Who knew a square could have so many past lives? Welcome to Christianshavns Torv the central public square of Christianshavn. It’s more than just a meeting point. It’s a place where history whispers from every corner.
Back in 1617, Johan Semp planned Christianshavn as a fortified market town. This square was to be its heart. Originally, it was named Børnehustorv. This name came from Børnehuset, a royal orphanage established in 1622.
Did you spot the blue-painted water post? It was installed here in 1633. A lead pipe brought water all the way from Peblinge Lake. That’s quite a distance across the harbour.
The orphanage transformed into a prison. Philip de Lange designed a new Baroque building constructed between 1739 and 1742. Later in 1815, a police station opened here. It was one of six new local stations. It covered Christianshavn and Amagerbro. The station was based in Jacob Bastian’s Commerce House.
The prison was rebuilt in the 1860s. Niels Sigfred Nebelong designed it. From 1870, it was known as Christianshavns Straffeanstalt a women’s prison. Imagine the stories those walls could tell.
For about twenty years, starting in 1868, this square was a bustling vegetable market. Amager women had sold their produce at Amagertorv for centuries. This market moved here for a while. In 1889, the market moved again to Vendersgade later Israels Plads.
The early 1900s brought big changes. Buildings around Christianshavns Torv were torn down. New ones replaced them. In 1928, the prison was demolished to widen Torvegade.
Have you noticed the Greenland Monument? Svend Rathsack created it in 1938. It features a Greenlandic hunter with his kayak. The statue sits above two groups of working women. It’s made of bluish granite from Bornholm.
Look at the buildings around the square. One is Lagkagehuset or The Layer Cake House. Edvard Thomsen designed it. It was built between 1929 and 1932 on the old prison site. Its name comes from its yellow and white striped facade. Also facing the canal is Torvegården. Svend G. Høyrup designed it in the Modernist style. It was built between 1940 and 1941.
Don’t miss the old telephone kiosk. Fritz Koch designed it. It is hexagonal with a copper roof. It has richly decorated wooden friezes. It’s one of Copenhagen’s original models installed in 1896.
Today, Christianshavn metro station sits on the square. It serves the M1 and M2 lines. So, next time you pass through Christianshavns Torv remember its layered past. From market square to prison site to modern hub, it continues to evolve.