Borgergade
Encyclopedia
Borgergade is a street in central Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It runs from Gothersgade
to Store Kongensgade. As one of relatively few streets in central Copenhagen, the street, in its western part, is dominated by modern buildings. The eastern part passes through the Nyboder
district.
and Ny Kongensgade while the area around Borgergade and Adelgade catered to a more modest clientel, typically craftsmen and shop-keepers. The buildings were generally half-timbered
and relatively small, and living conditions were still considerably better than in the crowded city centre.
and 1795
, and was also left largely unharmed by the British bombardment of the city during the Battle of Copenhagen
in 1807.
One of the finest buildings in the street was the Mint Master's House. It had been built in 1683 by Royal Mint Master Gregorius Sessemann as his private residence and was inhabited by successive mint masters until 1752. In 1720 the house was fitted with a fine Baroque
staircase. A separate apartment was created which was rented by the Russia
n Ambassador in 1728. In the 1760s the house was extended and adapted once again, reaching its finest state. In 1767, it was acquired by a master mason who who lived there until 1803.
On 26 January 1865
, the first public bath house opened in the street after a donation from Carl Joachim Hambro, a banker residing in London
, but apart from that sanitation facilities were sparse.
When the Fortifications
were decommissioned in the middle of the century, many of the owners moved on to the new residential districts which had sprung up, such as Nørrebro
and Vesterbro, and the area around Borgergade developed into one of the worst and most crowded slum
s in the city with a notorious reputation for poverty, vice and crime.
Instigated by Christian Axel Jensen, director of Museum of Copenhagen, the Mint Master's House was dismantled, registered and stored in a shed at Vestre Cemetery
. The plan was to re-build it at a later date as part of an open air museum
dedicated to urban architecture which was to complement the rural buildings at Lyngby Open Air Museum
but it never materialised. In 1995, The Old Town
in Aarhus
took over the materials and the house was finally reconstructed in 2009.
, the street passes the south side of Dronningegården
, a distinctive residential complex which forms a space round the intersection of Dronningens Tværgade and Adelgade.
The modern buildings finally give way to older buildings and the last section of the street from Fredericiagade passes through the Nyboder
district, an area of naval barracks founded by King Christian IV
. Both the more famous yellow houses and the younger so-called Grey (or New) Rows, designed by Olaf Schmidth and built between 1886 and 1893, are to be found along the street.
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...
. It runs from Gothersgade
Gothersgade
Gothersgade is a major street in the City Centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Kongens Nytorv to Sortedam Lake, passing Rosenborg Castle and Gardens, Nørreport Station and Copenhagen Botanic Gardens on the way....
to Store Kongensgade. As one of relatively few streets in central Copenhagen, the street, in its western part, is dominated by modern buildings. The eastern part passes through the Nyboder
Nyboder
Nyboder is a historic row house district of former Naval barracks in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was planned and first built by Christian IV to accommodate a need for housing for the personnel of the rapidly growing Royal Danish Navy and their families during that time...
district.
Foundation of the street
Borgergade originates in the 1649 plan for New Copenhagen, the large area which was included in the fortified city when the old East Rampart along present day Gothersgade was decommissioned and a new one was built in a more northerly direction. According to the plan, the streets in the area were to be named after Danish territorial possessions, royalty and the upper classes. The new district was spaciously planned with long straight streets. The most affluent families settled along BredgadeBredgade
Bredgade is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major streets in Frederiksstaden, a Rococo district laid out in the middle of the...
and Ny Kongensgade while the area around Borgergade and Adelgade catered to a more modest clientel, typically craftsmen and shop-keepers. The buildings were generally half-timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
and relatively small, and living conditions were still considerably better than in the crowded city centre.
Escaping disaster
The neighbourhood escaped both the Great Fires of 1728Copenhagen Fire of 1728
The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of October 20, 1728, and continued to burn until the morning of October 23. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city , left 20% of the population homeless, and the reconstruction lasted...
and 1795
Copenhagen Fire of 1795
The Copenhagen Fire of 1795 started Friday the June 5, around 3 p.m. at the Navy’s old base at Gammelholm in the fleets warehouse for coal and barrels...
