[joamox]

Rosenborg castle was initially built in 1606-15 as a two-storey house and royal retreat. It was further extended in the period up to 1624 and completed to its current appearance circa 1634. The architecture has been attributed to Hans van Steenwinckel the younger or Bertel Lange.

Amagertorv 6 is one of the few remaining renaissance houses in Copenhagen, having survived both the great fire of 1728 and 1795. The house was constructed for the later mayor Mathias Hansen in red brick with sandstone ornaments. It was restored in 1898 for the insurance company Hafnia, which resulted in the insertion of large windows on the ground floor. The houses to either side are from the 18th century, with significant 19th century redesigns to the two facades on the far left.

The stock exchange was built in 1619-25 by Lorenz Steenwinckel and Hans Steenwinckel the Younger. The tower was designed by Ludvig Heidritter and replaced with a copy in 1775-77. The spire was originally in lead while the current is clad in copper.

The church of Holmen was originally an anchor forge designed by Peter de Dunker in a style that reflected the prominent location rather than its use. The building was converted to a naval church in 1617-20. It was expanded and rebuilt in 1641-43 by Leonhard Blasius with new transept wings and increased height to the level of the previous tower. A gate taken from the cathedral in Roskilde was added in 1872.

The headquarters of the Danish National Archives was completed in 1673 by the architects Albert Mathisen and Thomas Rasmussen Walgensteen. It housed the royal library until 1906, the collection was opened to the public for the first time in 1793.

Charlottenborg was the first town mansion on Kongens Nytorv and was built in 1672-83 for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve. The architect was probably Ewert Janssen to a design inspired by a proposal for the Amsterdam city hall, while the rear wing was designed by Lambert van Haven and added later. The name Charlottenborg was adopted after 1700 when the mansion was sold to the Queen Mother, Charlotte Amalie.

The church of Our Saviour was built in 1682-95 as a replacement for the temporary structure inaugurated in 1639. It was to serve as the main church of Christianshavn, a town founded by Christian IV and initially independent from Copenhagen. The architect was Lambert van Haven. The famous spire was only added in 1749-52 and was designed by Lauritz de Thurah.

Moltke's mansion was built in 1700-02 for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve and was originally known as Gyldenløve's little mansion, in reference to his previous larger residence in Kongens Nytorv which he had sold in 1700. The architect was Ernst Brandenburger. It was one of the first buildings in what would become Frederiksstaden and replaced a house built in the 1680's. The sandstone decorations were added in 1716-23 by Johan Cornelius Krieger. An extension was made along Dronningens Tværgade in 1878-80, including a heavily decorated baroque portal, by architect Theodor Zeltner. The mansion had by then passed to the Moltke family in 1842.

Magstræde has some of the oldest private houses in Copenhagen, having survived the fire of 1795. Most of the buildings are from the 1730s, as the city recovered after the fire of 1728. However, numbers 17 and 19 (first one on the right) survived both fires and are believed to be from the 1640's.

The building erected for the Asiatic Company, a successor to the Danish East India Company, in 1738 was designed by architect Philip de Lange. A second building was added in 1781 with an identical facade to the original in Strandgate. However, the facade on the waterfront is plain and only shares the mansard roof in common with the older building.

The Prince's Mansion was mainly completed in 1743-44 by Nicolai Eigtved as part of a rebuilding of a previous house from 1684. A redesign of the original house had already taken place in 1725 by the architect Johan Cornelius Krieger when it was first adopted as the residence of the Crown Prince. An extension was completed by Lauritz de Thurah in 1757. Further extensions were carried out in 1929-38 by architects Mogens Clemmensen and Arne Nystrøm, including the 38 granite columns fronting Stormgade, and in 1989-92. The mansion has housed the national museum since 1892.

