Kultorvet (literally "The Coal Market") is a

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

in the Old Town 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 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 ...

. Together with

Købmagergade Købmagergade is a pedestrian shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Amagertorv on Strøget to Nørreport station, although the last section, north of Kultorvet, is part of Frederiksborggade, which continues on the ot ...

and the southern part of

Frederiksborggade Frederiksborggade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Kultorvet square in the southeast to Søtorvet where Queen Louise's Bridge connects it to Nørrebrogade in Nørrebro on the other side of The Lakes. The street is effec ...

, it forms a pedestrian zone between

Nørreport station The fortifications of Copenhagen underwent a comprehensive modernization and expansion in the 17th century. The project was commenced and was largely the masterplan of Christian IV in the early 17th century but was continued and completed by his s ...

and

Amagertorv Amagertorv () is a public square in the district of Indre By in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Today it forms part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, and is often described as the most central square in Copenhagen. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is ...

Strøget Strøget () is a pedestrian, car-free shopping area in Copenhagen, Denmark. This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe at 1.1 km. Located at the centre of the old city ...

. The square is lined with cafés and shops and is a popular venue for outdoor concerts in the summer time. Copenhagen Central Library was from the 1950s based on the square but has now relocated to a building in

Krystalgade Krystalgade (literally "Crystal Street") is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, connecting Nørregade to Købmagergade. Copenhagen Central Library and the Great Synagogue of Copenhagen are located in the street. History The street is men ...

. Its old building has now been taken over by

Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College, usually referred to simply as Niels Brock, is a school of secondary education and post-secondary education in Copenhagen, Denmark. The school offers programmes within business and management including Voca ...

History

18th century

Kultorvet was created after the

Copenhagen Fire of 1728 The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of 20 October 1728 and continued to burn until the morning of the 23rd of October 1728. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city (me ...

which destroyed a large part of the city. It was initially known as ''Ny Nørre Torv oven for Rundetårn'' ("New North Market above the Round Tower"). The current, more easy-on-the-tongue name gradually took over, referring to the market trade which dominated the site. Prior to the fire, trade in charcoal, fire wood and peat had taken place just inside the Northern City Gate, a practical location since it was controlled by

colliers Collier or colliers may refer to: Coal industry * Collier, coal miner or coal merchant * Colliery, coal mining and selling; or a coal mine *Collier (ship), a bulk cargo ship which carried coal *Charcoal maker, in colonial United States and also i ...

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

gatherers and farmers from the forest-clad

North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand (), refers to the northeastern part of the Danish island of Zealand. The Danish tourist authorities have recently introduced the term Danish Riviera to cover the area in view of its increasing importance for to ...

. The original market square was considerably smaller but its area has gradually been increased in connection with demolitions and construction of new buildings.

19th century

. T. M. Werner, a hardware and kitchenware wholesaler, opened at No. 4 on 1 June 1955. In 1950 at was still based at the site. One of the most well-known stores on the square was

Francis Zachariae Francis James Zachariae (29 March 1852 – 6 September 1936) was a Danish businessman, local historic publisher and philanthropist. He is today mainly remembered for publishing ''Før og Nu'' (I-IX and Supplements I-II) with topographical-histor ...

's clothing store. It opened on 16 October 1874 and was still based there in 1950. Københavns Sporveje's Line 12 trams passed the square from 7 December 1895 on their way between

Søtorvet Søtorvet () is an elegant late 19th century residential development facing The Lakes, Copenhagen, The Lakes in Copenhagen, Denmark. It flanks the end of Frederiksborggade, where it turns into the Dronning Louises Bro, Queen Louise Bridge, at the i ...

and

. Kultorvet was pedestrianised and cleared of parking places in 1973 following the successful pedestrianisation of

in the early 1960s.

20th and 21st century

The buildings on both sides of Købmagergade were replaced by modern buildings in the 1900s. A new building for Copenhagen Central Library was built on the east side of the square in 1957. The square was refurbished between 2011 and 2013 together with the rest of the pedestrian zone and Hauser Plads on the other side of the Library House. The new square was designed by Polyform.

The square

The 2013 renovation installed a large, circular water feature which doubles as a band stand for special events. One of Copenhagen's old

telephone kiosk A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; typically the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...

s is found on the square. It was installed and operated by A/S Kjøbenhavns Telefonkiosker. On the square is

Hanne Varming Hanne Varming née Larsen (13 May 1939 – 30 October 2022) was a Danish sculptor and medallist. Her works include statues of celebrities such as Victor Borge but generally depict ordinary people or even her own children. Her portraits of Queen Mar ...

's bronze statue ''The Elder Mother'' (''Hyldemor''), presenting an elderly couple seated on a bench in quiet contemplation. The statue takes its name after

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

's tale of the same name from 1851 but was also inspired by a memory of the artist's own great grand parents.

Architecture

Built in the 1730, No. 14 on the corner with Sankt Gertruds Stræde is the only building of the square that survives from the rebuilding of the square in the years after the Fire of 1728. No. 5, 7, 9–11 and 15 (designed by

Christian Frederik Hansen Christian Frederik Hansen (29 February 1756 – 10 July 1845), known as C. F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art ('' ...

) all date from the 1810s. No. 17 is the former Kultorvet Pharmacy. The Historicist building is from 1895 and was designed by

Valdemar Ingemann Valdemar Ingemann (21 February 1840 – 10 October 1911) was a prolific Danish architect active during the late 19th and early 20th century. His works include the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactury (now Porcelænshaven) in Frederiksberg, ...

. It was originally topped by a tall spire but it was dismantled after a few years The building on the corner of Købmagergade, also in the Historiccist style, is from 1908. The former Copenhagen Central Library (No. 2) is now home to one of several campuses of the

Transport

The nearest railway station is Nørreport station. It is served both by

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 ...

and the Copenhagen Metro M1 and M2 lines.

References

External links

Kultorvet
on indenforvoldene.dk
Renovation
on Polyform's website {{coord, 55.6825, 12.5741, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Squares in Copenhagen Pedestrian streets in Copenhagen