Stroget

Stroget is not one street but a chain of them running about 1.1 kilometres from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv, closed to cars in 1962 in an experiment that was expected to fail and instead became a model copied across Europe. It is the commercial spine of Copenhagen, with international chains at the western end and older Danish houses, including the porcelain and silver names, toward the east, and it passes through several squares: Gammeltorv and Nytorv with the old courthouse, Amagertorv with its stork fountain, and Hojbro Plads. Side streets north into the Latin Quarter and south toward the canals are generally more interesting than the main run. Street performers work the squares through the summer.

History

The chain of streets, known as Ruten until the late 19th century, has been at the heart of the city for most of its history, and its layout dates from 1728, when Frederiksberggade was laid out after a fire; most of the buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the oldest from 1616. Inspired by new pedestrian streets in Germany, it was closed to traffic on some days at Christmas in the 1950s, and on 17 November 1962 it was made a pedestrian zone as a temporary trial, made permanent in 1964. The idea was controversial, many merchants fearing it would drive away business, but it quickly proved a success, and further streets and squares were cleared of cars in 1968, 1973 and 1992, so that the pedestrian network grew from about 15,800 square metres to about 100,000. In 1993 Amagertorv was resurfaced in a granite pattern designed by Bjørn Nørgaard (Wikipedia, Strøget).

The main sights

• A 1.1-kilometre pedestrian chain - one of Europe's earliest car-free streets.
• Amagertorv and the stork fountain - the central square on the route.
• Old Danish houses - porcelain and silver names at the eastern end.
• The side streets - the Latin Quarter and canal lanes off the main run.

When to go

Year round. Two hours with stops. Mornings before the shops fill, or evenings when the crowds thin but the windows are lit. December brings Christmas markets in the squares and heavy crowds.

What to expect

It is a shopping street and largely international chains for much of its length. Crowding in summer and December is heavy. Pickpocketing is a known problem in the squares. Prices are high and the cafes on the main run are not the city's best.

Nearby

City Hall is at the western end; Nyhavn is a short walk from the eastern.

Key facts