The Marble bridge and pavilions were designed by Nicolai Eigtved and completed in 1744, as part of the first Christiansborg project. The overall design for the palace was by Elias David Hausser and mostly built in 1731-45. However, Hausser retired in 1742 and it was left to Eigtved to complete the works. The total cost of construction is said to have been about half of the state's annual income. Yet, the palace only lasted until 1794 when it was destroyed in a fire. The only remaining parts of the palace are the pavilions and riding ground complex. The north wing of the complex was built before Eigtved took over in 1642, while the remainder is his work. The first Christiansborg palace replaced a previous medieval-renaissance structure known as Copenhagen Castle. The current Christiansborg (1907-18) is clad in granite in contrast to the sandstone used for the riding ground complex and pavilions.

Along the canal in Christianshavn (Overgaden Oven Vandet 16-26): Both blue houses have origins from the 17th century, while the rest were mostly built between 1730-50, except the taller yellow house completed around 1802.

Gammelstrand 48 was built in 1750-51 to a design by Philip de Lange. A third storey was added after the fire in 1795 and the top gable was added in 1930. The entrance portal in sandstone was executed by Andreas Gercken the younger in 1750.

 

[joamox]

Bernstorff's mansion was built in 1752-56 to a design by Johan Gottfried Rosenberg, who also designed the twin building across the street, known as the Dehn mansion. Some alterations were made to the house in 1892 by the architect Jørgen Hansen Koch.

Stanley's mansion was built in Christianshavn in 1755-56 for the sculptor and professor Simon Carl Stanley. Originally, only the central section had two floors but the side-wings were added to in 1783. Stanley was presumably himself the architect.

The Odd Fellows mansion was built in 1751-57 for Christian August von Berckentin by the architect Johan Gottfried Rosenberg. Two new pavilions fronting Bredgade were built in 1880's and a concert hall was added to the back of the building, but the latter was destroyed by fire in 1992. Odd Fellows bought the mansion in 1901.

Christian's Church was built in in 1754-59 as a church for the German community in Christianshavn, an area founded specifically for merchants and which had attracted many German traders and craftsmen. The architect was Nicolai Eigtved, who died shortly after he submitted his designs, and the building was financed by lottery. It was originally called Frederik's German church but it was decided in 1901 to change the name to avoid confusion with Frederik's church in Frederiksstaden, after the German congregation was dissolved in 1886.

Amalienborg Palace was built as four separate mansions in 1750-60. The mansions were designed by Nicolai Eigtved, and completed by Lauritz de Thurah after Eigtved's death in 1754. The plots were originally given to aristocrats for free on the condition that they followed the overall design and built within a certain period of time. The royal family bought the mansions after the destruction of Christiansborg Palace in 1794. A colonnade was built between two of the mansions in 1794-95 by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff.

The Thott mansion was originally built in 1683-86 as the residence of the naval officer, Niels Juel, to a design by Lambert von Haven. It was the second house to be built on Kongens Nytorv. However, the current look stems from a redesign by the architect Nicolas-Henri Jardin in 1763-64. The mansion now houses the French embassy. The building on the left was completed in 1896 for the insurance company Standard by the architect Christian Arntzen.

Harsdorff's mansion is actually three different houses built by the architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff in 1779-80. The last of the three houses stands diagonally to the other two, breaking the symmetry, apparently due to the location of a former service building to Charlottenborg.

Højbro Plads was created after the fire in 1795 and opened up the space between Amagertorv and Slotsholmen. Most of the houses in the new square was built in the period 1796-99. St Nicholas church, originally constructed in the 13th century and rebuilt around 1500, was mostly destroyed in 1795 but the tower, which was added in 1582-91, survived. It lost the spire from 1611, but a reconstructed version was added in 1909. The main body of the building, also a reconstruction, was completed in 1912. However, the building hasn't been used for church services since 1805.

The buildings in Ved Stranden were mostly built after the fire in 1795. The building on the left was probably designed by J. H. Rawert, the fourth floor being added in 1886, and used to be the location of Hotel Royal. The building with the columns is known as the Gustmeyer House and was designed by Johan Martin Quist in 1797.

Erichsen's mansion was built in 1797-1801 by architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff, who died before it was completed. It was restored and rebuilt in 1888-92 and again in 1928-30. It is one of the first houses in Denmark where classical columns are you used for the residence of a commoner.

