Larsens Plads facts for kids

The historical warehouses along Larsens Plads viewed from the water.

Larsens Plads (which means Larsen's Place in English) is a cool waterfront area in Copenhagen, Denmark. It stretches along the Zealand side of the main harbor. You can find it from the Nyhavn canal in the south all the way up to the Nordre Toldbod area, which is just south of Langelinie.

The name "Larsens Plads" comes from a shipyard that used to be here. But later, it became super important for people leaving Denmark to start new lives in America. It was a big center for ships traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. Today, you'll see the famous Amalienborg Palace nearby, along with the beautiful Amalie Garden. There are also many old warehouses from the late 1700s that have been turned into new things. The buildings facing the water actually have their addresses on the street right behind them, called Toldbodgade.

History of Larsens Plads

From Timber to Shipyards

Larsen's Place painted by Carl Dahl in 1840.

This waterfront area was created by adding a lot of land to the harbor. This happened around 1719 and made the port bigger towards the north. At first, this new quay (a place where ships dock) was used to store timber. Ships would bring wood to the city, and it would be kept here.

Later, a fancy new neighborhood called Frederiksstaden was built nearby. People decided it was too risky to have timber yards so close to homes because of fire danger. So, the timber was moved away. Even with wealthy neighbors, the waterfront stayed busy with port activities.

In 1802, a rich ship owner named Lars Larsen bought the land. He started a shipyard there, and soon everyone just called the place "Larsen's Place" after him.

When Lars Larsen passed away in 1844, Jacob Holm bought Larsens Plads. He owned the biggest shipping company in Denmark at that time. He used Larsens Plads mainly for repairing ships.

A Gateway to America

Emigrants at Larsens Plads, a painting by Edvard Petersen from 1890.

In 1870, the shipyard closed down. A new port terminal was built there in 1879 by a company called the Thingvalla Line. This company started direct ship routes between ports in Scandinavia and America. This was great news for the many Scandinavian people who wanted to move to America. The Thingvalla Line offered them trips that were affordable, comfortable, and safe.

In 1898, another Danish shipping company, DFDS, bought the Thingvalla Line. The passenger service to America then became known as the Scandinavian America Line.

More Recent Times

The trips to America with the Scandinavian America Line stopped in 1935. Later, the quay area was used by Oslo Ferries, which had started in 1866. These ferries have since moved to a different terminal further north, at Amerika Quay.

Buildings to See

Larsens Plads is home to several historic warehouses:

• West Indies Warehouse (built 1780–81)
• Blue Warehouse (built 1781–83)
• Yellow Warehouse (built 1777–78)
• Double Warehouse (built 1785–87) – these were originally used to store grain.

Public Art

You can find some interesting art at Larsens Plads:

• An untitled sculpture by Søren Georg Jensen was placed at the quay in 1979.
• Outside the West Indies Warehouse, there is a copy of Michelangelo's famous David statue.