The Liberty Memorial Monument, Vesterbrogade, Copenhagen

Facts

The Vesterbro obelisk

By Hanne Fabricius, Cand.phil. arkæolog, ph.d.-stipendiat (13 stories)

The Liberty Memorial Monument was erected to mark that adscription, a form of serfdom, was gradually abolished from 1788 to 1800. Completed in 1797, the monument comprises a 20-metre obelisk made of blocks of red sandstone from the Danish island of Bornholm with inscriptions. It rests on a base of Norwegian marble. White marble statues adorn each of the four corners symbolising four virtues: Agricultural Diligence, Civic Virtue, Valour and Fidelity. A team of artists led by Nikolaj Abildgaard created the monument, which rests on a plinth of Bornholm sandstone. In 1999, a thorough renovation project was completed and the Liberty Memorial Monument was unveiled with a new obelisk and replacement copies of the original statues.

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The Liberty Memorial Monument moves aside

Story written by Hanne Fabricius

Time / Periode 1788 1797

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The Liberty Memorial Monument was erected on a roundabout on the busy road leading to Vesterport, the western gateway into Copenhagen. The monument, surrounded by trees, was passed by farmers from local villages and butchers from Vesterbro with their wagons piled high with goods bound for market. However, in 1904 the state passed a law to improve the Copenhagen railway network by building a brand new central station and excavating new tracks. Sadly, the Liberty Memorial Monument and its old roundabout stood right in the path of progress. So after a heated debate, it was dismantled and re-erected 5.3 metres farther in towards City Hall Square on the new railway bridge – though without the beautiful trees and roundabout.