Nyhavn
Encyclopedia
Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv
to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse
, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbour", the canal has many historical wooden ships.
from 1670-73, dug by Swedish war prisoners from the Dano-Swedish War 1658–1660
. It is a gateway from the sea to the old inner city at Kongens Nytorv
(King's Square), where ships handled cargo and fishermens' catch. It was notorious for beer, sailors, and prostitution. Danish author Hans Christian Andersen
lived at Nyhavn 18 for some years.
As ocean-going ships grew larger, Nyhavn was taken over by internal Danish small vessel freight traffic. After World War II land transport took over this role and small vessel traffic disappeared from the Port of Copenhagen, leaving Nyhavn largely deserted of ships.
In the mid-1960s, the Nyhavn Society (Danish: Nyhavnsforeningen) was founded with the aim of revitalising Nyhavn. In 1977, Nyhavn was inaugurated as a veteran ship and museum harbour by Overborgmester i København (Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor) Egon Weidekamp.
The southern side of Nyhavn (even numbers) has lavish mansions lining the canal, notably Charlottenborg Palace
at the corner of Kongens Nytorv.
, which received a donation of carefully restored ships from A. P. Møller, while the northern side of the canal was put at the disposal of the Nyhavn Society and privately-owned, still usable wooden ships.
Harbor ships include:
The great Memorial Anchor (Danish: Mindeankeret) at the end of Nyhavn, where it meets Kongens Nytorv, is a monument commemorating the more than 1,700 Danish officers and sailors in service for the Navy
, merchant fleet or Allied Forces
, who sacrificed their lives during World War II
. The Anchor was inaugurated in 1951, replacing a temporary wooden cross erected on the spot in 1845, and has a plaque with a monogram of King Frederik VII on it. The Memorial Anchor is from 1872 and was used on the Frigate Fyn (Funen), which was docked at Holmen Naval Base
during the Second World War. Every year on May 5th – Denmark’s Liberation day 1945 – an official ceremony is held to honour and commemorate the fallen at the Memorial Anchor.
Along its northern, sunnier side, Nyhavn is lined with bars and restaurants facing the harbor. Even in cooler weather the heartier types sit outdoors with a beer and a blanket over their legs, provided by the restaurant on each seat. Nyhavn serves as a hub of canal tours.
is located at the end of Nyhavn, though situated at the far end of the namesake square outside Magasin du Nord. The station is served by both lines M1
and M2
of the Copenhagen Metro
.
The Copenhagen Harbour Buses
has a stop at the mouth of Nyhavn. All four routes of the harbour buses, Routes 901, 902, 903 and 904, stop at the bus stop next to the Royal Playhouse
.
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...
. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv
Kongens Nytorv
Kongens Nytorv is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The finest and largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with a major extension of the fortified city, and has an equestrian statue of...
to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse
Royal Danish Playhouse
The Royal Danish Playhouse is a theatre building for the Royal Danish Theatre, situated on the harbour front in the Frederiksstaden neighbourhood of central Copenhagen, Denmark...
, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbour", the canal has many historical wooden ships.
History
Nyhavn was constructed by King Christian VChristian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
from 1670-73, dug by Swedish war prisoners from the Dano-Swedish War 1658–1660
Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)
The Dano-Swedish War of 1658–60 was a war between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. It was a continuation of an earlier conflict between the two belligerents which had ended just months earlier, after Sweden and Denmark brokered a peace agreement in Roskilde in 1658...
. It is a gateway from the sea to the old inner city at Kongens Nytorv
Kongens Nytorv
Kongens Nytorv is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget. The finest and largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with a major extension of the fortified city, and has an equestrian statue of...
(King's Square), where ships handled cargo and fishermens' catch. It was notorious for beer, sailors, and prostitution. Danish author Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
lived at Nyhavn 18 for some years.
In the mid-1960s, the Nyhavn Society (Danish: Nyhavnsforeningen) was founded with the aim of revitalising Nyhavn. In 1977, Nyhavn was inaugurated as a veteran ship and museum harbour by Overborgmester i København (Copenhagen’s Lord Mayor) Egon Weidekamp.
