The telephone kiosk at Kongens Nytorv

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Copenhagen's first telephone kiosk

By Birgitte Wistoft, Mag.art. i klassisk arkæologi fra Københavns Universitet, 1977 (5 stories)

The concept of telephone boxes originated in cities such as Paris. The kiosks were erected as manned advertising columns with posters on the side windows. The first was built in 1896 at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen and was designed by architect Fritz Koch. It had a granite base, wooden relief work, a copper roof and a turret clock. Another kiosk like this stands at Kultorvet. The kiosk at Kongens Nytorv is now a scaled-up model designed by Martin Jensen and erected in 1913. One relief shows an aeroplane flying over the city skyline. The picture is probably in memory of the first flight over Copenhagen made by Alfred Nervø on 3 June 1910.

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Famous gang burgles kiosk

Story written by Birgitte Wistoft

Time / Periode 1896

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The kiosk on Kongens Nytorv is immortalised on film in the Olsen Gang's last exploits from 1974. The gang tries to break into it to steal its takings. One of the characters, Benny, expects to find a fat wad of money because tourists buy a lot of blue magazines featuring naked ladies that cost a whopping DKK 23.50 each. Magazines and newspapers became the old telephone kiosks' most profitable goods after telephone boxes began popping up in Copenhagen in 1935. The kiosks sold everything from weekly magazines to postage stamps and also delivered letters and parcels. But back when the kiosks were first built, telephone services were the main activity. They gave the man on the street the chance to speak on the phone without taking out an expensive subscription. They only paid for their talk time in the kiosk.