Christianshavn - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Christianshavn is an artificial island

Artificial island

An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...

neighbourhood located in 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...

. It was founded in the early 17th century by 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...

as part of his extension of the fortifications of Copenhagen

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...

. Originally it was laid out as an independent privileged merchant's town with inspiration from Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

cities but it was soon incorporated into Copenhagen proper. Dominated by canals, it is the part of Copenhagen with the most nautical atmosphere.

For much of the 20th century a working-class neighbourhood, Christianshavn developed a bohemian reputation in the 1970s and it is now a fashionable, diverse and lively part of the city with its own distinctive personality, with residents tending to see themselves first as Christianshavners and then as Copenhageners. Businessmen, students, artists, hippies and traditional families with children live side-by-side.

Administratively, Christianshavn has been part of Indre By District

Indre By

Indre By , also known as Copenhagen Center or K or Downtown Copenhagen or City, is one of the 15 administrative, statistical, and tax city districts comprising the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark...

since 2007 but it still has its own local council.

Geography

Christianshavn covers an area of 3.43 km², and includes three minor islands to the north, jointly referred to as Holmen

Holmen, Copenhagen

Holmen is an area in central Copenhagen, Denmark. In spite of its name, deceptively in singular, Holmen is a congregation of small islands, forming a north-eastern extension of Christianshavn between Zealand and the northern tip of Amager....

. It has a population of 10,140 and a population density of 2,960 per km².

To the south and east Christianshavn is defined by its old ramparts and separated from the island of Amager

Amager

Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...

by a narrow body of water known as Stadsgraven

Stadsgraven

Stadsgraven is the canal which separates Christianshavn from the rest of Amager in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was originally a moat located in front of the Christianshavn Rampart as part of the city's Bastioned Ring Fortifications....

. To the west Christianshavn borders on the Inner Harbour that separates it from 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...

and the rest of Copenhagen's city centre

Indre By

History

In 1612, Christian IV initiated an ambitious programme to fortify Copenhagen. During the period 1618-1623, he erected earthen embarkments with five bastion

Bastion

A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...

s
in the marshy area between Copenhagen and the island of Amager

Amager

Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...

. At the same time the idea was hatched of creating a new merchant town in the area. In 1639 the little merchant and fortress town of Christianshavn was established. However, competition from Copenhagen soon proved too strong for the little town, and by 1674 it was incorporated into its larger neighbour.

The fortifications were further developed with six more bastions in the 1660s, and seven more bastions between 1682-1692. Additional reinforcements occurred between 1779–1791, and again in 1810-1813. Even though the fortifications around the Inner City were being dismantled in the late 19th century, Christianshavn's fortifications continued in use into the 20th century. Some areas were opened up in the late 1910s-1920s, and the final areas were made public space in 1961.

The fortifications are a part of the total fortification system around the old part of Copenhagen, and are one of Denmark’s best preserved fortifications from the 17th century. Today the area around the fortifications is a park area.

Christianshavn today

Christianshavn is a lively, primarily residential area. It is quartered by the Christianshavn Canal

Christianshavns Kanal

Christianshavns Kanal is a canal in the Christianshavn neighbourhodd of Copenhagen, Denmark. Running northeast-southwest, it bisects the neighbourhood along its length...

, running north-south along its length, and Torvegade, the main thoroughfare of Christianshavn, running east-west, connecting Amager Side Copenhagen to the city centre across Knippelsbro

Knippelsbro

Knippelsbro is a bascule bridge across the Inner Harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, connecting Børsgade on Zealand-side Slotsholmen to Torvegade on Christianshavn...

. Where the canal and the street intersects, at the geographical centre of Christianshavn, lies the square Christianshavns Torv. Along the eastern shoreline of the island runs Christianshavns Vold which now serves as the principal greenspace of the neighbourhood.

The Lower City Side of Christianshavn, also known as Christiansbro, is the most affluent part of the neighbourhood, with several modern residential developments built on the grounds of the former B&W Shipyard. Several headquarters are also found in the area, including most notably the Danish headquarters of Nordea

Nordea

Nordea Bank AB is a Stockholm-based financial services group operating in Northern Europe. The bank is the result of the successive mergers and acquisitions of the Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian banks of Nordbanken, Merita Bank, Unibank and Kreditkassen that took place between 1997 and 2000...

along its entire harbourfront, while its most important historic building is Christian's Church

Christian's Church, Copenhagen

Christian's Church is a magnificent Rococo church in the Christianshavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Nicolai Eigtved, it was built 1754–59....

. On the other—Rampar Sidet—side of the canal, the area is dominated by historic residential buildings and institutions.
Christianshavn's Upper City Side, stretching along Strandgade from Torvegade to the Trangaven Canal, is dominated by old renovated warehousess and merchant's houses.A number of large institutions are located in the area, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cultural institutions include Danish Architecture Centre

Danish Architecture Centre

Danish Architecture Centre , DAC, is a communication and development centre for architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark...

and the North Atlantic House

North Atlantic House

North Atlantic House is a cultural centre located on the harbour front in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to preserve, promote and communicate culture and art from the North Atlantic area. It is made as a cooperation between Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands and includes three...

. On the other side of the canal, Christianshavn's Upper Rampart Side is the densest and most neglected part of the neighbourhood with around half of Christianshavn's 10,000 inhabitants living in that area. It is in this area that the Church of Our Saviour and Christiania are found.

