City Hall Square, Copenhagen
City Hall Square in Copenhagen is a large public square right in front of the City Hall. It’s a busy spot for events, celebrations, protests, and demonstrations, and people often use it as a central reference point to measure distances around the city.
The square sits at the southwestern end of Strøget, the city’s big pedestrian street. Strøget connects to Kongens Nytorv and passes Gammeltorv/Nytorv and Amagertorv along the way. On the opposite side of Strøget, Vesterbrogade goes toward Vesterbro and eventually Frederiksberg. H. C. Andersens Boulevard and Vester Voldgade run by the square on either side of the City Hall. Nearby buildings include Politikens Hus (headquarters of the Politiken newspaper) and Industriens Hus (headquarters of the Danish Employers’ Association).
City Hall Square sits where Copenhagen’s old hay market and the Western City Gate of the fortifications once stood. When the fortifications were removed in the 1850s, the area was turned into an exhibition space. The Nordic Exhibitions of 1872 and 1888 were held here. Vilhelm Klein built the first exhibition building (1870–1872). In 1879 the center became a large domed exhibition hall.
In 1888 the hay market moved to Halmtorvet outside Kødbyen. The main venue of the Nordic Exhibition of 1888 was a large timber structure with a big dome. The young architect Martin Nyrop, who later designed the City Hall, was involved. In the 1880s plans to build a new City Hall began, and the area was cleared in 1889 for the project. Nyrop, Vilhelm Dahlerup, and Valdemar Koch were among the architects; the design was inspired by Siena’s Piazza del Campo. The foundation stone for the City Hall was laid on 28 July 1894, and the building opened in 1905. The square in front of it became one of Copenhagen’s most important spaces.
The square was redesigned in 1995–1996 by KHR Architects for Copenhagen’s year as European Capital of Culture. The Strøget connection was simplified, uniting the two sides of the square, and a bus hub was added on the north side. Work on a metro station began in 2010 and the station opened on 29 September 2019. The central area covers about 9,800 square meters.
Today the square is a common place for demonstrations and street performers. There are several bars and nightclubs nearby, and it also houses one of the city’s main bus hubs.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:58 (CET).