 

[joamox]

The construction of a second Christiansborg palace started in 1803 to replace the building destroyed in 1794. Only fragments remain as this structure also succumbed to flames in 1884. The remains can be seen on the ground floor of the north front facing Prince George's Yard. An entrance portal was also reused and now serves as the main entrance to the Supreme Court. The architect for the second Christiansborg palace was Christian Frederik Hansen and works were completed in 1828. On the right can be seen Thorvaldsen Museum, completed in a Greek-Egyptian inspired style by Micheael Gottlieb Bindesbøll in 1838-48.

The courthouse building was completed in 1816 by architect Christian Frederik Hansen and served as the city hall until 1905. It replaced the previous city hall, which burned in the fire of 1795. Whereas the old building had stood at the junction between the squares of Gammeltorv and Nytorv, the new one was moved to the west corner of Nytorv. This was done to prevent the spread of fire and thus opened up the space between the two squares. The site of the new city hall was found on the spot where Vajsenhuset had previously stood.

The Palace Chapel was built in 1813-26 to a design by Christian Frederik Hansen. It replaced a previous chapel designed by Nicolai Eigtved, which was destroyed in the the palace fire of 1794. The rebuilt palace suffered another devastating fire in 1884 but the chapel survived. Fire damaged the chapel in 1992 but it was rebuilt faithfully to Hansen's original designs.

The buildings fronting Nybrogade are mostly from the first half of the 19th century, or given their current look in that period. The exception is the gabled houses on the right, built after the fire in 1728.

The buildings on Søtorvet were constructed in 1873-75 by the Copenhagen Building Company to designs by architects Ferdinand Vilhelm Jensen and Vilhelm Petersen. The area used to be part of the city's fortifications but came available for development after the decommissioning in 1868. The Queen Louise Bridge was built in the 1880s connecting the inner city with the district of Nørrebro.

The Royal Danish Theatre was built in 1872-74 to designs by architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Ove Petersen, after they had won a competition in 1871. It replaced a previous theatre-building by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff from 1774, which in turn replaced a theatre by Nicolai Eigtved from 1748. The dome on the right belongs to the department store Magasin du Nord, completed in 1893 by architect Albert Jensen, on the site of the previous Hotel du Nord.

Frederiksholm Kanal 4 was built in 1888 in renaissance style and was designed by architect Valdermar Ingemann. The building on the opposite side of street with a narrow facade to Nybrogade is from 1886. The little yellow house on the right is from sometime between 1728 and 1757, with the third storey added later in that century.

The Marble Church or Frederik's Church, as its officially known, was built in 1877-94 by the architect Ferdinand Meldahl. The original project for a church on this location was begun in 1750 when Nicolai Eigtved made the first designs. The task was later given to Nicolas-Henri Jardin who submitted new plans, but construction slowed and came to a complete halt in 1770. Many architects submitted ideas for the completion of the church in the coming decades but things didn't start to move until the site was sold into private hands in 1874. The condition of the sale was for the new owner to complete the church but this was delayed by the need to demolish the existing half-structure. Meldahl was originally assistant to Christian Zwingmann but took over after the latter retired due to poor health in the mid-1870s. The buildings surrounding the church were designed by Meldahl and completed in 1886. However, the financier behind the project, Carl Frederik Tietgen, was unable to purchase the necessary plots in the southwest corner to complete the full lay-out.

The former DFDS headquarters in Sankt Annæ Plads was built in 1891 by the architect Albert Jensen. DFDS was founded in 1866 by Carl Frederik Tietgen.

The National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst) was built in 1889-1896 by architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg Møller on a site that was previously part of the city's fortification ring. The royal collection of paintings was originally housed in Christiansborg Palace but a new venue was needed after the palace fire in 1884. A modern extension of the museum-building was completed in 1998.

In between the late 18th century houses on Højbro Plads, number 5 does convincing job of looking like it's from the 17th century, when in fact it was built in 1896-97 by architect Martin Borch. The facade is mostly intact with the exception of the ground floor. On the left, Højbrohus (Østergade 61) was built in 1896 by architect Richard Bergmann.

