Frederiksberg (Danish pronunciation: [fʁeðʁeksˈpɛɐ̯ˀ]) is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality,[1] separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen.[2][3] It occupies an area of less than 9 km2 and had a population of 103,192 in 2015.[4]

Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Palace seen from the park
Official logo of Frederiksberg
Coordinates: 55°40′N 12°32′E / 55.667°N 12.533°E / 55.667; 12.533
CountryDenmark
RegionCapital (Hovedstaden)
MunicipalityFrederiksberg
Government
 • MayorMichael Vindfeldt [da]
Area
(co-extensive with its municipality)
 • Total
8.7 km2 (3.4 sq mi)
Population
 (2015)
 • Total
103,192
 • Density11,861/km2 (30,720/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (Central Europe Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2
Websitewww.frederiksberg.dk

Frederiksberg is an enclave surrounded by Copenhagen Municipality. Some sources ambiguously refer to Frederiksberg as a quarter or of Copenhagen,[3] being one of the four municipalities in Copenhagen zone (the other three being Copenhagen, Tårnby and Dragør).[5] However, Frederiksberg has its own mayor and municipal council, and is fiercely independent.

Frederiksberg is an affluent area,[3] characterised by its many green spaces such as the Frederiksberg Gardens, Søndermarken, and Hostrups Have.[6] Some institutions and locations that are widely considered to be part of Copenhagen are actually located in Frederiksberg. For example, Copenhagen Zoo as well as several stations of the Copenhagen Metro (the stations Forum, Frederiksberg, Fasanvej, Lindevang, Flintholm, Axel Møllers Have, and Frederiksberg Allé) are located in Frederiksberg. The Copenhagen S-train system also has several stations in Frederiksberg, including Peter Bangs Vej station and Flintholm station.

History

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The British Bombardment of 1807. Lower right: soldiers with cannons; Frederiksberg Palace. Background: Amager and the Øresund
 
Julius Thomsens Square with St. Mark's Church at back

Frederiksberg's original name was Tulehøj, a combination of the Danish words thul (thyle) and høj (high),[7] indicating that a thyle lived there, the reciter of eldritch times.[further explanation needed] The term is known from the Snoldelev rune stone.[8] In Beowulf, Unferth holds the same title. In Håvamål, Odin himself is referred to as "the old thul".[9] Thula translates as "song", like in the Rigsthula poem from the Edda. By 1443 the name Tulehøj was spelled Tulleshøy. It was regarded as Copenhagen's border to the west.[10] People have lived in the area since the Bronze Age.

The history of Frederiksberg goes back to 2 June 1651 when King Frederik III gave 20 Danish-Dutch peasants the rights to settle at Allégade (from the words allé (tree-lined street) and gade (street)), and founded the town then named "Ny Amager" (New Amager) or "Ny Hollænderby" (New Dutchman-town). Farming was not very successful, and in 1697 most of the town burned down. This meant that the peasants were unable to pay taxes, and the land reverted to the crown by Frederik III's son Christian V.

In 1700–1703, King Frederik IV built a palace on top of the hill known as Valby Bakke (bakke = hill). He named the palace Frederichs Berg, and the rebuilt town at the foot of the hill consequently changed its name to Frederiksberg. A number of the local houses were bought by wealthy citizens of Copenhagen who did not farm the land, but rather used the properties as country houses.

The town changed slowly from a farming community to a merchant town, with craftsmen and merchants. During the summer, rooms were offered for rent, and restaurants served food to the people of Copenhagen who had left the cramped city for the open land, and to be near the royals.

Initially the town grew slowly with population growing from 1,000 in 1770, to 1,200 in 1800, and to 3,000 in 1850.

In 1852, Parliament removed restrictions which prohibited permanent construction outside Copenhagen's city walls. Almost immediately numerous residential areas were constructed, starting in the eastern part near Copenhagen, and ending in the western part farthest away from Copenhagen in 1950. This led to rapid population growth; in 1900 the population reached 80,000, and in 1950 Frederiksberg peaked with a population of 120,000.

Today Frederiksberg consists almost entirely of 3- to 5-story residential houses, large single-family homes, and large parks; only a few small areas with light industry remain.

