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Gentofte () is a district of
Gentofte Municipality Gentofte Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the Capital Region of Denmark (''Region Hovedstaden'') on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. It covers an area of , and has a total pop ...
in the northern suburbs of
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. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form the most important greenspace.


Geography

Gentofte is roughly bounded by Lyngbyvej to the west, the S-train line to Hillerød to the northeast, Bernstorffsvej to the east and Kildegårdsvej to the south. The southern border with Hellerup is, however, not clearly defined. Gentofte postal district has a somewhat different definition. Gentofte, as defined by Gentofte Municipality, covers circa 335 hectares or 13% of the municipality's total. On 1 January 2012 the district had 8,289 residents, equaling 11% of the total population of Gentofte Municipality. Gentofte Lake is a dominant geographical feature. The highest point is Ræveskovsbakken. The most urban part of the district is centred on the central part of Gentoftegade, Gentofte Torv and part of Baunegårdsvej. Secondary centre is located in the periphery of the district at Bernstorffsvej and Kildegårds Plads.


History


Early history

The area around Gentofte Lake has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The name Gentofte is first seen in a gift letter from
Absalon Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of De ...
to the Bishop of
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
from 1186. The gift comprises extensive parts of what is now Copenhagen, including "...mansionem de Gefnetofte cum omnibus pertenentiis suis" (Fentofte House with all its land). Gentofte is most likely considerably older since place names with the suffix -tofte have usually emerged during the 9th century. The area was confiscated by the crown during the Reformation. It was placed under Ibstrup Ladegård which was renamed
Jægersborg Jægersborg is a suburban neighbourhood in Gentofte Municipality, some 12 km north of central Copenhagen, Denmark. History The whole area was from at least 1401 a royal estate known as Ibstrup (the earliest sources refer to it as Jepsto ...
by
Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 – 25 August 1699) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the de ...
. Tax records show that Gentofte had approximately 450 residents in 1645. In 1685 the village consisted of 19 farms. One of them (probably Gentoftegård) had been given to Queen Charlotte Amalie as a wedding present. A " cavalry school", the first of its kind in Denmark, opened in 1720. The entire area was acquired by Foreign Minister Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff in 1752 and his new
Bernstorff Palace Bernstorff Palace () in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark, was built in the middle of the 18th century for Foreign Minister Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff. It remained in the possession of the Bernstorff, Bernstorff family until 1812. In 18 ...
was completed in 1765. Bernstorffsvej, a new road linking
Lyngby Kongevej Secondary route 201 (Danish language, Danish: Sekundærrute 201) is a numbered road in North Zealand to the north of Copenhagen, Denmark, consisting of Lyngby Omfartsvej, a bypass (road), motorway bypass avoiding Lyngby Hovedgade (Lyngby Main Stre ...
with the palace, opened in 1770. Bernstorff was a driving force behind the agricultural reforms of the 1780s and the farmers were there the first in Denmark to get to own their own land. Most of the farms were moved out of the village to be closer to their land. A parish council was established in 1842. The opening of the railway to Lyngby in 1863 resulted in increased population growth in Gentofte. In the 1870s, the population increased from 4,158 to 5,106 In 1887, Carl Ludvig Ibsen began to acquire land in the Gentoffte-Gellerup area. His plan was to sell it off in lots to developers and private citizens. He purchased Smakkegård, Rygård, Lundegård and Stengård in Gentofte. In 1916, Ibsen placed his remaining land in a company, A/S De Ibsenske Grunde i Gjentofte Sogn, which existed until 1945. A telephone central opened on 14 August 1899. Gentoftegade was connected to Kildegårdsvej in 1906 and a tramway began to operate on the route in 1907.


Landmarks

Gentofte Church dates from the 12th century and is the oldest church in Gentofte Municipality. Gentofte Town Hall is from 1938 and was designed by Thorvald Jørgensen. Gentofte Hospital opened in 1927. The Neoclassical complex was designed by Emil Jørgensen and Helge Bojsen-Møller. It is a hospital for residents in the municipalities of Gentofte, Lyngby-Taarbæk and Rudersdal. Gentofte is home to the public primary schools, Tjørnegårdsskolen and Gentofte Skole, and the special school Søgårdsskolen as well as the private primary school Vidarskole. It is also home to the upper secondary school Aurehøj Gymnasium and Gentofte HF.
Gentofte Sportspark Gentofte Sportspark (formerly Gentofte Stadion) is a multi-purpose stadium in Gentofte near Copenhagen, Denmark. The stadium holds 15,000 people. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Hellerup IK. Other spor ...
in the northern part of Gentofte is the principal hub for sports in the municipality. Gentofte is also home to the indoor swimming venue Kildeskovshallen, a tennis venue and an equestrian centre at Maltegårdsvej.