Ny Carlsberg Glypotek was built completed in 1897 by the architect Vilhelm Dahlerup to house the personal sculpture collection of Carl Jacobsen. The collection had opened to the public in 1882 in a private building, but was moved to a new publicly financed museum after Jacobsen donated his collection in 1888. The original building was significantly enlarged in 1906 by the architect Hack Kampmann, and a third building was added in 1996. The building on the left was built for the Royal Danish Academy of Music in 1906 by architect Christian Laurits Thuren.

 

[joamox]

This building, originally the headquarters of Privatbanken, was built in 1901-04 by architect Axel Berg. The bank was founded in 1857 and was part of a series of mergers, which eventually resulted in the creation on Nordea.

Copenhagen city hall was built in 1892-1905 to a design by Martin Nyrop. The location just to the west of the old city became available when the ring of fortifications at its perimeter was decommissioned in the second half of the 19th century. This picture is taken from Vester Voldgade, which used to be a narrow road between the city and the ramparts. Helmerhus (right), also known as the Utrecht building, was built on top of the removed ramparts in 1892-93 by architects Knud Arne Petersen and Henrik Hagemann. The location of the city hall also encouraged the modernisation of buildings on the existing city side, including many new hotels. The two white buildings on the left were opened as Hotel Hafnia (1899) and Hotel Kong Frederik (1898) respectively, by architects Phillip Smidth and Rogert Møller. Smidth also designed Politikens Hus in 1904-07 on the corner of Vestergade, which like most of the other buildings on this side of Rådhuspladsen is brick-faced and takes inspiration from the city hall. The space in between Hotel Kong Frederik and Politikens Hus was only modernised in 1934-37 by architects Emanuel Monberg and Axel Maar.

Despite its 17th century appearance, Frederiksholms Kanal 6 was built in 1904 to a design by architect Axel Preisler. The yard in the back has a cannonball inserted into the masonry, probably originating from the Swedish assault on the city in 1659.

The pilastered building on the corner of Højbro Plads and Gammelstrand was built for the fire insurance company Kgl. Brand in 1905-06. The architect was Fritz Koch followed by Gotfred Tvede who finished the work after Koch's death in 1905. The building on the right is from 1797.

Grønningen 1 was built in 1906-08 by the architect Henning Hansen as a block of flats. The insurance company Købstædernes forsikring, engraved on the facade, did not move in until 1944.

The Royal Danish Library was completed in 1906 to a design by architect Hans Jørgen Holm. The building includes a copy of Charlemagne's Palace chapel in the Aachen cathedral. The collection was previously housed in Fiolstræde.

Kultorvet was created after the fire in 1728. The large building on the right was built in 1908 by the architect Christian Hansen , while the corner building on the other side of Købmagergade is from 1906-07 by the architect Vilhelm Fischer.

The third Christiansborg Palace was constructed in 1907-18 to designs by architect Thorvald Jørgensen. Unlike the previous two palaces, the current building is faced with granite instead of sandstone, with the exception of the ground floor of one of the lateral courtyards where remnants of the second Christiansborg (1828-84) was reused. The building houses the Danish parliament, Supreme Court, the Prime Minister's Office and royal reception rooms.

The extension to the Royal Danish Library, known as the black diamond, was built in 1995-99 by the architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen. It was the first in a series of new cultural buildings on the city's waterfront. There are also two museums in the building as well an auditorium.

The Copenhagen Opera House was built in 2001-04 to a design by the architect Henning Larsen. The house was donated to the state by the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller foundation. At its location on Holmen island, it completes the Amalienborg-axis.

 

[bongo-anders]

Fantastic review of Copenhagen, I like the small notes about every building.

 

[moveteam]

What a great thread. Actually learned a lot!

 

[datoriprogram]

Beautiful! I had no idea that the library extension was completed in 1999, that seems way ahead of its time considering I could imagine something with a similar design getting built today.

 

[firewater]

Excellent contribution!

 

[joamox]

One more day in Copenhagen

Gammeltorv is the oldest square in Copenhagen and may predate the city as a marketplace. The fire of 1795 destroyed all previous buildings, most of which had been constructed as recently as after the fire of 1728. A number of the houses built after the second fire have since also been modernised or replaced with new constructions.

