Sankt Annæ Plads

History

Sankt Annæ Plads was originally part of a canal which continued along present-day Bredgade and Esplanaden, surrounding Sophie Amalienborg. The Royal Naval Hospital was built by Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger on reclaimed land on the south side of the canal in 1686. It later moved to Christianshavn and the building was then used as poorhouse and later storage space. The Garrison Church was built in 1703–06.

The square was created when the canal was filled in connection with the foundation of the ambitious new Frederiksstaden district in circa 1750.

The central garden complex was established in 1852. It was the result of one of the first successful initiatives of the recently founded Society for the Beautification of Copenhagen. With the establishment of the Kvæsthus Pier at the end of the square, the site had become a hub for the new steam ferries that had behun to operate between the largest cities. The ferry company Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (The United Steam Gerry Companies) was from 1871 based in the former navel hospital. The building was later expanded.

The company would for the next many years dominate the square with hectic activity around the clock, both with passengers and goods. Eventually first cargo ships and later also passenger boats disappeared from the area. In 2003 the Royal Naval Hospital building was acquired by the Danish Nurses' Organization which has since been headquartered in it. The neighbouring building, originally built by DFDS in 1890, has since 1871 housed the JL Foundation which owns the J. Lauritzen shipping company as well as 56% of DFDS.

In 2014 a major renovation began, with a scheduled completion in 2016. The stated aims of the renovation were to provide a better experience for pedestrians and cyclists, as the waterfront project of Kvæsthusmolen plans to draw more activity to the area. The project resulted in the removal of some of the trees that lined the center of the street, although more trees are due to be planted in their place.

Notable buildings

A number of buildings on the square date from back when it was first established. These include the symmetrically arranged twin houses at No. 7–9 (1750) and the Jegind House at No. 1´5, which were all designed by Nicolai Eigtved who also created the masterplan for Frederiksstaden. Copenhagen Mason's Guild is geadquartered in No. 7 while No. 15 houses the Embassy of Sweden. The Prince William Mansion at No. 13 was completed in 1751 by an unknown architect but has later been extended with an extra floor.

Slightly younger are Andreas Hallander's building at No. 10 (1785, listed) and city builder Jørgen Henrich Rawert's two consecutive homes at No. 5 and No. 11, built in 1796 and 1801 respectively.

Other buildings are in the Historicist style that dominated Danish architecture in the second half of the 19th century. Listed in 1932, No. 1–3 was built between 1847 and 1849 to designs by Gustav Friedrich Hetsch as an extension of the Lindencrone Mansion on Bredgade. Also listed is No. 2, on the opposite corner with Bredgade, which was completed by Niels Sigfred Nebelong in 1866. The Neo-Gothic mansion at No. 17 was built in 1868 as winter residence of the Knuthenborg counts.

The former DFDS headquarters at No. 24–30 was designed by Albert Jensen. The two corner pavilions now houses the Rmbassy of Finland (No. 24) and the Danish Nurses' Organization (No. 30). No. 26–28 has housed the shipping company J. Lauritzen A/S as well as the Lauritzen Foundation, but they have moved and the building is now for sale (2016). Albert Jensen also designed the original home of the Brock School of Commerce on the other side of the square, at No. 19, which is from 1891.

The square is also home to two hotels. Hotel Skt. Annæ, a boutique hotel which reopened after a major renovation in 2016, is located at No. 18. Hotel Scandic Waterfront overlooks Ofelia Plads.

Public art and monuments

The Carl Frederik Tietgen was originally located at Vørsen but moved to its current site in 1904. It was designed by Tasmus Andersen. Another statue, depicting the composer Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann, was also installed on the square in 1904. It was designed by August Saabye.

The equestrian statue of Christian X, which faces Bredgade, was added to the garden complex in 1954. It was designed by Einar Utzon-Frank. A memorial with a bust of Franklin D. Roosevelt was unveiled at the square on 5 Mau 1953 to commemorate America's role in World War II. It is a copy of a bust created by Jo Davidson in 1933.

A bust of Herman Bang by Ingeborg Plockross Irminger from 1901 was installed on the square in 2012.