Buildings
The northern side of Nyhavn (odd numbers) is lined by brightly coloured townhouses built with wood, bricks, and plaster. The oldest house, at No. 9, dates from 1661.The southern side of Nyhavn (even numbers) has lavish mansions lining the canal, notably Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace
Charlottenborg Palace is a large town mansion located on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally built as a residence for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, it has served as the base of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts since its foundation in 1754...
at the corner of Kongens Nytorv.
Veteran Ship and Museum Harbour
Nyhavn Veteran Ship and Museum Harbour, occupying the inner section of Nyhavn, between the Nyhavn Bridge and Kongens Nytorv, is lined with old ships. From the foundation of the heritage harbour in 1977, the south side of the canal has been reserved for museum ships owned by the Danish National MuseumNational Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen is Denmark’s largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main domicile is located a short distance from Strøget at the center of Copenhagen. It contains exhibits from around the world,...
, which received a donation of carefully restored ships from A. P. Møller, while the northern side of the canal was put at the disposal of the Nyhavn Society and privately-owned, still usable wooden ships.
Harbor ships include:
- Lightvessel XVII Gedser Rev - lightvesselLightvesselA lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
built in OdenseOdenseThe city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
in 1895, in operation until 1972, then acquired by the National Museum and now serving as a museum ship. - Svalan af Nyhavn http://www.svalan.dk - galease built in Jungfrusund in 1924
- Anna Møller - galease built in RandersRandersRanders is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...
in 1906. - MA-RI - purpose-built smuggling ship built in 1920; boardedBoarding (attack)Boarding, in its simplest sense, refers to the insertion on to a ship's deck of individuals. However, when it is classified as an attack, in most contexts, it refers to the forcible insertion of personnel that are not members of the crew by another party without the consent of the captain or crew...
by custom authorities off Elsinore with smuggling goods aboard in 1923, then confiscated and sold on auction, then operated both as a fishing vessel and as a ferry between PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and BornholmBornholmBornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...
, again as a smuggling vessel. - Mira - two-masted schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
built in Fåborg in 1898, considered one of the finest ships of the Danish small vessel traffic of the time. For many years it transported chalkChalkChalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
from StevnsStevnsStevns is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 247 km², and has a total population of 21,892 . Its mayor is Paul Arne Sørensen, a member of the Venstre political party...
. The first ship on the north side of Nyhavn, coming from Kongens Nytorv. - The Boat Theatre - a lighter Lighter (barge)A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
-type bargeBargeA barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
built in Copenhagen in 1898, since 1972 operated as a theatre boat.
The Memorial Anchor
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters...
, merchant fleet or Allied Forces
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, who sacrificed their lives during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Anchor was inaugurated in 1951, replacing a temporary wooden cross erected on the spot in 1845, and has a plaque with a monogram of King Frederik VII on it. The Memorial Anchor is from 1872 and was used on the Frigate Fyn (Funen), which was docked at Holmen Naval Base
Holmen naval base
Naval Station Holmen is one of several naval stations of the Royal Danish Navy, supplementing the two Danish naval bases in Frederikshavn and Korsør....
during the Second World War. Every year on May 5th – Denmark’s Liberation day 1945 – an official ceremony is held to honour and commemorate the fallen at the Memorial Anchor.
Bars and restaurants
Transport
Kongens Nytorv metro stationKongens Nytorv station
Kongens Nytorv Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located under Kongens Nytorv plaza, in fare zone 1.-Station layout:...
is located at the end of Nyhavn, though situated at the far end of the namesake square outside Magasin du Nord. The station is served by both lines 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
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 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...
has a stop at the mouth of Nyhavn. All four routes of the harbour buses, Routes 901, 902, 903 and 904, stop at the bus stop next to the Royal Playhouse
Royal Danish Playhouse
The Royal Danish Playhouse is a theatre building for the Royal Danish Theatre, situated on the harbour front in the Frederiksstaden neighbourhood of central Copenhagen, Denmark...
.