The Making of a Modern Metropolis: The History of Copenhagen 1800-1920

By Curator, ph.d. Jakob Ingemann Parby, Museum of Copenhagen

During the 19^th century, Copenhagen underwent dramatic changes. The size and population of the city more than quadrupled which changed the way its citizens lived, worked and thought. Based on new research, this course unfolds Copenhagen’s transition from a fortified and condensed city of the Golden Age – and home of writers such as Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard – to a sprawling, almost boundless city following the release of the military grounds surrounding the old town in 1852.

The course particularly focuses on the characteristics of the five new suburbs, which emerged in the intense decades following the dismantling of the city’s fortification: Vesterbro, Nørrebro, Frederiksberg, Amagerbro and Østerbro. The histories of these five neighbourhoods are similar, but each of them still have their own visible trademarks.

The course combines two lectures with two city walks in Vesterbro and Amagerbro.