Sankt Thomas Plads is a round plaza located on
Frederiksberg Allé
Frederiksberg Allé is a tree-lined avenue which runs through the southernmost part of the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Vesterbrogade at Værnedamsvej to Frederiksberg Runddel in front of the main entrance to Frede ...
, near its eastern end (where it meets
Vesterbrogade
Vesterbrogade () is the main shopping street of the Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The 1.5 km long street runs from the City Hall Square, Copenhagen, City Hall Square in the east to Pile Allé in Frederiksbe ...
) in the
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 ...
district 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 ...
.
History
Sankt Thomas Plads traces its history back to the years between 1700 and 1704 when Frederiksberg Allé was established as the king’s private drive leading to the gardens at
Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace () is a Baroque architecture, Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands a view over Frederiksberg Gardens, originally designed as a palace garden in the Baroque style. ...
, the new royal summer retreat outside Copenhagen. For many years the small plaza had no official name, but became known colloquially as the Small Circle (Danish: Den Lille Runddel), as opposed to
Frederiksberg Runddel
Frederiksberg Runddel (literal translation, lit. English language, English:Frederiksberg Circus) is a space in front of the main entrance to Frederiksberg Park, Frederiksberg Gardens, at the end of Frederiksberg Allé, in the Frederiksberg distric ...
, the Grand Circle, at the other end of the avenue.
Albert Heinrich Riise
Albert Heinrich Riise (11 September 1810 – 18 October 1882), often referred to as A. H. Riise, was a Danish pharmacist, merchant and manufacturer of rum on Saint Thomas in the Danish West Indies. A brand of rum is still named A.H. Riise after ...
, the first pharmacist on Saint Thomas in the
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island.
The islands of St ...
, bought a country house at the site in around 1868, renaming it
Sankt Thomas after the island where he had lived for the past thirty years. When the villa was sold after Riise's death in 1882, it was transformed into an entertainment venue by the same name. This gave rise to the name Sankt Thomas Plads. The country house was demolished in 1903 but its name was transferred to the residential building built in its place in 1905. The name was officially adopted on 2 June 2003.
Sankt Thomas has had its round shape since its establishment in the beginning of the 18th century. Its current design dates mostly from a refurbishment which took place in 1932 in connection with the 75-year anniversary of
Frederiksberg Municipality
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. Part of the Capital Region of Denmark and the city of Copenhagen, it is surrounded by Copenhagen Municipality. The municipality, ...
.
Memorial fountains
Two memorial fountains were installed on the plaza in connection with the refurbishment in 1922. They were designed by the architect A.S.K. Lauritzen and bear various inscriptions which commemorate the history of Frederiksbeerg and are each topped by a bronze figure designed by the Hungarian-born sculptor Jenö Meister. One of them depicts a Dutch woman, representing the Dutch farmers who were relocated to the area from
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 ...
by King
Frederick II in the middle of the 17th century. The other depicts a
falconer to commemorate
Falkonergården, the royal falconry farm which was in use until 1810 and is also heralded in the three falcons seen in Frederiksberg's coat of arms.
Transport
The nearest
metro station
A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...
is
Frederiksberg Allé
Frederiksberg Allé is a tree-lined avenue which runs through the southernmost part of the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects Vesterbrogade at Værnedamsvej to Frederiksberg Runddel in front of the main entrance to Frede ...
, on the corner with Platanvej.
See also
*
Sankt Jakobs Plads
References
External links
Riise source
{{coord, 55.6733, 12.5469, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title
Squares in Copenhagen
Frederiksberg Municipality
Odonyms referring to religion