Vester Voldgade (
lit. "West Rampart Street") is a street 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 ...
which runs from
Jarmers Plads to the waterfront between
Frederiksholms Kanal and
Langebro, passing the
City Hall Square on the way.
Together with
Nørre Voldgade and
Øster Voldgade it forms a traffic artery which arches around 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 ...
side of central Copenhagen all the way to
Kastellet (at
Oslo Plads on the coast north of the city centre. The three streets follow the course of Copenhagen's long gone
Bastioned Fortification Ring and thus marks the transition between the Old Town and the new neighbourhoods that developed after the fortifications were removed in the second half of the 19th century.
History
Vester Voldgade was originally a narrow alley which ran along the inner margin of Copenhagen's
West Rampart, part of the
Bastioned Fortification Ring which enclosed Copenhagen.
The
city's haymarket was located at the site of the current City Hall Square until the
New Haymarket was inaugurated on 1 January 1888. The section from the haymarket to the harbour was originally known as Filosofgangen (English: Philosopher's Path). That section of the ramparts was one of the last to be decommissioned, surviving until 1885.
Lange Bridge was located at the far end of the street until 1903 when it was moved to the end of
Vestre Boulevard (now H. C. Andersens Boulevard).
Notable buildings and residents
No. 11 was built for
Niels Gade
Niels Wilhelm Gade (22 February 1817 – 21 December 1890) was a Danish composer, conductor, violinist, organist and teacher. Together with Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann, he was the leading Danish musician of his day, in the period known as ...
's
Music Academy in 1887 in the
Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...
style by Christian L Thuren. It now houses the
Russian Center of Science and Culture. No. 19 and 21 are both from the late 1790s and are listed. Hotel Kong Frederik at No. 23-25 first opened in 1900. The building was designed by Phillip Smidth who also designed Politikens Hus on the corner with Vestergade in 1904–07. The newspaper
Politiken
''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...
has been based in the building since 1912. Vester Voldgade Voldgade 33 is a Functionalist extension from 1934.
The low yellow building at No. 119 is a former hay storage from about 1799, part of the
Royal Horse Guards Barracks. The building was originally considerably longer but was shortened when
Thorvald Jørgensen's Post Giro Building (No. 133) was built in 1938. The 45-bay, half-timbered building on the other side of the Post Giro Building, part of ''
Fæstningens Materialgård'', a former military storage facility, is from 1748.
Vester Voldgade School (89) was completed in 1890 to a design by
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 ...
. It has housed ''Den Classenske Legatskole'' since 1938. The low building on the corner of Stormgade (Stormgade 18) was the first home of ''Overformynderiet'' which later moved to a new building on
Holmens Kanal. The building was designed by
Hans Jørgen Holm
Hans Jørgen Holm (9 May 1835 – 22 July 1916) was a Danish architect. A pupil of Johan Daniel Herholdt, he became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and a leading Danish proponent of the National Romantic style.
Biograp ...
and is from 1884.
Image:Vester Voldgade (Copenhagen).jpg, The renovated street
Image:Vester Voldgade (februar 2014).JPG, The Hay Storage
Image:Hestegardekasernen - Vester Voldgade gate.JPG, The Classen School
Image:Vester Voldgade - Hotel Danmarkcruise.jpg, Hotel København
Image:Vester Voldgade - Copenhagen Central Fire Station.jpg, Copenhagen Central Fire Station
Copenhagen Central Fire Station (Danish language, Danish: Københavns Hovedbrandstation) is the headquarters of Copenhagen Fire Department and located on H.C. Andersens Boulevard just behind Copenhagen City Hall and opposite Tivoli Gardens. It was ...
Regnbuepladsen
The small space in front of Vartorv and Palace Hotel, adjoining the City Hall Square, was renovated to a design by Hall McKnight in 2013. The refurbished square received a
Civic Trust Award
The Civic Trust Awards scheme is a British awards scheme to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. It was established in 1959, and is the longest-standing built environment awards scheme in Europe. The ...
and a
RIBA EU Award in 2014. On 1 July 2014, the space was renamed Regnbuepladsen (English: Rainbow Square) in reference to the
rainbow flag
A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum.
History
In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...
.
Transport
The main staircase of the
RÃ¥dhuspladsen Copenhagen Metro station faces the square.
References
External links
Planof the new promenade and square
{{coord, 55, 40, 30, N, 12, 34, 19, E, region:DK_type:landmark_source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title
Streets in Copenhagen