Vesterbros Torv 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 ...

located at the corner of

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 ...

and Gasværksvej in the heart of the Vesterbro 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 ...

. It is dominated by Elijah's Church.

History and architecture

The square was established in 1850. Its triangular shape of the space was determined by a series of

rope walk A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarl ...

s which used to be located at the site. The two buildings which flank Elijah's Church date from the establishment of the square. The church was completed as an infill in 1907. It is designed by

Martin Nyrop Martin Nyrop (11 November 1849 18 May 1921) was a Danish architect. Early life and education Nyrop was born on 11 November 1849 at Holmsland Municipality, Holmsland, Ringkøbing, the son of parish priest Christopher Nyrop (1805–1879) and Helen ...

. On the opposite side of the square, the two buildings which flank the passageway which passes through The New Theatre, one of them with a characteristic tower, was built as part of the large theatre complex. The theatre was inaugurated in 1908 and is built to a design which mixes Art Nouveaux with other styles.

Features

Hercules Fountain

The Hercules Fountain dates from 1915 and was a gift from the society ''Hovedstadens forskønnelse''. It was designed by the sculptor

Rasmus Harboe Rasmus Harboe (25 October 1868 in Skælskør – 4 June 1952 in Frederiksberg) was a Danish sculptor. He was a frequent collaborator with several of the leading Danish architects of his time, including Martin Nyrop. Early life and educatiobn Harb ...

who had previously created the reliefs on the facade of Elijah's Church.

Memorial plaque

A plaque on No. 55A commemorates the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

resistance fighter Erik Koch Michelsen. He was shot at the site on 3 March 1945.

Underground lavatories

In 1901 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 ...

fitted the square with underground lavatories. Similar facilities were constructed at the City Hall Square,

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 ...

and

Nyhavn Nyhavn (; New Haven) is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the Inner Harbour just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early ...

References

External links

{{coord, 55.6721, 12.5552, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Squares in Copenhagen Streets in Vesterbro/Kongens Enghave