Geography

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Fredericksberg's location inside Copenhagen's municipality area
 
Frederiksberg Have
 
Frederiksberg Allé

Frederiksberg, which lies west of central Copenhagen, is completely surrounded by boroughs forming part of the city of Copenhagen – the result of an expansion of the Copenhagen Municipality's boundary in 1901, which nevertheless did not include Frederiksberg in the list of municipalities to be incorporated in the enlarged area. Frederiksberg is thus effectively a municipal island within the country's capital – a unique phenomenon in present-day Europe. Other than administratively, however, it is largely indistinguishable in character from the districts of Copenhagen city which surround it.[3]

Frederiksberg has several stations on the Copenhagen Metro system, and is home to the tallest residential structure in Denmark and the second tallest residential building in Scandinavia: the 102-metre high Domus Vista.

Culture

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The Danmark Rundt cycling race traditionally finishes on Frederiksberg Alle, often in a sprint finish.

Education

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Frederiksberg houses the University of Copenhagen's Frederiksberg Campus, Copenhagen Business School, 9 public schools (run by the municipality), 3 private schools, 1 technical college, and more.

The Lycée Français Prins Henrik, a French international school, is in Frederiksberg.[11]

Shopping

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The 3 streets Gammel Kongevej, Godthåbsvej, and Falkoner Alle are the busiest shopping streets. The town also houses the Frederiksberg Centret shopping mall.

Main sights

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Demography

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
17691,030—    
17871,143+11.0%
18011,172+2.5%
18402,304+96.6%
18502,874+24.7%
18608,164+184.1%
187016,878+106.7%
188026,510+57.1%
YearPop.±%
189046,954+77.1%
190176,231+62.4%
191197,237+27.6%
1921104,815+7.8%
1930106,251+1.4%
1940113,208+6.5%
1950118,993+5.1%
1960114,285−4.0%
YearPop.±%
1970101,874−10.9%
198088,287−13.3%
198588,030−0.3%
199085,611−2.7%
199588,002+2.8%
200090,327+2.6%
200591,886+1.7%
2015103,192+12.3%

Transport

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Metro in Frederiksberg
 
Cycling route

The town is served by the Frederiksberg station and the Fasanvej station, opened in 2003 on the Copenhagen Metro. It serves the M1, M2 and M3 (the City Circle Line) lines and is connected with bus services.

The S-Train urban rail and suburban rail network can be reached through Peter Bangs Vej station, Fuglebakken station and Grøndal station.[12]

Notable people

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Arts and writing

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Gerda Wegener, 1904

Acting and entertainment

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Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1965

Politics and public office

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Viggo Kampmann, 1960

Science and design

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Kaare Klint, c. 1945

Sport

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Per Lyngemark, (left) 1968

Twin towns

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Frederiksberg practices twinning on the municipal level. For the twin towns, see twin towns of Frederiksberg Municipality.

References

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  1. ^ "Is Frederiksberg part of the City of Copenhagen?". kk.dk. The City of Copenhagen. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Areas of Copenhagen". visitcopenhagen.com. VisitCopenhagen / Wonderful Copenhagen. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Guide to Frederiksberg in Copenhagen". visitcopenhagen.com. Wonderful Copenhagen. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016. Frederiksberg is a fashionable part of Copenhagen with excellent shopping opportunities and green spaces.
  4. ^ "Statistikbanken Table FOLK1". Statistikbanken.dk. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Regioner, landsdele og kommuner. v 1.0: 2007-". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 6 June 2018. See also: Provinces of Denmark.
  6. ^ "Hostrups Have, Falkoner Allé". Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Gravhøien paa Dyrehavegaard" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Runer og Runesten - Nationalmuseet". natmus.dk. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  9. ^ "de beste bron van informatie over normanni i. Deze website is te koop!". normannii.org. Retrieved 14 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Rostgaard: Dend Kongelige Residents= og Stabel=Stad Kiøbenhavn". Eremit.dk. 17 March 2002. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  11. ^ "Plan d’accès" Archived 2015-04-27 at the Wayback Machine/Sådan finder du skolen Archived 2015-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. Lycée Français Prins Henrik. Retrieved on 21 April 2015. "Federiksberg Alle 22A, 1820 Frederiksberg, Denmark"
  12. ^ "S-tog stationer i København, Danmark | Nelso" (in Danish). Nelso.dk. Retrieved 14 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Jeanette OPPENHEIM". European Parliament. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
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