The late 18th century style, which dominates the oldest parts of Copenhagen is gone completely from this row of houses. The building in Dutch renaissance style is dated 1898, by architect Aage Langeland-Mathiesen, while the neighbour was completed the following year, in 1899. It was designed by Frederik Levy for Kreditforeningen for København og Omegn. The building on the left was designed by Arne Jacobsen and completed in 1937. The fountain in the square was originally a sort of ornamental well erected in 1608, which has since been erected on a pedestal and set as part of a fountain.

To begin with the buildings fronting the square, the narrow corner building was finished in 1942 and has its main facade on Nørregade with decorations by sculptor Stæhr-Nielsen. The architect was Ernst Kühn. The building on the left is Alexandrahus from 1906, by architect Ulrik Plesner. At the back can also be seen the building on the corner of Skindergade and Nørregade, which is more recent than it looks and is from 1899-1902 by the architect Martin Borch. The blue house on the right of that is from 1798-99 while the yellow one on the left is from 1811.

The church of Our Lady was completed in 1829. The original limestone church was consecrated in 1209, but was destroyed in fire in 1314 and replaced with a red brick structure, which took about two centuries to fully complete. The tower was taken down due to damage from lightening strikes in the 16th century but was rebuilt in 1609. It was entirely destroyed in the fire of 1728 but rebuilt on similar lines to the previous building, but with a taller tower and spire modelled on St Martin in the Fields in London. The church survived the fire of 1795 but was destroyed in the British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807. The architect of the new church, Christian Frederik Hansen, wasn't particularly interested in towers or spires and the fact that the church has a tower at all was due to popular demand and was added as a bit of an afterthought, from what Ive gathered.

The following houses have been spared from modernisations and appear pretty much as they did when they were built after the fire of 1795. Right in the middle stands Holms gård, which was built in 1798 while the house on its left was completed in 1801.

Both the pilastered houses in this image were built in 1796-97, as were the houses in red brick on either side of Vestergade.

However, the last building on the square (right) is a later addition from 1899 and was designed by architect Johan Schrøder. On the left is Frederiksberggade 1with a facade to Nytorv. It built in 1904-08 by architect Victor Nyebølle and complements Schrøder's building quite nicely.

 

[joamox]

Some old images from Gammeltorv:

I haven't found any information about the building that was replaced by Levy's bank building in 1898-99, but it appears to have been the grandest mansion on the square and its a shame it was demolished. The plot where Alexandrahus was later built seem to have consisted of two separate and relatively modest facades.

Alexandrahus under construction, presumably in 1906. The corner building on Nørregade and Skindergade has also been replaced and Levy's bank palace has made an appearance.

Alexandrahus had been completed when this image was taken in 1908, the postcard has been incorrectly labelled as Nytorv.

On the corner of Nygade, the plot on the left has been cleared for Levy's bank building while the house on the corner would soon be demolished in favour of Dutch renaissance. The image is presumably from 1898.

The building on the left was replaced in 1937 with a modernist structure by Arne Jacobsen. The latter is now a listed building despite not being very old.

Based on the cleared site on the corner of Nørregade and Skindergade, Im guessing this is 1899.

Its hard to make out exactly what the facade on the far left, where Schrøder's building from 1899 later came, looked like in this darkened picture, but apparently Ludvig Holberg once lived there. Though this must have been a previous building from before the fire of 1795.

 

[joamox]

Some older images:

Nytorv and Gammeltorv in the early 19th century, with the Church of Our Lady as it appeared before 1807. The spire in the back belongs to St. Peter's church, was added in 1756-57 and survived the British bombardment. The church was rebuilt after the fire of 1728 but the outer walls withstood the fire and were re-used.

The city hall used to be on the south side of Gammeltorv. It was originally built in 1479 and was given a new renaissance look in 1608-10. At the same time, the buildings behind the city hall were cleared and a second square was created, which became Nytorv.

