KøbenhanskeMotiver_1587-1807

i COPENHAGEN FROM LAND AND SEA 1587 This double v iew is the oldest kn ow n reproduction of Copenhagen. A b o ve, w e see the city from V a lb y H ill, from where the h ighw ay turns and tw ists over the bridge at St. Jørgens lake, ending in V esterport (the w estern gate) at the centre o f the en gravin g. O utside the city, to the left in the foreground, St. Jørgens H ospital, a couple of post mills along the road, the place of execution on a low pro­ montory to the right, and a few scattered buildings shel­ tering under the tow n w a ll w h ich dates back to the late Middle A ges. A b o ve this rise the tow n 's roofs, towers, and spires. O n the left the h ea vy tow er o f St. Petri, while the tall steeple belongs to V o r Frue kirke (the Church of Our Lady). Then fo llo w to the righ t the convents of St. Gertrud and St. C lara, and N icolai Church. The right half of the picture is dom inated b y the tremendous Castle buildings. Below, the city seen from Am ager; in the fore­ ground ships at anchor in the G rønnegård harbour. From the isthmus on the right there w as a ferry across to Slots­ holmen. Opposite the isthm us w e have the entrance to Gammelbod harbour, and to the right o f that K ing Frede­ rik II's anchor sm ithy. To the far righ t Ø sterport (the eastern gate). The prepatory draw ings for these tw o en­ gravings are p robably rig h tly ascribed to Hans Knieper, the Court painter. The view from land reproduced p. 16. 2 COPENHAGEN FROM THE NORTHEAST 1596 The city is here seen as it looked imm ediately before Christian IV began his w idespread building projects. The engraving show s Copenhagen situated on a plateau, and in order to provide a better v iew o f Am ager, this island is placed in the air h igh above the city in the top left-hand corner. Two w ide roads lead to Ø sterport (the eastern gate, 5 )/ where Kongens N y to rv (the K in g's n ew square) is now. A ll this territory, w h ich is actu ally much more flat than expressed in this v iew , w as later enclosed b y the new ramparts and were to contain the northeast end o f the

city, called N y-K øbenhavn (New Copenhagen, see cat. no. 7). The palisades and the city w all run along w h at is now Gothersgade and Nørrevold. The fenced-in ensemble of buildings outside the ramparts in the foreground are T egl­ gården, and below it in the right-hand corner we see part o f the D anish Com pany's shooting range w ith the parrot's pole. The engraving is based on an unknow n prepatory draw ing, or possibly an engraving still to be found in the Council H all in the 1680s, printed in 1596 b y Caspar Illum inerer and Byens M aler (the city painter). The en­ gravin g was called "Københavns D elineatio." The panorama is taken from an im aginary point above Am ager, from w hich w e see the city against an extensive scenic background. The accession to the Throne of Chris­ tian IV in 1596 meant a number of important changes for the look o f the city. The city w all was replaced b y modern pentagonal bastions w hich can be seen b y the n ew Vester- vold (the western rampart) on the left, and on the right Ø stervold (the eastern rampart). The left h alf of the pano­ rama is dom inated b y the K in g's new n aval arsenal (1602- 06) w ith the parallelling armoury and provision depot - on land connected to the armoury of Christian III. Opposite the entrance we have the landmark sym bolizing Copen­ hagen, m arking a shoal in the harbour. Several n ew towers characterize the city skyline: from the left the T ow n H all (1610), Blåtårn (the blue tower) near the Castle (1596), the spires of the Church of O ur Lady and St. Petri Church, both completed c. 16x0, and the spires of the H elligånds­ kirken (the Church o f the H oly Ghost) and N icolai Church (1594 and 1610 respectively), both of w hich were paid for by Christoffer Valkendorf. A t Gammel Strand, a little to the left of the middle, there are typical crenellated gabled houses and a few large houses w ith gable attics. Slotshol­ men is connected to the city b y means of the Højbro and Holmen bridges (in the foreground). Near the form er the Exchequer can be seen, and to the right o f the latter w e see the anchor sm ithy situated on the large Bremerholm. A t 3 COPENHAGEN FROM THE SOU TH EA ST 1 6 1 1

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