Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: Bertel Thorvaldsen's Square) is a public square

Town square

A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...

 located in front of Thorvaldsens Museum

Thorvaldsens Museum

The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish neoclassicistic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen , who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life . The museum is located on the small island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen next to...

 on Slotsholmen

Slotsholmen

Slotsholmen is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. Bishop Absalon constructed the city's first castle on the island in 1166-67 at the site where Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament lies today...

 in central Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

, Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. The two other sides of the triangular space are defined by the rear of Christiansborg Riding Grounds

Christiansborg Palace

Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...

 and Vindebrovej, the street along the Slotsholmen Canal which separates Slotsholmen from Gammel Strand

Gammel Strand

Gammel Strand is a street and public square in central Copenhagen, Denmark. On the south side it borders on the Slotsholmens Canal while the north side is lined by a row of brightly coloured houses from the 18th and 19th century...

.

History

When Thorvaldsens Museum

Thorvaldsens Museum

The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to the art of Danish neoclassicistic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen , who lived and worked in Rome for most of his life . The museum is located on the small island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen next to...

 was first built in 1848, its architect, Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll

Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll

Michael Gottlieb Birckner Bindesbøll was a Danish architect active during the Danish Golden Age in the first half of the 19th century. Most known for his design of Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen, he was a key figure in the stylistic shift in Danish architecture from late classicism to Historicism...

, also sketched a project for a square in front of it. Inspired by the at that time newly built Alte Museum which he had seen on his visit to Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 in 1824, he proposed a round stone basin filled with water in front of the museum. Another inspiration was the antique basins he had seen in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, which were used as fountains in the city. Bindesbøll's plans also included a replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen

Bertel Thorvaldsen

Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...

's self-portrait statue and some benches. The rest of the square was to be left empty. Bindesbøll's project was never realised and instead the square was laid out with a lawn and beech trees.

In 2001 the square was remodelled by landscape architect Torben Schønherr.

Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads today

The square is paved with large cobblestones and a single tree and a reflecting pool are the only ornamental features. The pool is designed by Jørn Larsen

Jørn Larsen

Jørn Larsen was a Danish painter and sculptor. He was a member of Grønningen from 1970 and received the Eckersberg Medal in 1978 and the Thorvaldsen Medal in 1989. He represented Denmark at the Venice Biennale in 1993....

and has a diameter of 16 metres and a geometrical pattern characteristic of his style.

The square is sometimes used for markets.