørestad Station on the Copenhagen Metro. At 115,000 m2, it is the second-largest mall in Denmark after Waves, and one of the largest in Scandinavia. It is ow ...

, the second-largest

shopping center A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

Royal Arena The Royal Arena is a multi-use indoor arena in the Ørestad South area of Copenhagen, Denmark. The ground was broken for construction on 26 June 2013 and the arena opened in February 2017. It has a capacity of 13,000 for sporting events and up t ...

, a multi-use indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

This project was initiated by the Danish government. The beach area to the east of the island, known as

Amager Strandpark Amager Strandpark (Amager Beach Park) is a seaside public park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on the island of Amager and includes an artificial island and offers a total of of beaches. From the beach, the Middelgrunden wind farm can b ...

(Amager Beach Park), which had fallen into disrepair since its inception in the 1930s, was extensively redeveloped between May 2004 and August 2005. A 2-km-long artificial island was constructed just off the mainland, from which it is separated by a small lagoon. Until the 1970s, Amager was used as a place to dump latrine waste; this led to a slang term for the island 'Lorteøen' (Shit Island). See

Renholdningsselskabet af 1898 Renholdningsselskabet af 1898 (Danish for "The 1898 Cleansing Company"), commonly known as R98, is a Danish company owned by Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities. It serves the people there by collecting waste (including garden waste, haza ...

Amenities

Large parts of Kalvebod Fælled are rich in nature and have many grazing cows and horses. This area allows the citizens of Copenhagen to experience nature, without travelling far from the city. Amager is also home to the Amager Bio, a cinema, concert and cultural venue. Top bands from the last 40 years have played there, both those of international origin (

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

Alien Ant Farm Alien Ant Farm is an American rock band that formed in Riverside, California in 1996. They have released five studio albums and sold over 5 million units worldwide. The band's cover of Michael Jackson's " Smooth Criminal" topped the ''Billboard ...

, P.O.D,

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

, Uriah Heep,

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Jethro Tull,

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The g ...

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists o ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

Andrew Bird Andrew Wegman Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing music ...

) and from Denmark ( D.A.D, Dodo and the Dodos,

Johnny Deluxe Johnny Deluxe is a Danish music band. Formed in London by the lead singer Noam Halby, bassist Jakob S. Glæsner and guitarist Søren Itenov in 2000, the group was later joined by Morten Lynggaard in 2002. The band took part in ''KarriereK ...

Big Fat Snake Big Fat Snake is a Danish pop/rock music group that was founded in 1990. Peter Viskinde and Anders Blichfeldt first met in 1988 for the recording of a demo tape for the band "The Werners" that later changed name to "Verners Verdensorkester" ...

Amager Common Amager Common (Danish: ''Amager Fælled'') is a 223 hectare nature reserve on Amager Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a ...

( Danish: ''Amager Fælled'') is a 223 hectare

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

in north-west Amager. The former military area is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna; including forests, fields, and Highland cattle. The King's Grove (Danish: ''Kongelunden)'' is a large oak forest located on the southern side of Amager. It's popular for cycling, bird watching, and horseback riding. The National Aquarium Denmark is situated in the east of Amager and is Northern Europe's largest aquarium.

Communities

Various communities are located on Amager, including

Islands Brygge Islands Brygge (English: Iceland's Quay) is a harbourfront area in central Copenhagen, Denmark, located on the north-western coast of Amager. The neighbourhood is noted for its waterfront park Havneparken, which is one of the most popular ar ...

, and the towns of

Kastrup Kastrup () is a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, on the east coast of Amager in Tårnby Municipality. It is the site of Copenhagen Airport. In Danish, the airport is often called ''Kastrup Lufthavn'' (Kastrup Airport) or ''Københavns Lufthavn, Kas ...

, and

Transport

Amager is connected by tunnel to the artificial island

from which

connects Denmark to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. The construction of the bridge has had a significant impact on the physical geography of the island, largely due to the construction of new highways. The

Copenhagen Metro The Copenhagen Metro ( da, Københavns Metro, ) is a 24/7 rapid transit system in Copenhagen, Denmark, serving the municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, and Tårnby. The original system opened in October 2002, serving nine stations ...

connects Amager to central Copenhagen. The metro line from Vanløse to Amager divides into M1 and M2 lines at Christianshavn and then continue to Vestamager and Lufthavnen (Copenhagen Airport).

is in the eastern part of Amager. It is linked by train, metro and bus services.

