Peasants’ Town. That’s the direct translation of Bondebyen in Danish. This historical neighborhood of Kongens Lyngby is considered the best-preserved country town of the Copenhagen area. Bondebyen sits in the middle of the heavily urbanized Lyngby-Taarbæk municipality.
Bondebyen once was a village. In 1651, it only had 16 farms plus the parsonage. The king’s manager lived at Brydegården. Also, Fogedgården was part of Bondebyen. By 1682, the town grew. It had 21 farms, three houses with a bit of land, and 21 small houses without land. Eleven of these belonged to the church.
Let’s talk about the layout of Bondebyen. The village had rows of farms. Plots of land were placed outside in the periphery. Mølleå’s oldest watermill was near a ford south of Lyngby Church. It significantly impacted the village community and its development since the early Middle Ages. Farms connected to an open space called “forten”. Here they engaged in cooperative cultivation.
King Frederik IV reorganized the country into cavalry districts. In 1721, he had cavalry schools built. Lyngby’s cavalry school was built near the forten. In 1766, King Frederik V declared the crown’s tenant farmers in Kongens Lyngby freeholders. They received deeds to their farms. Yet, they continued to cultivate the land collectively for 12 more years.
The Kongevejen construction led to increased traffic. Kongens Lyngby became a popular destination. From the late 1700s, some of Bondebyen’s houses and farms were bought and converted. They became small and larger pleasure spots with solid walls. Some houses were built as small double houses. This happened in the classic layouts of market towns. Throughout the 1800s, many country houses were expanded. They got brick walls but still had thatched roofs. Farmworkers, artisans, and later industrial workers lived in them. Attics were used for housing. A growing workforce needed housing in Lyngby from the late 1800s.
Today, only a couple of original “toftehuse” remain. These are at Gammel Lundtoftevej 21 C-E and Nørregade 10. Thanks to the preservation plan from the 1970s and a renovation plan from 1982, Bondebyen maintains its special status. The plans kept the rural, unostentatious character. Regulations covered fences, trimmed hedges, and small trees.
Since 1970, Bondebylauget has worked to preserve Bondebyen. They also improve and restore the area. Niels Friderichsen, its president, is credited with saving Bondebyen. He saved it from destruction by the Lyngby-Taarbæk municipality. Most Bondebyen buildings are now listed.
Notable buildings in Bondebyen include the house of Støvlet-Cathrine. Lindegaarden, or Linden Farm, was built between 1841 and 1883. Vilhelminelyst at Høstvej nr. 4 was Gyrithe Lemche’s ancestral home. The jurist Janus Kolderup-Rosenvinge lived at Høstvej nr. 6. The merchant J. Fr. Tutein lived in Asylgade nr. 7.
Walking through Bondebyen today, you experience a unique slice of Danish history. The well-preserved buildings and commitment to maintaining its original character make Bondebyen a special place. It offers a glimpse into the past. It shows how a country town thrived.