Copenhagen Municipality (), also known in English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the

Capital Region of Denmark The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...

, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other three being

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 ...

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

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 S ...

. The Municipality of Copenhagen constitutes the historic city center and the majority of its landmarks. It is the most populous in the country with a population of 667,099 inhabitants (), and covers in area,. Copenhagen Municipality is located at the

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

and

Amager Amager ( ), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the ...

islands and totally surrounds Frederiksberg Municipality on all sides. The

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

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

lies to the east. The city of Copenhagen has grown far beyond the municipal boundaries from 1901, when Frederiksberg Municipality was made an

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

within Copenhagen Municipality. Frederiksberg has the largest population density of the municipalities of Denmark. The municipal

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...

is the Copenhagen City Hall (), the headquarters of the

Copenhagen City Council The Copenhagen City Council (Danish: ) is the municipal government of Copenhagen, Denmark, and has its seat at Copenhagen City Hall. The city council is Copenhagen's highest political authority and sets the framework for the committees' tasks. ...

. The acting Lord Mayor of Copenhagen is

Lars Weiss Lars Henrik Weiss (born 20 May 1971 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish politician, who served as acting Lord Mayor of Copenhagen from 19 October 2020 to 31 December 2021, and again from 29 August 2024 with the intention to just serve until the 2025 Da ...

, since August 29, 2024. The relationship between Copenhagen Municipality and the wider city of Copenhagen is one of an administrative unit within a significantly larger city, cf. the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

or the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the French Community of Belgium, the ...

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Copenhagen was defined as the area enclosed within the city walls. The city center lies in the area originally defined by the old ramparts, which are still referred to as the Fortification Ring () and kept as a partial green band around it. In 1856 the ramparts were pulled down allowing for growth and expansion. In 1901 the city expanded to include

and Valby, while

became an enclave within the municipality. The Finger Plan in the second half of the 20th century led to expansion outside the municipal boundary along the commuter lines of the S-train and the

Lokaltog Lokaltog A/S () is a Denmark, Danish railway company responsible for train operation and related passenger services on nine local railways on the islands of Zealand, Lolland and Falster in Denmark. The company was formed on 1 July 2015 as a merger ...

rail lines going to i.e.

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsin ...

( The Coast Line () northbound) and Stevns Municipality ( East Line (from

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a Danish seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...

southbound) along the

. The Copenhagen-Ringsted Line makes Køge one of the railway hubs of Eastern Denmark. Road and rail construction is planned to relieve traffic congestion because the narrow

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

between Roskilde Fjord and Køge Bugt (Køge Bay) forms a

bottleneck Bottleneck may refer to: * the narrowed portion (neck) of a bottle Science and technology * Bottleneck (engineering), where the performance of an entire system is limited by a single component * Bottleneck (network), in a communication network * ...

. Copenhagen Municipality was one of the three last Danish municipalities not belonging to a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

, the others being Frederiksberg Municipality and (from 2003)

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

. On 1 January 2007, the municipality lost its county privileges and became part of the

Geography

Copenhagen Municipality is a political division covering the central city (

Indre By Indre By (English language, English: ), also known as Copenhagen Center or K or Downtown Copenhagen, is an districts of Copenhagen, administrative district (''bydel'') in central Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. It covers an area of , has a p ...

) and certain additional areas. It encloses Frederiksberg Municipality and stretches east to the waterfront. Neighboring municipalities are Gentofte, Gladsaxe and

Herlev Herlev is a suburb about 11 km northwest of Copenhagen city centre, bordering Rødovre to the south, Ballerup to the west and Gladsaxe Municipality, Gladsaxe to the north. It is the site of the municipal council of Herlev Municipality, Denma ...

to the north,

Rødovre Rødovre () is a town in eastern Denmark, seat of the Rødovre Municipality, in the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Hovedstaden. The town's population 1 January 2019 was 39,907, and in addition 145 persons had no fixed address, which made up a ...

and Hvidovre to the west, and

to the south. The City Hall Square () is the old city center, from which an old shopping street leads northeast to

Kongens Nytorv Kongens Nytorv (literal translation, lit. "The King's New Square") is a town square, public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the Pedestrian zone, pedestrian street Strøget. The largest square of the city, it was l ...

, which was laid out in the seventeenth century. Christiansborg Palace, which houses the

Danish parliament The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

, is located on the islet of

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English language, English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Indre By, Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Absal ...

. File:Cityscape and skyline by the Copenhagen Lakes, Denmark - (36018109956).jpg,

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 ...

File:Christiansborg fra Nikolaj Kirken.jpg,

File:Amalienborg and Marble Church view.jpg, Amalienborg and

Frederik's Church Frederik's Church (), popularly known as The Marble Church () for its rococo architecture, is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Copenhagen, Denmark. The church forms the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district; it is located due west of A ...

