Sankt Annæ Plads

The garden complex with the statue of C. F. Tietgen

Sankt Annæ Plads (English: St. Ann's Square) is a public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and the Frederiksstaden district in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which extends inland from the waterfront, at a point just north of the Royal Danish Playhouse at the base of the Kvæsthusbroen pier, until it meets Bredgade. The unusual shape is due to the square's past as a canal similar to nearby Nyhavn. Amaliegade, one of the two axes on which Frederiksstaden is centered, extends from the square.

The square has a central garden complex along its length with an equestrian statue of Christian X of Denmark facing Bredgade.

History

From canal to square

Sankt Annæ Plads in c. 1848

Sankt Annæ Plads was originally the site of a canal which continued along present-day Bredgade and Esplanaden, surrounding Sophie Amalienborg.[1] The Royal Naval Hospital, the oldest building today located on the square, was built in 1686 to the design of Hans van Steenwinckel the Youngest.

The square was created when the canal was filled in the 1750s in connection with the foundation of the ambitious new Frederiksstaden district.[2]

The central garden complex was established in 1852. It was the result of one of the first successful initiatives of the recently founded Society for the Beautification of Copenhagen.[2]

DFDS arrives

From 1871 DFDS was headquartered in the former Royal Naval Hospital and for the next one hundred years they would dominate the square with hectic activity around the clock, both with passengers and goods.[1]

20th and 21st century

The equestrian statue of Christian X was added to the garden complex in 1954. It was designed by Einar Utzon-Frank.

Eventually first cargo ships and later also passenger boats disappeared from the area. In 2003 the Royal Naval Hospital building was acquired by the Danish Nurses' Organization which has since been headquartered in it. The neighbouring building, originally built by DFDS in 1890, has since 1871 housed the JL Foundation which owns the J. Lauritzen shipping company as well as 56% of DFDS.[1]

In 2014 a major renovation began, with a scheduled completion in 2016. The stated aims of the renovation were to provide a better experience for pedestrians and cyclists, as the waterfront project of Kvæsthusmolen plans to draw more activity to the area.[3] The project resulted in the removal of some of the trees that lined the center of the street, although more trees are due to be planted in their place.

Notable buildings

Prince William Mansion on the corner of Amaliegade

A number of buildings on the square date from back when it was first established. These include the symmetrically arranged twin houses at No. 7–9 (1750) and the Jegind House at No. 16 (now the Swedish Embassy), which were all designed by Nicolai Eigtved who also created the masterplan for Frederiksstaden. The Prince William Mansion at No. 13 was completed in 1751 by an unknown architect but has later been extended with an extra floor.

DFDS' former headquarters

Slightly younger are Andreas Hallander's building at No. 10 (1785, listed)[4] and city builder Jørgen Henrich Rawert's two consecutive homes at No. 5 and No. 11, built in 1796 and 1801 respectively.[5]

Other buildings are in the Historicist style at date from the second half of the 19th century. Listed in 1932, No. 1–3 was built between 1847 and 1849 to designs by Gustav Friedrich Hetsch as an extension of the Lindencrone Mansion on Bredgade.[6] Also listed is No. 2, on the opposite corner with Bredgade, which completed by Niels Sigfred Nebelong in 1866. The Neo-Gothic mansion at No. 17 was built in 1868 as winter residence of the Knuthenborg counts. The former DFDS headquarters at No.24–28 was designed by Albert Jensen. He also designed the original home of the Brock School of Commerce on the other side of the square, at No. 19, which is from 1891.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sankt Annæ Plads". JL-Fondet. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  2. 1 2 "Sankt Annæ Plads". Dansk Arkitektur Guide. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  3. ↑ "Sank Annæ Project" (in Danish). Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Sankt Annæ Plads 10" (in Danish). indenforvoldene.dk. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  5. ↑ "Sankt Annæ Plads 11" (in Danish). indenforvoldene.dk. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  6. ↑ "Sankt Annæ Plads 1-3-3a-b" (in Danish). indenforvoldene.dk. Retrieved 2013-03-06.

External links

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Coordinates: 55°40′53″N 12°35′29″E / 55.6815°N 12.5915°E / 55.6815; 12.5915

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