Gammelholm

Facts

Monumental Copenhagen

By Søren Bitsch Christensen, Ph.d. i historie (21 stories)

Copenhagen's Gammelholm (literally the old islet") got its name in 1859 when the Navy moved its shipyards to Nyholm ("the new islet"). By then Gammelholm had been the home of the Navy for 300 years. Between 1861 and 1877, it was converted to a residential district following the blueprint of architect and politician Ferdinand Meldahl. Meldahl was interested in testing his aesthetic, architectural and political ideas and surrounded the neighbourhood with straight roads reminiscent of Parisian boulevards that ended at large squares known as "points de vue". The design was intended as a way to give Copenhagen a monumental feel and instil a sense of respect in its citizens. The streets were named for naval heroes such as Peder Tordenskjold, probably the country's most famous naval commander. "

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Story written by Søren Bitsch Christensen

Time / Periode 1859 1884

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The changes imposed on the former naval base and its open channels were so thorough that Gammelholm became a key issue in the discussions about urban development. Author Jacob Davidsen, in 1881, used a dialogue between two of his characters to reflect the attitudes of the day. While one character opined that the Copenhagen he once new was disappearing, the other wrote: I should just like to say that the new neighbourhood in Gammelholm, with its palatial buildings, its luxuriant theatre splendidly situated on Kongens Nytorv - and the museums and galleries and the lavish boulevards, defies all description." But there were those who were critical of the development. Among them author Carl Møller, who wrote in his 1884 novel "Paa Farten" (On the Go), that it was "... completely unacceptable to build houses like that here in Gammelholm". "