Holmen is characterized by a mixture of old military buildings and new residential developments and is the home of many creative business

Creative class

The Creative Class is a socioeconomic class that economist and social scientist Richard Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, identifies as a key driving force for economic development of post-industrial...

ike advertising agencies

Advertising agency

An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...

and architectural practices

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

as well as creative educational institutions like Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Danish Film School.

Freetown Christiania

Freetown Christiania

Not to be confused with Christiania, Norway, another name for Oslo.Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen...

, a partially self-governing neighborhood which has established semi-legal status as an independent community in an area of abandoned military barracks, appears as a "city within the city". It has a considerable population and is a venue for many cultural events as well as experimental and idiosyncratic "Architecture Without Architects

Architecture Without Architects

thumb|right|200px|Architecture Without Architects coverArchitecture Without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-pedigreed Architecture is a book by Bernard Rudofsky originally published in 1964. It provides a demonstration of the artistic, functional, and cultural richness of vernacular...

Attractions

Church of Our Saviour
Christian's Church
Christian's Church, Copenhagen
Christian's Church is a magnificent Rococo church in the Christianshavn district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Nicolai Eigtved, it was built 1754–59....
North Atlantic House
North Atlantic House
North Atlantic House is a cultural centre located on the harbour front in Copenhagen, Denmark, dedicated to preserve, promote and communicate culture and art from the North Atlantic area. It is made as a cooperation between Denmark, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands and includes three...

with Restaurant Noma
Noma (restaurant)
Noma is a two Michelin star restaurant run by chef René Redzepi in Copenhagen, Denmark. The name is an acronym of the two Danish words "nordisk" and "mad" , and the restaurant is known for its reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic Cuisine...
Christiania
Freetown Christiania
Not to be confused with Christiania, Norway, another name for Oslo.Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen...
Christianshavn Rampart
Christianshavns Vold
Christianshavns Vold is a former rampart which was part of the bastioned fortification ring which used to surround Copenhagen, Denmark. Running along the full south-eastern perimeter of Christianshavn and Holmen, it used to form a protective barrier towards the island of Amager...
Danish Architecture Centre
Danish Architecture Centre
Danish Architecture Centre , DAC, is a communication and development centre for architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark...
Lille Mølle
Copenhagen Opera House
The Copenhagen Opera House
The Copenhagen Opera House is the national opera house of Denmark, and among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built with construction costs well over 500 million U.S. dollars...
Nyholm
Arsenal Island

Transport

Christianshavn metro station

Christianshavn station

Christianshavn Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro, served by the M1 and M2 lines. The station is located centrally in the Christianshavn district. It is located in fare zone 1 and opened in 2002. It is notable for having a different layout than other underground stations on...

is located at Christianshavns Torv at the intersection of Christianshavn Canal and Torvegade. The station serves both the M1

M1 (Copenhagen)

M1 of the Copenhagen Metro, colored green on the map, runs from Vanløse to Vestamager. It connects the Ørestad neighborhood of Copenhagen, Denmark, to the city center. The line is elevated while traveling through Øresund, while it runs in a tunnel below the city center...

and M2 lines

M2 (Copenhagen)

M2 is a line of the Copenhagen Metro, colored yellow on the map. It runs from Vanløse to Lufthavnen through the center of Copenhagen, sharing track with the M1 from Vanløse to Christianshavn. The line was built along with M1 as part of the redevelopment of Ørestad. The principle of the line was...

of the Copenhagen Metro

Copenhagen Metro

Copenhagen Metro is a rapid transit system serving Copenhagen, Frederiksberg and Tårnby in Denmark. The system opened between 2002 and 2007, and has two lines, M1 and M2. The driverless light metro supplements the larger S-train rapid transit system, and is integrated with DSB local trains and...

.

The 901 & 902 lines of the Copenhagen Harbour Buses

Copenhagen Harbour Buses

The Copenhagen Harbour Buses is a system of water buses along the harbourfront of Copenhagen, Denmark, operated by Movia which is also operating the regular buses in the city...

have a stop at Christianshavn at the end of Knippelsbro.

Christianshavn in culture

The Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn appears in a chapter of Jules Verne

Jules Verne

Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...

's A Journey to the Center of the Earth. The character Axel is made climb the winding spire for five consecutive days by his uncle to cure him of his Acrophobia

Acrophobia

Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...

before their descent into the volcano

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

.

Christianshavn has been immortalised in the then extremely popular Danish 1970s television series "Huset på Christianshavn

Huset på Christianshavn

Huset på Christianshavn was an 84-part television drama series broadcast in Denmark between 1970 and 1977. It was produced by the Nordisk Film company for the national broadcasting corporation, DR...

" (English: The House on Christianshavn), one of Danish television’s most popular shows ever.

The action of Peter Høeg

Peter Høeg

Peter Høeg is a Danish writer of fiction. He received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1984.-Early life:Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark...

's novel Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow sets off in the public housing projects

Public housing

Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...

'Det Hvide Snit' (English: The White Cut, popular Danish for leukotomy

Lobotomy

Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...

) in Christianshavn.

Christianshavns Kanal, named for the canal, is the last track on Danish band Gasolin'

Gasolin'

Gasolin was a Danish rock band from Christianshavn in Copenhagen formed by Kim Larsen, Franz Beckerlee and Wili Jønsson in 1969. Their first drummer was the late Bjørn Uglebjerg. He was replaced by Søren Berlev in 1971...

s 1973 debut album Værsgo

Værsgo