The Copenhagen Town Hall and City Court

Facts

A Classical temple in Copenhagen

By Thomas Roland, Forhistorisk arkæolog, cand. phil. (14 stories)

The Copenhagen Town Hall and City Court building from 1805-15 was designed by the architect C.F. Hansen and replaced a town hall on the square, separating Gammeltorv and Nytorv. The old town hall was lost in the Copenhagen Fire of 1795. Its replacement was built along the side of the market square, as a presentable Roman-style 'forum'. Such forums also had a temple – and the people of Copenhagen were duly given a quasi-temple by the architect, whose impressive columned hall and pediment are a direct reference to temples of the Classical Age.

Partly a public place

Listen to the story
Share

Contribute to The Copenhagen Town Hall and City Court

Have you visited / Want to visit? Contribute to this place Add to route

Selected entry

Metropolitan oasis

Story written by Thomas Roland

Time / Periode 1805 1815

0 comments 0 recommendations

The City Court is the first building I recall from my childhood visits to Copenhagen. The six mighty columns etched themselves into my memory, as a fixed reference point in my personal map of Copenhagen. The building, which reeks of Classical Roman architecture, was perhaps one of the factors that led me to archaeology. Over time, the old building took on other associations. From hours of samba on the steps in the rain during the Whitsun carnivals of the 1980s to a convivial beer or a poignant moment of loneliness on the way home from town in the middle of the night. I think the City Court has universal appeal: to born-and-bred locals, out-of-towners and day-trippers.