Parks and open spaces

Gentofte Park, Gentofte Lake with the adjacent Brobæk Mose and Kildeskoven are the principal green spaces in Gentofte. The district is also home to Gentofte Cemetery.


Transport

Gentofte station is located on the Hillerød radial of the
S-train The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
network.


Notable people


The arts

* Svend Johansen (1890–1970), painter, scenographer and illustrator * Gertie Wandel (1894–1988), textile artist and local politician *
Bjørn Puggaard-Müller Bjørn Puggaard-Müller (13 March 1922 – 13 May 1989) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1945 and 1988. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark and died in Denmark. Filmography *'' Panik i familien'' - 1945 *'' S ...
(1922–1989), actor * Helle Thorborg (born 1927), painter and graphic designer *
Toni Lander Toni Lander née Pihl Petersen (1931–1985) was a Danish ballerina who specialized in the ballets of August Bournonville. After becoming a solo dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet in 1950, she was a guest dancer with the Original Ballet Russe in ...
(1931–1985), ballerina *
Per Nørgård Per Nørgård (; 13 July 1932 – 28 May 2025) was a Danish composer and music theorist. Though his style varied considerably throughout his career, his music often included repeatedly evolving melodies, in the vein of Jean Sibelius, and a per ...
(1932–2025), composer * Jane Reumert (1942–2016), ceramist * Nina Sten-Knudsen (born 1957), painter *
Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician who is the drummer and a founding member of American heavy metal band Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, Ulrich has songwriting credits on almost all of the band's songs, and the ...
(born 1963), musician and songwriter, drummer of American heavy metal band
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
* Jacob Gils (born c. 1965), contemporary art photographer *
Agnes Obel Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel (born 28 October 1980) is a Danish singer, songwriter, and musician based in Berlin. Her debut album, ''Philharmonics (album), Philharmonics'' (2010), was released by PIAS Recordings, and was certified gold in June ...
(born 1980), singer-songwriter and musician *Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune(born 2003) tenis player, Number 10 ATP single ranking.


Academics, science, and business

* Børge Bak, (1912–1990), Danish scientist, lived and died here *
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
, (1723–1808), Scottish-Danish merchant and ship-owner, died here * Birgitte Cathrine Boye (1742–1824), hymnwriter *
Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects, Hon. FAIA (; 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to functionalism (architec ...
(1902–1971), architect and furniture designer, built extensively here *
Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (; 13 July 1913 – 16 April 2012) was a Danish shipping magnate. He was a longtime figure at A.P. Moller–Maersk Group, which was founded by his father. Personal life Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller was born in He ...
(1913–2012), shipping tycoon, Denmark's wealthiest person, lived here *
Peter Naur Peter Naur (25 October 1928 – 3 January 2016) was a Danish computer science pioneer and 2005 Turing Award winner. He is best remembered as a contributor, with John Backus, to the Backus–Naur form (BNF) notation used in describing the syntax ...
(1928–2016), computer scientist, lived here * Ida Blom (1931–2016), Norwegian historian and academic *
Eske Willerslev Eske Willerslev (born 5 June 1971) is a Danish evolutionary geneticist notable for his pioneering work in molecular anthropology, palaeontology, and ecology. He currently holds the Prince Philip Professorship in Ecology and Evolution at Univer ...
(born 1971), evolutionary geneticist *
Rane Willerslev Rane Willerslev is a Danish anthropologist. In his academic career, he has travelled extensively and has a particular interest in tribal cultures, both present and prehistoric. On 1 July 2017, he was appointed director of the National Museum of ...
(born 1971), anthropologist * Claire Maxwell (born 1975), German-Australian sociologist, lives here


Sport

* Erik Andersen (1904–1938), chess master * Knud Bastrup-Birk (1919–1973), footballer * Lars Dresler (1968–1995), figure skater * Anja Bolbjerg (born 1971), freestyle skier *
Sune Berg Hansen Sune Berg Hansen (born 21 April 1971) is a Danish chess grandmaster. He is a seven-time Danish Chess Champion. Chess career Hansen earned his international master title in 1993 and his grandmaster title in 1998. He has won the Danish Chess Ch ...
(born 1971), chess grandmaster *
Joachim Fischer Nielsen Joachim Fischer Nielsen (born 23 November 1978) is a Danish retired badminton player. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles with teammate Christinna Pedersen. He retired from the international tournament in th ...
(born 1978), badminton player & Olympic medallist * Christoffer Nygaard (born 1986), racing driver * Sofie Svava (born 2000), footballer *
Holger Rune Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune (; born 29 April 2003) is a Danish professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), making him the highest-ranked Da ...
(born 2003), tennis player


References


External links


Old images
{{Authority control Gentofte Municipality