, and was also left largely unharmed by the British bombardment of the city during the Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
in 1807.
One of the finest buildings in the street was the Mint Master's House. It had been built in 1683 by Royal Mint Master Gregorius Sessemann as his private residence and was inhabited by successive mint masters until 1752. In 1720 the house was fitted with a fine Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
staircase. A separate apartment was created which was rented by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Ambassador in 1728. In the 1760s the house was extended and adapted once again, reaching its finest state. In 1767, it was acquired by a master mason who who lived there until 1803.
Crowding and poverty
While Borgergade escaped the direct effects fires and war, they would still have a deep impact on the street. Many people who had been left homeless and ruined by the disasters moved there in search of affordable accommodation, making it increasingly crowded. Gardens and courtyards were built over and extra floors were added on top of existing buildings to make room for the many new residents.On 26 January 1865
1865 in Denmark
-Incumbents:* Monarch – HM Christian IX* Prime minister – Christian Albrecht Bluhme , C. E. Frijs-Deaths:* April 7 – Carl Dahl, painter...
, the first public bath house opened in the street after a donation from Carl Joachim Hambro, a banker residing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but apart from that sanitation facilities were sparse.
When the Fortifications
Fortifications of Copenhagen (17th century)
The fortifications of Copenhagen underwent a comprehensive modernization and expansion in the 17th century. The project was commenced and largely masterplanned by Christian IV in the early 17th century but continued and completed by his successors...
were decommissioned in the middle of the century, many of the owners moved on to the new residential districts which had sprung up, such as Nørrebro
Nørrebro
Nørrebro is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate , which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current Nørreport station.-Geography:...
and Vesterbro, and the area around Borgergade developed into one of the worst and most crowded slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s in the city with a notorious reputation for poverty, vice and crime.
Condemnation
In the end, it was decided to condemn the area. Clearing began in the early 1940s but was put on hold in 1943 due to the war. After the Liberation, the work was resumed and the area was built up with modern buildings in the late 1940s and 50s. Two smaller streets, Prinsessegade and Helsingørgade, ceased to exist.Vestre Cemetery
Vestre Cemetery is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark.Beautifully landscaped, it also serves as an important open space,...
. The plan was to re-build it at a later date as part of an open air museum
Open air museum
An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as...
dedicated to urban architecture which was to complement the rural buildings at Lyngby Open Air Museum
Frilandsmuseet
Frilandsmuseet is an open air museum in Lyngby at the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Opened in 1897 and covering 40 hectares, it is one of the largest and oldest open-air museums in the world....
but it never materialised. In 1995, The Old Town
The Old Town, Aarhus
The Old Town in Aarhus, Denmark , is an open-air village museum consisting of 75 historical buildings collected from 20 townships in all parts of the country. In 1914 the museum opened for the first time as the world's first open-air museum of its kind and to this day it remains one of just a few...
in Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
took over the materials and the house was finally reconstructed in 2009.
Buildings
As a result of the condemnations, the first, western, section of the street is lined with modern buildings. At Dronningens TværgadeDronningens Tværgade
Dronningens Tværgade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs from Bredgade to Rosenborg Castle Garden. With the Odd Fellows Mansion on Bredgade and the central pavilions of the east fringe of the castle garden located at each their end, the street has axial qualities...
, the street passes the south side of Dronningegården
Dronningegården
Dronningegården is a Modernist residential complex in central Copenhagen, Denmark, consisting of four L-shaped buildings defining an urban space around the intersection of Adelgade and Dronningens Tværgade. Designed by Kay Fisker in collaboration with C.F...
, a distinctive residential complex which forms a space round the intersection of Dronningens Tværgade and Adelgade.
The modern buildings finally give way to older buildings and the last section of the street from Fredericiagade passes through the Nyboder
Nyboder
Nyboder is a historic row house district of former Naval barracks in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was planned and first built by Christian IV to accommodate a need for housing for the personnel of the rapidly growing Royal Danish Navy and their families during that time...
district, an area of naval barracks founded by King Christian IV
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
. Both the more famous yellow houses and the younger so-called Grey (or New) Rows, designed by Olaf Schmidth and built between 1886 and 1893, are to be found along the street.