| Copenhagen Police Headquarters | |
|---|---|
Københavns Politigård
| |
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Politigården |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical and Nordic Classicism |
| Location | Copenhagen |
| Current tenants | Police of Denmark |
| Construction started | 1918 |
| Completed | 1924 |
| Owner | Copenhagen Municipality |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 (above ground) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Hack Kampmann and Aage Rafn |
The Copenhagen Police Headquarters building (Danish: Københavns Politigård) is located on Polititorvet southwest of the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed by Hack Kampmann and Aage Rafn in 1924 in the Neoclassical style, often referred to as Nordic Classicism,[1] it was completed in 1924.[2]
Until late in the 19th century, the area around today's Police Headquarters was part of Kalvebod Beach. After the quayside had been established, construction began on the Glyptotek and Vestre Hospital. In 1906, a street plan was drawn up for the area which at the time was known as the Rysensteen Quarter. It was decided in 1916 that the state and Copenhagen Municipality should together construct a building there for the Copenhagen police which had until then been headquartered in the Copenhagen Court HouseonNytorv.[3]
Hack Kampmann (1856–1920) was commissioned to design the building in the summer of 1918. Work on the foundations began in August of that year with 3,816 reinforced concrete piles. He was assisted in the work by several other architects including Aage Rafn (1890–1953) and Holger Jacobsen and his son Hans Jørgen Kampmann. Rafn exerted considerable influence on the design of the building. Hack Kampmann, who died in June 1920, did not live to see the completion of his building in early 1924.[3]
The building is said to be the last example of Neoclassical architecture in Northern Europe. It typically juxtaposes squares and circles, light and darkness and the horizontal with the vertical.[4] Its interior is inspired by the Renaissance architecture of southern Europe and by Baroque decorations. There are also features based on Roman craftsmanship and on Art Deco. The outside of the building is intentionally austere, intensifying the attraction of the colourful, well-formed features inside, including dark terrazzo flooring and oversized door and window frames so meticulously crafted. The round courtyard, 45 m (148 ft) in width, is surrounded by a colonnade consisting of 44 Doric columns. The small square-shaped courtyard, dominated by eight colossal pillars, contains a sculpture of the "Snake Killer" (Slangedræberen) by Einar Utzon-Frank.[4] Rafn was inspired by the warehouses of London's dockland in designing the building's facade.[3][5]
When it opened in 1924, the building was a masterpiece of its genre. It was nonetheless the subject of considerable criticism by those who felt it was an anachronistic symbol of power at a time when Functionalism was becoming the style of the times.[4]
55°40′15″N 12°34′20″E / 55.6707°N 12.5722°E / 55.6707; 12.5722
