Is it a street or a square? That is a question people often ask about Danas Plads. It is both. Danas Plads is a street and a square in Frederiksberg. Frederiksberg is a part of Copenhagen.
Danas Plads connects two parts of Danasvej. Danasvej runs from Kampmannsgade to H.C. Ørsteds Vej. The buildings at Danas Plads were built between 1906 and 1909. Ulrik Plesner and Thorvald Bindesbøll designed them. These buildings surround a public space. This space has greenery and a playground.
Let’s dive into the history of this interesting place. In 1698, Georg Julius Wodroff bought land here. He built Vodroffgård watermill. It sat where Ladegårdsåen flowed into the lakes. The mill was first for fulling cloth. Soon it did other things. In 1702, Wodroff got a 12-year deal. He could make rolled barley and snus. He also had the only grinding and polishing mills. These had to be within three Danish miles of Copenhagen. From 1733, Vodroffgård made sails for the Danish navy.
Hartvig Marcus Frisch owned the site from 1794 to 1803. He stopped the factory work. He used the estate as a summer home. In 1803, Carl Ludvig Zinn bought Vodroffgård. Zinn died in 1808. His widow died in 1847. Then, their daughter Emilie Augusta Zinn and her husband Niels Wolff got Vodroffgård. Niels Wolff passed away in 1862. Before that, houses were built for three of his children. These houses were on the east side of Vodroffsvej. The houses were built from 1853 to 1855. The northernmost house went to Christine Marie Wolff. She had married Peter Gottfred Ramm. In 1868, Vodroffgård became Vodroffslund. It was an entertainment spot.
Around 1880, Ramm divided the land. He made new streets. Ramm liked Scandinavism. He named three streets Danasvej, Sveasvej, and Norsvej. These are for Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Two other streets were named Margrethevej and Fillipavej. They were named after queens of the Kalmar Union. In 1918, Margrethevej became Suomivej. It was named after Finland. Danasvej and Bernstorffsvej were linked. This happened when Vodroffs Plads was built from 1906 to 1907.
In 1927, Frederiksberg changed Bernstorffsvej’s name to Danasvej. In 1934, Vodroffs Plads became Danas Plads. At Danas Plads, you can find a library. It is in a former Carl Lunds Fabrikker building.
The buildings at Danas Plads were designed by Ulrik Plesner and Thorvald Bindesbøll. Vodroffshus is another building here. Plesner designed it with Aage Langeland-Mathiesen. The corner building at Danasvej 15–17 was designed by Valdemar Schmidt in 1917.
Hassinghus was built for Josephine Schneider’s Orphanage in 1921. The old building burned down. The orphanage moved in 1928. Hassings Forlag og Trykkeri was located in the building from 1846 to 1983. Later, it was home to the Danish Social Democratic Party. In 2015–2017, it was turned into apartments.
At the corner of Carl Plougs Vej and Danasvej, there is a small garden. In the garden stands a bust of Carl Ploug. Vilhelm Plessen created the bust. It used to be outside the Student Association’s building. It was moved here in 1972.
To get here, you can take the Copenhagen Metro to Forum station. Bus line 39 also runs through the street. The Albertslund Route of Copenhagen’s super bikeways passes through here. So, next time you are near Danas Plads, remember its rich history. Remember its connection to mills, entertainment, and Scandinavian dreams.