Copenhagen City Hall (1479–1728)
| Copenhagen City Hall | |
|---|---|
_from_Gammeltorv.jpg) Third Copenhagen City Hall, illustration from Rosens Atlas | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| Town or city | Copenhagen |
| Country | Denmark |
| Construction started | 1479 |
| Completed | 1606—10 |
| Demolished | 1728 |
A ney (third) City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, was built at Gammeltorv in 1479. Rebuilt by King Christian IV into the Renaissance style in 1610, it was in use until 1728 when it was destroyed in the first Great Fire of Copenhagen. It was replaced by a new city hall which was built on its foundations the same year.
Building
The new city hall at Gammeltorv was built as a replacement for the previous city hall located in Nørregade, at the cite of the current Bishop's House, which was now taken over by the newly Copenhagen University. The new city hall was built on the south side of the Gammeltorb but nothing is known about the appearance of the building during this early phase of its history.
_from_Nytorv.jpg)
When King Christian IV ascended the throne in 1588, it was with ambitions to strengthen Copenhagen's strategic role in the Baltic region and he soon embarked on a number of building projects such as the new Arsenal Dock, Rosenborg Castle, and the Børsen. The modest city hall, although still a relatively small building, was from 1608 to 1610 subject to a comprehensive adaption into the Renaissance style to better match these new buildings. Erich Pontoppidan refers to it as a "new building".[1] A projecting, octagonakl staircase tower topped by a spire was built in the middle of the facade towards Gammeltorv, The tower had a Dutch gable on either side. The same gables were seen on the rear of the building, flanking a smaller tower. Also on the rear of the building, there was an open gallery beneeth an external balcony.[2]
Use
Peder Hansen Resen, who was appointed lord mayor of Copenhagen in 1664, wrote several works about the history of Denmark as well as Copenhagen and he is the principal source of knowledge about the use of the city hall. The byting, the governing assembly of the city, began to meet indoor in 1623. first in a small building on the square and from 1662 in the city hall. The building also contained a theatre.[1] The celler was used for a hailhouse as well as a drinking establishment which served beer and wine.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
References
- ^ a b "Københavns rådhus fra 1479" (in Danish). Center for Byhistorie. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
- ^ "Magtens korridorer - Københavns rådhuse i 500 år" (in Danish). Københavns Stadsarkiv. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
External links