The renaissance city hall was destroyed in the fire of 1728 and replaced with a new baroque building to a design by Johan Conrad Ernst and Johan Cornelius Krieger. After 1795, it was decided not to rebuild on the site between the square and the new city hall was relocated to one side of Nytorv leaving the space between the two squares open. The new building designed by Christian Frederik Hansen still stands and serves as the Copenhagen Courth House.

 

[edxor]

Great and informative thread!
I made a 3D-model of the 1728-1807 Vor Frue Kirke earlier this year based on a drawing by Laurids de Thurah, you can see the model in this thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1697690

 

[joamox]

Wow, great work on that model!

Nytorv hasn't changed much since the courthouse building was completed in 1816.

The only new addition in the photo above is the corner building to the left of the courthouse building, which was an addition to the jailhouse section of Hansen's neoclassical complex by architect Ludvig Fenger in 1888-89.

Just off camera on the right is Frederiksberggade 1, as was shown at the end of post#9 and the only new addition to break with the style and scale of the original buildings.
Just off to the left is Nytorv 3, which was built in 1801-02 but was extended with a new facade circa 1900 to the detriment of the neighbouring building, which was demolished.
Nytorv 5 (1799-1803) has also been altered and was originally only three floors. The top storey was added by August Klein in 1889-90.
The remaining houses were all built in 1795-98 and appear relatively unchanged since that time.

The second building on the left was demolished around 1900 when the corner-building, Nytorv 3, was extended. I guess thats why there is no number 1. Nytorv 5 is getting an additional storey in this image.

These two houses were replaced with Frederiksberggade 1 in the early 20th century.

 

[edxor]

You have to go to Copenhagen more often, or any other city and make more informative threads

 

[joamox]

Click Mexichino in my signature and you'll find similar info on other cities I have visited, including Brussels, Paris and Rome. And if you want really in-depth on historic Kristiania, there is a book I can recommend

Amagertorv is the second oldest square in Copenhagen and was a market place since the late middle ages. Like Gammeltorv, it has an adjoining square, which was created after the fire of 1795 named Højbro Plads.

The corner building on the right was originally built in 1796-97 and was rebuilt and heightened in 1854 by architect Hans Christian Tybjerg. The black facade just on the edge of the photo is from 1797.
All the facades from here to the corner of Hyskenstæde also belong to Amagertorv. Most of them were originally built some time between 1796 to 1802, with the exception of Amagertorv 13, 31 and 33. The latter was built in 1907-08 on the corner of Hyskenstræde by Victor Nyebølle, replacing the løveapotek building designed by Caspar Frederik Harsdorff in 1795. Amagertorv 29 was also designed by Harsdorff in 1768-69 and rebuilt without much changes in design after the fire in 1795. The top storey was added in 1880 though.
The Georg Jensen building on the left is tentatively dated to before 1753 and may even predate the fire of 1728. The facade has gone through a number of facelifts throughout the years and was last restored in 1991. The building on the corner to Købmagergade is from 1826-27. There have been shops on the ground floor since 1841, and Louis Vuitton is the current tenant it seems.

On the north side, the square also stretches quite far back, to the corner of Klosterstræde, just opposite Hyskenstræde. On the way, we pass the church of the Holy Ghost. The origins of the church are uncertain and belonged to a hospital turned cloister in 1469. The first clear document of the church's existence is from 1449, but may have existed decades prior. Construction on a tower started in 1520 but the cloister was closed in 1530 due to the reformation and turned into a parish church. Work on the tower resumed in 1582 and the spire was possibly the work of Hans van Steenwinckel the elder. One of the two renaissance portals on the south was presumably added around 1640 and may originally have been carved at least ten years before and originally intended for the stock exchange. The other portal to the west was added in 1612 but was replaced in the 1770s. Only the outer walls survived the fire of 1728 and the church was rebuilt by architect Johan Cornelius Krieger who made a number of changes but restored the sandstone portals. Extensive restoration was carried out by Hermann Storck in 1878-80 and a copy of the spire from 1582 replaced Krieger's post-fire solution.

