Reventlowsgade

Reventlowsgade was originally called Tømmerpladsvej (Lumberyard Road). The name was a reference to the extensive storage yards for timber and firewood that were locate at Kalvebod Beach and along the street.[1] The 16 individual timber yards were owned by the city but leased by some of Copenhagen's largest timber merchants., including Andreas Collstrop, Jørgen Thomsen Bech, Lars Larsen and Carl Hieronimus Gustmeyer. Tømmergraved, a canal situated approximately where the city's Western Hospital was later built, provided access to the area by ship.

The British bombardment in 1807 depicted by Heinrich Wensler, a royal livjæger and copperprint engraver who was posted at Tømmerpladsvej during the assault.

The timber yards burned to the ground during the British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807. Jørgen Bech alone suffered a loss of 30,000 Danish rigsdaler which was not covered by Kjøbenhavns Brandforsikring as the fire insurance did not cover force majeure such as war damage.[2] As of 16 June 1809, the number of wholesale merchants in Copenhagen had increased to 173 (cf. list below).[2]

A building at the lumberyards, approximately where the corner of Reventlowsgade and Tietgensgade is today, c. 1865

The area continued to be used as timber yards throughout the 19th century. At the corner with Vesterbrogade stood a large, four-winged property (Vesterbrogade 9) owned by Andreas Collstrop and involved with the management of the lumberyards.[3] The neighbouring building at No. 11 was owned by C. F. Hintze, a gardener, whose market gardens occupied most of the land between the lumberyards and Viktoriagade.[4]

The guardhouse at the corner of Reventlowsgade and Rietgensgade photographed by Frederik Riise in around 1899.

29 August 1907: Reventlowsgade with the new Central Station under construction.

In around 1880, it was finally decided to redevelop C. F. Hintze's market gardens.[4] In 1881, Tømmerpladsvej and two other streets, one on each side, werereenamed Reventlowsgade, Bernstorffsgade and Colbjørnsensgade. The three streets were named after Andreas Peter Bernstorff, Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow and Christian Colbjørnsen, three of the driving forces behind the peasant reforms of the 1780s. The last timber yards were decommissioned in 1899. The last building associated with the timber yards to be demolished was a small guardhouse situated at the corner of Eeventlowsgade and Tietgensgade (then still known as Vestergade's extension).[5]

The northwest side of the street was over the next years built up with typical five-storey buildings. A new Copenhagen Central Station opened on the other side of the street in 1911.

In 1915, Reventlovsgade 10 belonged to wholesale merchant K ai Quaade chjørring. Teventlovsgade 18 belonged to ship-owner Christian Valdemar Schou, and Reventlovsgade 22–24 belonged to master carpenter Hans Ferdinand æarsen.[6]

The first section of Reventlowsgade was originally separated from Banegårdspladsen (th soace in front of the Central Station) by a wall. The extremely narrow site was later used for the construction of Hotel Terminus. (now Hotel Astoria).

The street was refurbished in conjunction with the opening of the new City Circle Line metro station in 2019. In 2022, a plan was presented for partly opening up Copenhagen Central Station's facade towards the street with new cafés and shops. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.[7]