Enghave Plads is a central public square of the
Vesterbro district in
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 is located where
Istedgade reaches
Enghavevej, which separates the square from
Enghave Park.
History
Enghave Plads was established when the Vesterbro area was built over in the late 1880s. A playground was established on the site in the late 1880s at the initiative of architect and city council member
Ferdinand Meldahl
Ferdinand Meldahl (16 March 1827 – 3 February 1908) was a Danish architect best known for the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle after the fire in 1859. Meldahl was one of the leading proponents of historicism in Denmark.
Biography
He was t ...
. Enghave Plads School opened on the square in 1892.
Christ Church, completed in 1900, was the second church to be built in the rapidly growing Vesterbro neighbourhood. For many years the square played host to an annual fun fair.
From its opening in 1902 Enghave Plads was the southern terminus of Line 3 of the Copenhagen Tramways, which operated between Melchiors Plads in
Østerbro
Østerbro () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is located just north of the city centre, outside the old city gate Østerport which, after it was moved around 1700, used to be located close to present-day ...
and the square by way of
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 ...
and
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 ...
. The tram line was extended to
Frederiksholm in 1915 and again from Frederiksholm to
Mozarts Plads in 1937.
The area on the other side of Enghavevej remained open land. The
Royal Danish Horticultural Society established 478
allotments at the site. They were moved and the small public
Enghave Park was laid out under the direction of City Architect
Poul Holsøe, who also designed the red-brick social housing which was built at the same time and borders the park on three sides.
The square was renovated and pedestrianized in 1995. The 114-year-old chestnut tree, which for decades had dominated the square, was removed in October 2011 to make way for the operating of
Enghave Plads Station, a station on the
City Circle Line.
Notable buildings and residents
After a merger with Mathæusgade School in 2008, Enghave Plads School is now part of Tove Ditlevsen's School. Both buildings were designed by city architect
Ludvig Fenger
Ludvig Peter Fenger (7 July 1833 – 9 March 1905) was a Danish architect. He was a proponent of the Historicist style, and from 1886 to 1904 he held the title of City Architect in Copenhagen.
Among his works are several churches, the Centr ...
.
Christ Church was designed by
Valdemar Koch in an Italian style. He also designed the two residential buildings that flank it on both sides. The buildings on the north (Istedgade) side of the square are from 1898 and were designed by Christian Mandrup-Poulsen.
Jens Christian Kofoed also contributed to the buildings around the square.
A cluster of low buildings that were formerly used by the tram workers have been converted into a kindergarten.
Public art
''Boy with fiasco'', a fountain designed by Jens Lund, was installed in the centre of the square in 1903.
Gallery
File:Enghave Plads (Copenhagen) 01.jpg
Image:Enghave Plads (Copenhagen) 02.jpg, The skylights of the metro station,
References
External links
SourceSource
{{coord, 55.6671, 12.5452, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title
Squares in Copenhagen
Streets in Vesterbro/Kongens Enghave