The north side of Amagertorv also includes one of the few remaining renaissance houses in Copenhagen, the Mathias Hansen house from 1616, which you can see and read about in post #1. This side of the square escaped the fire of 1795 and a number of houses are dated to the 1730s or thereabouts, but they have all changed so much that none of them look like they are from that period. This includes Oles Haslunds hus, which was given its current look in 1866-67 by architect Ferdinand Jensen. The building on the corner of Niels Hemmingsens gade is a a much later building from 1924-25 by Einar Madvig. The building to the west of the church was built in 1906 for Kjøbenhavns Laane- og Discontobank by architect Axel Berg.

 

[joamox]

Old images

1756 - Most of the buildings built between the two great fires of the 18th century was the type of gabled house seen in this image. They were designed to withstand fire with facades in brick while the rest of the structure is in timber framing. Some survivors still exist in places like Gråbrødretorv and Gammel Mønt.

1898 - Højbrohus was built in 1896 by architect Richard Bergmann. You may also notice the buildings on the corner of Købmagergade and along Østergade, which were replaced with in 1934 with a new building designed by Kristian Gording and Anton Frederiksen and later by an extension of the department store Illums in 1966-70 by architects Erik Korshagen and J. Juul Møller. Illums had also expanded in 1913 so this row of houses is now completely altered from what is seen in this image. Illums reproduced a renaissance gable from one of the demolished houses in 1913 as a response to the criticism that one of the few remaining houses from the time of Christian IV had been destroyed.

1860 - Looking in the other direction, the Mathias Hansen house as it looked before the ground floor was altered in 1898. In this image, we also see the spire of the church of the Holy Ghost as it was designed by Johan Cornelius Krieger.

1889 - The houses on either side of Mathias Hansen house are still gabled, indicating their 18th century origins. Ole Haslunds House has been given a complete redesign.

1895 - The gables are gone, and two of the previous houses has been joined to one facade in Amagertorv 10. The facade was again modernised in 1945. The fountain Storkespringvandet was designed by Edvard Petersen and Vilhelm Bissen and placed on Amagertorv in 1894.

 

[joamox]

Kongens Nytorv was created in the 17th century to the east of the medieval city. The decision to extend the city to the northeast was taken already under Christian IV and the old ramparts and city gate, Østerport, would have been removed by around 1647. The first building, Charlottenborg, was completed in 1683, by which time the new square would have been paved, planted with trees and Nyhavn would have been dug.

Ravhuset, also know as Kanneworffske Hus, predates both the square and Nyhavn and was originally a two-storey house from around 1606. The current facade and mansard roof is due to a rebuilding in 1782-91. It now houses a museum on the history of amber.

The pilastered brick faced building looks pretty 17th-century, but was in fact put up by a consortium in 1904-05 and was designed by the architect Frederik Levy.

The house hidden behind scaffolding and advertising is from 1745, but the fourth floor and mansard were added in 1844. Next up is a building from 1768 by architect Hans Næss. The five-storey brick building is from 1919-20 and was built for Københavns Disconto- og Revisionsbank by architect Poul Holsøe and hasn't changed much since. The corner-building, on the other hand, was originally built in three storeys in 1738-39 but now has a facade from 1853.

This building was constructed in 1890-94 on behalf of Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab to a design by Emil Blichfeldt.

Hotel d'Angleterre was built in 1872-74 for the Det Kjøbenhavnske Byggeselskab to a design by architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg Møller. One additional storey and mansard were added after a fire in 1915-16, which was done by architects Phillip Smidth and Nicolai Hansen. The corner building on the right was built in 1875 by architect Ludvig Fenger.

 

[joamox]

Kongens Nytorv

As mentioned previously, the Thott mansion was originally built for the naval officer Niels Juel in 1683-86 to a design by Lambert van Haven. The original facade was in red brick with pilasters. On the right can also be seen Ravhuset before its 18th century redesign.

I haven't found any information about the building on the left of the Thott mansion, but it appears to have been a substantial one. It was replaced with a new-build in 1896 for the insurance company Standard, but may have inspired Levy's design for the neighbouring plot.

The houses demolished to make way for Levy's design from 1904 had narrow fronts and varying heights. There seems to have been 4 separate houses here.

