Wasn’t Hareskovby once just meadows? Before 1907 it was known as Lille Værløse Overdrev. That’s Little Værløse Meadows. Imagine a landscape unsuitable for farming. Too hilly. Too many bogs and marshes. Yet people lived here. Eighty-three people called this place home in 1890. They lived in a few small farms. Life was hard. Transport was by foot only.
Then came the railway. The Slangerup Line opened in 1907. This changed everything. Hareskov railway station was built. Suddenly this isolated spot became accessible. Journalist Michael Skandrup saw opportunity. He envisioned a charming village. He built elegant villas. They even had running water a luxury at the time. People could commute to Copenhagen easily.
Skandrup also built the Hareskov Pavilion in 1906. It was a grand entertainment venue. It attracted many visitors. Evening trains brought partygoers from Nørrebro. They’d walk to the Pavilion in a torchlit procession. It could hold 1600 dancers. A roaring success for a while. Sadly Skandrup’s investment proved risky. He went bankrupt in 1908. The Pavilion had a different owner by then. Hans Brandt ran it successfully until the 1930s. It eventually burned down in 1950.
Hareskovby grew rapidly. More houses were built. Summer homes became year-round residences. Hareskov School opened in 1918. It’s been expanded several times. It’s a historical site in itself. Hareskov Gasworks became a youth club. Hareskov Church was built in 1929.
The growth wasn’t without conflict. Many road and land owners argued. They bickered over road maintenance. There was no town planning. Arguments erupted frequently about costs. Author Aksel Sandemose lived here. He captured the spirit of the time. He wrote about strong independent people. People the city couldn’t absorb. He called Hareskovby a town of originals.
World War II didn’t stop the growth. Hareskovby kept expanding. After the war it continued to flourish. By 1955 it was the second-largest district in Værløse parish. The development was part of Copenhagen’s larger expansion. The city planners had their say in the future of Hareskovby. Their plans evolved over time. Some aimed to preserve green spaces. Others focused on development. Ultimately Hareskovby became a suburb. Part of Greater Copenhagen. A testament to a journalist’s vision and the resilience of its people.