Gammelholm
Gammelholm(lit. 'Old Islet') is a predominantly residential neighbourhood in thecity centreofCopenhagen,Denmark.It is bounded by theNyhavncanal,Kongens Nytorv,Holmens Kanal,Niels Juels Gadeand the waterfront alongHavnegade.For centuries, the area was the site of the Royal Naval Shipyard, known asBremerholm,but after the naval activities relocated toNyholm(Danish: The New Islet), it came under residential redevelopment in the 1860s and 1870s. The new neighbourhood was planned byFerdinand Meldahland has also been referred to as "Meldahl's Nine Streets". Apart from the buildings which face Kongens Nytorv, which include theRoyal Danish TheatreandCharlottenborg Palace,the area is characterized by homogeneousHistoricistarchitecture consisting of perimeter blocks with richly decorated house fronts.
History
[edit]Bremerholm
[edit]
The area now known Gammelholm was originally a small island in the strait between Copenhagen andAmager,which became known as Bremerholm, probably named for the presence there of merchants and ship builders fromBremen,or simply as Holmen (Danish: The Islet).
In the beginning of the 16th centuryland reclamationsannexed the island toZealand[1]and in 1510, under the reign ofHans of Denmark,anavalshipyardwas established in the area. Aropewalkat the site is first mentioned in 1555 and ananchor forgewas built in 1563.
When KingChristian IVcommenced his modernization of thefortifications of Copenhagen,he extended the city'sEast Rampart,taking it straight through Bremerholm to the beach. Themoatin front of the rampart was later expanded to form theHolmen Canal,which was constructed as a new harbour for theRoyal Fleet,replacing theArsenal Harbourfurther south.[1]
In the first decades of the 17th century, Christian IV also built a considerable amount of housing for higher-ranked naval personnel at Bremerholm. This prompted a demand for a naval church, leading to the conversion of the anchor forge, now located on the far side of the Holmen Canal, into theChurch of Holmen.In 1631 the barracks at Bremerholm were supplemented byNyboderin the far north of Copenhagen which was built to satisfy the demand for housing for lower-ranked crew members of the nacy's vessels.
Around the same time, a large prison was inaugurated at Bremerholm. Much of the hard work in the shipyards was based onforced labourcarried out byconvictsfrom the facility.[2]
On the King's New Square
[edit]
WhenKongens Nytorv,the King's New Square, was established in 1670 and connected to the waterfront along Bremerholm's northern margin by theNyhavncanal, it meant that the city moved closer to the Royal Shipyard. In the years around 1780,Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløvebuilt a large palatial mansion on the corner of the square and the canal, the laterCharlottenborg Palace,andCaspar Frederik Harsdorffbuilt a house on a neighbouring site,Harsdorff's House,which was to serve as a model for other town houses in the city. The rope walk came to mark the boundary between the square and rest of Bremerholm.
The Old and New Islets
[edit]
In 1690, the Royal Naval Shipyard moved across the harbour toNyholm,theNew Islet,a newly reclaimed area north ofChristianshavn,although a number of activities and facilities remained at Bremerholm which from that on became known as Gammelholm, theOld Islet.Together, Gammelholm and Nyholm remained for a long time the largest employer in Denmark.[2]
In 1778 theUniversity of Copenhagen Botanical Gardenrelocated fromAmaliegadeto the garden behind Charlottenborg Palace.
It was at Gammelholm that theCopenhagen Fire of 1795broke out. It began in a coal and timber storage and spread along, jumped across the Canal of Holmen and spread to the area around St. Nicolas' Church before moving alongGammel Strandto the area aroundGammeltorvandNytorv.
Residential redevelopment
[edit]
In 1859 the Navy decommissioned their last operations at Gammelholm, and the area came under redevelopment as a residential neighbourhood according to a masterplan created byFerdinand Meldahl.[1]At the same time the Canal of Holmen was filled and converted into a prominent new street. Construction in the area began in 1861 and was completed in 1876.
Apart from the residential buildings, a number of new institutions and companies also settled in the area. A new building for theRoyal Danish Theatre,which had been located nearby since 1754, was built on the corner of Kongens Nytorv and the filled Holmens Kanal. A new building designed by Meldahl andLudvig Fengerfor the Royal Mint was completed in 1873 on land which was previously part Botanical Garden which had left the area in 1879.[3]
Architecture
[edit]Gammelholm was planned with broad streets inspired byParis,an inspiration Meldahl also relied on elsewhere, such as atSøtorvet.Typically of the time, the residential buildings were not designed by architects but the master builders who constructed them. The area was built up withperimeter blockswith elegant, richly decoratedHistoricistfronts facing the street but drab, grey rear sides.lotswere sold at very high prices and developers therefore utilized space to the utmost. In the courtyards extra buildings, without direct access to the streets, were constructed to a grey, and humble design, often only two metres apart. These 'rear houses' were demolished in the 1970s to make way for courtyard gardens.[1]
Gammelholm today
[edit]
Gammelholm is today a quiet residential neighbourhood. Even the boundary facing the otherwise lively Nyhavn canal is known as the 'quiet side of Nyhavn'.
Holberggade is the principal street which penetrates the area, while it most notable individual buildings are to be found along Kongens Nytorv. These include theRoyal Danish TheatreandStærekassenandCharlottenborg Palace.
Future development
[edit]Two under construction projects are likely to revitalize the area in the near future:
- Plans to transform Havnegade into apromenadeto revitalize the area was but the project was put on hold due to budget cuts in October 2008.[4]In the spring of 2011 construction of the project finally began and it is expected to be completed in December 2011.
- A pedestrian and cyclist bridge from Havnegade next to Nyhavn and across the harbour is planned. Eliminating the currentcul-de-saccreated by the unbridged mouth of Nyhavn will create more life along the quiet side of Nyhavn as well as along Havnegade. An architectural competition was settled in 2009, and the bridge is due to open in 2013.[5]
Transport
[edit]Kongens Nytorv metro station,served by both linesM1andM2of theCopenhagen Metro,is located in front ofMagasin du Nordat Kongens Nytorv, just outside the Gammelholm area. A number of bus routes also stop at Kongens Nytorv next to the metro station.
The904 lineof theCopenhagen Harbour Busesstop at Christian IV's Bro at the mouth ofSlotsholmens Canal,at the southern end of Havnegade and close to the Church of Holmen.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^abcd"Gammelholm"(in Danish). Gyldendal.Retrieved2009-11-25.
- ^ab"Bremerholm".Selskabet for Købbenhavns Historie. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-19.Retrieved2009-11-25.
- ^"Holbergsgade 23 / Herluf Trolles Gade 11"(in Danish). indenforvoldene.dk. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-24.Retrieved2011-10-05.
- ^"PROMENADE-PLANER AFLYST".Copenhagen X. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-19.Retrieved2009-11-25.
- ^"Telescopic bridge set for Copenhagen".World Architecture News.Retrieved2009-11-25.