Sankt Hans Torv
Encyclopedia
Sankt Hans Torv is a public square
in the heart of the Nørrebro
district of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It is dominated by a large granite sculpture by Jørgen Haugen Sørensen and is known for its thriving café scene. St. John's Church
, the largest church in Nørrebro, is located just east of the square.
Nørre Allé and Blegdamevej are the largest streets extending from the square which is located just off Nørrebrogade, not far from The Lakes.
s which used to surround Copenhagen when it was a fortified city. The square was originally a cattle market for the livestock which grazed on Blegedam Common as well as the adjoining Northern and Eastern Commons. It takes its name from St. John's Church
which was completed on a site just east of the square in 1861. As the surrounding area was redeveloped into a dense residential neighbourhood and traffic increased, the square was reduced to a large road junction.
programme which sought to prompt the ongoing gentrification
of the area. It was designed by Sven-Ingvar Andersson and Henrik Pøhlsgaard for City Architect Otto Käszner and completed in 1993. The project concentrated traffic along three sides and created a slightly undulating public space with granite paving.
Public Square
Public Square is the central plaza in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It takes up four city blocks; Superior Avenue and Ontario Street cross through it. Cleveland's three tallest buildings, Key Tower, 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower, face the square...
in the heart of the 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:...
district of 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 is dominated by a large granite sculpture by Jørgen Haugen Sørensen and is known for its thriving café scene. St. John's Church
St. John's Church, Copenhagen
St. John's Church is a church located next to Sankt Hans Torv in the heart of the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark...
, the largest church in Nørrebro, is located just east of the square.
Nørre Allé and Blegdamevej are the largest streets extending from the square which is located just off Nørrebrogade, not far from The Lakes.
History
The site used to be part of Blegedam Common, one of the commonCommon land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
s which used to surround Copenhagen when it was a fortified city. The square was originally a cattle market for the livestock which grazed on Blegedam Common as well as the adjoining Northern and Eastern Commons. It takes its name from St. John's Church
St. John's Church, Copenhagen
St. John's Church is a church located next to Sankt Hans Torv in the heart of the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark...
which was completed on a site just east of the square in 1861. As the surrounding area was redeveloped into a dense residential neighbourhood and traffic increased, the square was reduced to a large road junction.
Sankt Hans Torv today
The current square was established in 1993 as part of an urban renewalUrban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
programme which sought to prompt the ongoing gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
of the area. It was designed by Sven-Ingvar Andersson and Henrik Pøhlsgaard for City Architect Otto Käszner and completed in 1993. The project concentrated traffic along three sides and created a slightly undulating public space with granite paving.