Dyssebroen
Encyclopedia
Dyssebroen is a pedestrian and cycle bridge
located in the area known as Freetown Christiania
in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It connests the Christianshavn Side
main portion of the community to its more 'rural' Amager Side
backdrop across Stadsgraven
, the former moat
of the Christianshavn Rampart
which formed part of the Bastioned Fortification Ring
which used to guard the city.
was founded in 1971, the bridge became the main link between the two parts of the community, the larger and more 'urban' Christianshavn side and the smaller and more 'rural' Amager Side.In the 1990s it became clear that the bridge was in strong need of thorough restoration. When it was dismantled it turned out that it was hit even harder with rot than had first been assumed and that a brand new bridge was needed. A team of German
Journeymen
from Ax & Kelle was engaged in the project and construction started in April 1998. Ten journeymen spent a total of 2,500 hours over a period of three month before the bridge was completed.
. The bridge has two semi-circular projections lined by benches along the way.
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
located in the area known as Freetown Christiania
Freetown Christiania
Not to be confused with Christiania, Norway, another name for Oslo.Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It connests the Christianshavn Side
Christianshavn
Christianshavn is an artificial island neighbourhood located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in the early 17th century by Christian IV as part of his extension of the fortifications of Copenhagen. Originally it was laid out as an independent privileged merchant's town with inspiration from...
main portion of the community to its more 'rural' Amager Side
Amager
Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...
backdrop across Stadsgraven
Stadsgraven
Stadsgraven is the canal which separates Christianshavn from the rest of Amager in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was originally a moat located in front of the Christianshavn Rampart as part of the city's Bastioned Ring Fortifications....
, the former moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
of the Christianshavn Rampart
Christianshavns Vold
Christianshavns Vold is a former rampart which was part of the bastioned fortification ring which used to surround Copenhagen, Denmark. Running along the full south-eastern perimeter of Christianshavn and Holmen, it used to form a protective barrier towards the island of Amager...
which formed part of the Bastioned Fortification Ring
Fortifications of Copenhagen (17th century)
The fortifications of Copenhagen underwent a comprehensive modernization and expansion in the 17th century. The project was commenced and largely masterplanned by Christian IV in the early 17th century but continued and completed by his successors...
which used to guard the city.
History
A timber bridge was constructed at the site in the beginning of the 20th century, built to a particularly robust design because it catered for heavy military traffic. When Freetown ChristianiaFreetown Christiania
Not to be confused with Christiania, Norway, another name for Oslo.Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen...
was founded in 1971, the bridge became the main link between the two parts of the community, the larger and more 'urban' Christianshavn side and the smaller and more 'rural' Amager Side.In the 1990s it became clear that the bridge was in strong need of thorough restoration. When it was dismantled it turned out that it was hit even harder with rot than had first been assumed and that a brand new bridge was needed. A team of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Journeymen
Journeyman years
The journeyman years refer to the tradition of setting out on a journey for several years after completing apprenticeship as a craftsman. The tradition dates back to medieval times and is still alive in German-speaking countries...
from Ax & Kelle was engaged in the project and construction started in April 1998. Ten journeymen spent a total of 2,500 hours over a period of three month before the bridge was completed.
Design
The intact underwater parts of the old bridge was preserved and used as a foundation for the new bridge which is constructed in Douglas timberDouglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
. The bridge has two semi-circular projections lined by benches along the way.
See also
- Cycling in CopenhagenCycling in CopenhagenCycling in Copenhagen is - as with most bicycling in Denmark - an important means of transportation and a dominating feature of the cityscape, often noticed by visitors. The city offers a variety of favorable cycling conditions — dense urban proximities, short distances and flat terrain...
- Parks and open spaces in CopenhagenParks and open spaces in CopenhagenCopenhagen is a green city well endowed with open spaces. It has an extensive and well-distributed system of Parks that act as venues for a wide array of events and urban life. As a supplement to the regular parks, there are a number of congenial public gardens and some cemeteries doubling as parks...