Districts

The municipality is divided into ten administrative, statistical and tax districts (): Districts of Copenhagen urban area

Official districts: #

# Østerbro #

# Vesterbro/Kongens Enghave # Valby #

Vanløse Vanløse is one of the 10 official Districts of Copenhagen, districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It lies on the western border of the municipality. Vanløse covers an area of 6.69 km2, and has a population of 36,115, making Vanlø ...

# Brønshøj-Husum # Bispebjerg # Amager Øst #

Amager Vest Amager Vest (English:West Amager) is one of the ten administrative districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It located on in the north-western part of the island of Amager, the largest island in the Øresund. The district is bordered b ...

Other areas: *

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was in ...

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 area ...

* Holmen * Christiania (Freetown) * Carlsberg * Sluseholmen * Amagerbro *

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 (Copenhagen), M1 line of the Copenhagen Metro. Economically, income for the plan w ...

* Nordhavnen * Bellahøj * Brønshøj * Ryparken * Vigerslev The suffix -bro in the names Østerbro, Nørrebro, Vesterbro and Amagerbro should not be confused with the Danish word for bridge, which is also ''bro''. The term is thought to be an abbreviation or short form of the Danish word ''brolagt'' meaning "paved", referring to the roads paved with cobblestones leading to the city's former gates.

Demography

Historic population. The two figures for 1 February 1901 are before and after the municipality annexed some nearby parishes. The apparent decline since the 1960s are due to the figures not including the suburban and urban areas – notably Frederiksberg – outside Copenhagen municipality. With the exception of 2005, which saw a decrease of more than 1,000 people, the population of the municipality has been increasing since 1992 after having decreased by 303,539 inhabitants (39.517%) from 1950 to 1992. Copenhagen County rose from 313,601 (7 November 1950) to 618,529 in 2006, adding 304,928 inhabitants. Roskilde County rose from 76,781 to 241,523 inhabitants (2006), and Frederiksborg County from 147,695 to 378,686 inhabitants (2006). Frederiksberg Municipality went from 118,993 inhabitants to around 85,000 in 1988, and 104,664 in 2023. Counties were abolished from 1 January 2007. Note. The two population numbers given for 1901 are the municipality's population before annexation and following annexation of neighboring municipalities, which in the process made Frederiksberg municipality an enclave within the municipality of Copenhagen.

Politics and government

Copenhagen Municipality is distinct from the wider Copenhagen urban area. The seat of Copenhagen's municipal council is the Copenhagen City Hall ('). The council is chaired by the Lord Mayor who oversees the civic duties of the fifty-five representatives of the council. The council usually meets every other week at 17:30 on a Thursday. They discuss a range of issues including business growth, economics, international cooperation and IT, urban planning, housing and construction, and young, old, and disabled peoples' issues, and healthcare, among others, with a central focus on making the city sustainable and meeting environmental and health targets. All members of the council are elected every four years. In the municipal elections in November 2013 ( see below), the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

remained in first place with 27.8% of the vote (down by 2.2% from 2009), while the Red-Green Alliance was in second place with 19.5%. In the 2021 elections, the Red-Green Alliance secured a higher vote total than the Social Democrats. This was the first time that a party other than the Social Democrats topped the ballot. The Social Democrats have claimed the office of mayor for the past 110 years. The municipal government is divided into seven administrative departments: Employment and Integration, Culture and Leisure, Health and Care, Finance, Child and Youth, Social Services, and Technical and Environmental Administration. It has six political committees and a finance committee. The annual budget for the city is proposed in August and finalized in October and the annual report is published in May of every year. The accounting firm

Deloitte Deloitte is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along wi ...

is responsible for auditing the City of Copenhagen's accounts.

Lord mayors since 1938

All lord mayors of Copenhagen have belonged to the

Social Democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

party. *1938–1946: Viggo Christensen *1946–1956: Hans Peter Sørensen *1956–1962: Sigvard Munk *1962–1976: Urban Hansen *1976–1989: Egon Weidekamp *1989–2004: Jens Kramer Mikkelsen *2004–2005: Lars Engberg *2006–2009: Ritt Bjerregaard *2010–2020: Frank Jensen *2020–2021:

(acting) *2022-2024: Sophie Hæstorp Andersen *2024–: Lars Weiss (acting)

Municipal council

Copenhagen's municipal council consists of 55 members, elected every four years. Copenhagen's municipal council is by far the largest in Denmark, being the only municipal council with more than 31 seats. Below are the municipal councils elected since 1909.

Environmental Policy

In 2009 the Copenhagen

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

decided that Copenhagen will become the world's first

carbon-neutral Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and Greenhouse gas removal, removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon diox ...

capital by 2025. In 2012 the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

announced that Copenhagen would be the 2014 European Green Capital.

References

External links

Official website

CPH International Service - Citizen service for expats and students in Copenhagen

Eniro map with named municipalities

Krak searchable/printable map
{{Authority control

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Municipalities in the Capital Region of Denmark Municipalities of Denmark