It's the cobblestone square in front of Copenhagen's Court House. The New Square (Nytorv) connects with the Old Square (Gammeltorv) to form a grand marketplace. It's actually where they hold the city's H.C. Andersen Christmas Market every year. It's the perfect location since it's all woven together with the main pedestrian shopping street known as Strøget. Although, I must say that Nytorv wasn't as lively as Gammeltorv during the time we were there on a Saturday morning.
Our walking tour brought us through this area. The history of the square dates back to 1610. The great fires in the 18th century destroyed 2 or 3 of their City Halls here. Maybe more? I don't know for sure. The building that you see today is the one designed and built in 1815 by architect Christian Frederik Hansen. It served as a combined City Hall and Court House as well as a jail. It's now just a district court house. The octagon-shaped platform in front of it marks the spot where public executions took place. It was installed in 1993 as a reminder of its dark history.
Honestly though, I think the coolest part was seeing the old Art Nouveau style telephone & newspaper kiosk. You'll find these copper-roofed gems randomly at squares throughout the city. The one here is now a coffee shop named Taarnet på Nytorv. I mean, you're going to pass through it all at some point during your exploration. You might as well enjoy some coffee while soaking it all in. Just enjoy that beautiful weather while you can. read more