At the corner of Store Kongensgade, most of the 18th century buildings, with or without 19th century redesigns, remain. The exceptions are the two houses demolished to make way for the new-build for Københavns Disconto- og Revisionsbank in 1919-20.

Hovedvagten was a military building from 1680. It was finally demolished in 1874 as Hotel d'Angleterre was being extended.

The east side of Kongens Nytorv was completely remodernised in the late 19th century. When Hovedvagten was demolished, the opportunity was taken to demolish the slum-like alleys behind it and have new streets laid out. Names like Peder Madsens Gang and Fælleds Gang vanished, while Hovedvagts gade and Ny Østergade were created. The transformation was completed in 1890-94 when the offices for Store Nordiske Telegrafselskab were completed.

The building that would later become Hotel d'Angleterre was originally a mansion built in the 1670s by a count named Frederik Ahlefeldt. It was later known as den Gramske gård.

The hotel acquired the building after the fire in 1795, which had destroyed the original premises on the corner of Laksegade and Vingårdstræde where it was founded in 1755. The name d'Angleterre is from 1795 and was due to the fact that the English club rented space at the hotel at that time. The hotel was sold to Det Kjøbenhavnske Bygge-selskab in 1872.

Det Kjøbenhavnske Bygge-selskab hired architects Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg Møller to a design a new building, which was completed in 1875. This was later modified in 1915-16 when an extra storey and mansard were added.

 

[joamox]

Among other interesting former buildings on Kongens Nytorv, could be mentioned the following:

Det Holsteinske Palæ was built in 1721 for count Ulrich Adolf Holstein. The facade was altered already in 1748 and and the mansion was eventually acquired by Ernst Møller who founded Hotel du Grand Nord in 1796. It was demolished in 1892 to build the current department store.

The previous royal theatre was built to a design by Caspar Harsdorff in 1774, which was modified by the same architect in 1837. This replaced a previous theatre designed by Nicolai Eigtved in 1748. At the back, Erichsen's mansion from 1797-1801 was also built by Harsdorff.

The old theatre was replaced with the current in 1872-74, after a competition had been won by Vilhelm Dahlerup and Ove Petersen.

Kongens Nytorv depicted in 1756 with Ahlefeldts gård on the right and Eigtved's theatre still standing in the centre.

 

[joamox]

The fourth square linked by the streets of the main thoroughfare Strøget started to take shape after 1857 when Vesterport was demolished. A square called Halmtorvet had existed outside the ramparts and the name carried on until 1893, when the space was renamed Rådhuspladsen.

The boulevard running past city hall follows the course of the moat that used surround the demolished fortifications. Originally known as Vestre Boulevard, it was laid out with trees and flowers and was primarily intended for strolling, as through-traffic mostly went through Vester Voldgade. This started to change after 1903 when the new Lange Bridge was built as a direct continuation of Vestre Boulevard. Renamed HC Andersens Boulevard, it is now the most trafficated artery in Central Copenhagen.

Framing the square to the north, Helmerhus, also known as the Utrecht building, was built on top of the removed ramparts in 1892-93 by architects Knud Arne Petersen and Henrik Hagemann. The building behind it, known as Ny Rosenborg, was built in 1893-94 by Ludvig Clausen and Henrik Hagemann. On the right, Politikens Hus was built in two stages in 1903-05 and 1906-07 by Phillip Smidth.

Palace Hotel was built in 1907-1910 by the architect Anton Rosen. The house on the right came later and was built in 1928 by architects Einar Ambt and Georg Juul Brask. The one on the left, on the other hand, was one of the first of the new buildings on the square and was built as Hotel Metropol in 1896 by Phillip Smidth.

Absalons Gård was built in 1901-03 as Hotel Bristol by architect Vilhelm Fischer. Clearly inspired by city hall, it set the tone for subsequent modernisations on the square. The building was extended along Vestergade in 1932.

New Industriens Hus owes its current appearance to a modernisation of the old facade from 1977 that took place in 2011-13. The original industry building was erected in 1872 to a design by architect Vilhelm Klein. On the left is Tivolislottet, also by Klein, built for the arts and industry museum in 1892-93 and acquired by tivoli in 1978.