Expressions with 'Amager'

* Amar! – an

incantation An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

for

innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relatio ...

, a mild

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to g ...

(honest Injun! cross my heart!) * Amagergarn –

mercerised cotton Mercerisation is a textile finishing treatment for cellulose fabric and yarn, mainly cotton and flax, which improves dye uptake and tear strength, reduces fabric shrinkage, and imparts a silk-like luster. Development The process was devise ...

embroidery thread, pearl yarn, perle cotton, coton perlé (in German: :de:Perlgarn) * Amagerbroderi (Amager

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

) is colourful flat sewing known from Amager * Amagersyning (Amager stitching) is Dutch-inspired embroidery techniques * Amagerhylde – Amager shelf, an A-shaped triangular shelf for trinkets * Amagermad – Amager sandwich, consisting of one slice of brown and one of white bread with butter between them, and evt. cold cuts

Notable people

Christiane Koren Christiane Koren (27 July 1764 – 28 January 1815) was a Danish-Norwegian writer. She wrote both poems and Play (theatre), plays, but today she is primarily known for her Diary, diaries, which are regarded to be important historical documents of c ...

(1764–1815) a Danish-Norwegian writer *

Klaus Rifbjerg Klaus Rifbjerg (15 December 1931 – 4 April 2015) was a Danish writer. He authored more than 170 novels, books and essays. In 1965 he co-produced the film ''4x4'' which was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. Biography Rif ...

(1931–2015) a Danish writer * Ole Rasmussen (born 1952) a Danish former football player *

Frank Arnesen Frank Arnesen (born 30 September 1956) is a former Danish footballer and sporting director at Dutch football club Feyenoord. Arnesen was the Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and was Sporting Director ...

(born 1956) a former Danish footballer *

Morten Stig Christensen Morten Stig Christensen (born 27 December 1958 in Hjørring) is a Danish television presenter and former handball player. In 1976 he was a squad member of the Danish team which finished eighth in the Olympic tournament. He was a reserve player ...

(born 1958) a former Danish handball player *

Brian Holm Brian Holm Sørensen (born 2 October 1962) is a retired Danish professional rider in road bicycle racing from 1986 to 1998, who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 1997 and was part of the team that brought his fellow Dane Bjarne Riis to victory ...

(born 1962) a retired Danish professional rider in road bicycle racing *

Peter Frödin Peter Frödin (born 7 January 1964) is a Danish actor, comedian and singer.Who is ... Peter Frö ...

(born 1964) a Danish actor, comedian and singer IMDb Database
retrieved 28 January 2019 *

Linse Kessler Lenina "Linse" Coleman (born Lenina Christiansen) better known as Linse Kessler (born 31 March 1966) is a Danish television personality, actress and businessperson, businesswoman. She is known for her ownership of "Scandinavia's largest silicone b ...

(born 1966) a Danish television personality, actress and businesswoman *

Jacob Moe Rasmussen Jacob Moe Rasmussen (born 19 January 1975 in Amager) is a Danish former cyclist. Major results ;1999 :1st Stage 2 Vuelta a la Argentina :3rd National Road Race Championships ;2000 :3rd Overall Guldensporentweedaagse ;2004 :1st Stage 3 Ringerike ...

(born 1975) a Danish former cyclist *

Mikkel Kessler Mikkel Kessler (born 1 March 1979) is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the WBA title three times between 2004 and 2013, and the WBC title twic ...

(born 1979) a Danish former professional boxer *

Christine Milton Christine Milton (born 18 July 1985) is a Danish pop music, pop singer, songwriter and professional dancer. She was one of the participants in Denmark's version of the ''Popstars'' franchise, having competed in season 2. Despite not winning, she w ...

(born 1985) a Danish pop singer, songwriter and professional dancer * Martin Bernburg (born 1985) a Danish professional footballer * Joey Moe (born 1985) a Danish-Hawaiian hip hop pop singer and producer *

Nicklas Bendtner Nicklas Bendtner (; born 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. His preferred position was centre-forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack, and occasionally on the left. A large ...

(born 1988) a Danish professional footballer *

Christopher Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or " Anointed", and φέρε� ...

(born 1992) also known as ''Christopher Nissen'', is a Danish singer * Cisilia (born 1998) also known as ''Cisilia Ismailova'', is a Danish singer

References

External links

Amager Beach Park

Amager BioPaintings from Amager
{{Authority control Geography of Copenhagen Islands of Denmark