Frederiksberg Kommune is a
municipality-Legal foundation of municipalities:The Constitution of Denmark states: "Article 82. The right of municipalities to manage their own affairs independently, under State supervision, shall be laid down by statute."-Municipal Reform:...
(
DanishDanish is one of the North Germanic languages , a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. It is spoken by around 6 million people, mainly in Denmark; the language is also used by the 50,000 Danes in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany where it holds the...
,
kommune) on the island of Zealand (
Sjælland) in
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
. It is part of the city of
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
. The municipality covers an area of 8,7 km² (869.8
hectareA hectare is a unit of area equal to , or one square hectometre , and commonly used for measuring land area....
s) and has a total population of 95,029 (2009), making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most populous one, and the most densely populated one. Its mayor is Jørgen Glenthøj, a member of the
Conservative People's PartyThe Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party. The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
(
Det Konservative Folkeparti).
The city of Frederiksberg is the only town in the municipality, and is therefore the site of its municipal council.
Frederiksberg is located as an enclave within the
municipality of CopenhagenCopenhagen municipality is the largest of the municipalities making up the city of Copenhagen. It lies at the center of Copenhagen and contains the old historic city. The municipality covers 91.3 km² , and has a population of 518,550...
, the national capital.
Frederiksberg Kommune is a
municipality-Legal foundation of municipalities:The Constitution of Denmark states: "Article 82. The right of municipalities to manage their own affairs independently, under State supervision, shall be laid down by statute."-Municipal Reform:...
(
DanishDanish is one of the North Germanic languages , a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. It is spoken by around 6 million people, mainly in Denmark; the language is also used by the 50,000 Danes in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany where it holds the...
,
kommune) on the island of Zealand (
Sjælland) in
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
. It is part of the city of
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
. The municipality covers an area of 8,7 km² (869.8
hectareA hectare is a unit of area equal to , or one square hectometre , and commonly used for measuring land area....
s) and has a total population of 95,029 (2009), making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most populous one, and the most densely populated one. Its mayor is Jørgen Glenthøj, a member of the
Conservative People's PartyThe Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party. The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
(
Det Konservative Folkeparti).
The city of Frederiksberg is the only town in the municipality, and is therefore the site of its municipal council.
Frederiksberg is located as an enclave within the
municipality of CopenhagenCopenhagen municipality is the largest of the municipalities making up the city of Copenhagen. It lies at the center of Copenhagen and contains the old historic city. The municipality covers 91.3 km² , and has a population of 518,550...
, the national capital. The municipality was originally situated west of Copenhagen, but after a number of smaller municipalities were merged with Copenhagen in 1901, it became completely surrounded by Copenhagen.
Frederiksberg was one of the three last Danish municipalities not belonging to a
CountyDenmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties , and 270 municipalities . On January 1, 2007, the counties were replaced by five Regions and the number of municipalities slashed to 98....
— the others being
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
and
BornholmBornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming...
. On 1 January 2007, the municipality lost its county privileges and became part of
Region HovedstadenThe Capital Region of Denmark is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger units, cutting the...
(i.e. the
Copenhagen Capital Region).
Frederiksberg municipality was not merged with other municipalities as the result of nationwide
Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007).
History
Frederiksberg's original name was
Tulehøj (=
ThyleA Thyle, was a position of the court associated with Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon royalty and chieftains in the Early Middle Ages. Most literary references are found in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon literature like the Hávamál, where Odin himself is called "the great thul", and Beowulf. It also...
-hill), indicating that a
thul (= thyle) lived there, the reciter of eldritch times. The term is known from the Snoldelev rune stone. In
BeowulfBeowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem of unknown authorship, dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between the 8th and the early 11th century, set in Denmark and Sweden...
, Unferth holds the same title. In Håvamål,
OdinOdin , is considered the chief god in Norse paganism and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon Wōden and the Old High German Wotan, it is descended from Proto-Germanic *Wōđinaz or *Wōđanaz.The name Odin is generally accepted as the modern translation; although, in some cases, older...
himself is referred to as "the old thul".
Thula translates as "song", like in the Rigsthula poem from the
EddaThe term Edda applies to the Old Norse Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, both of which were written down in Iceland during the 13th century. They are the main sources of medieval Norse mythology and skaldic tradition in Iceland...
. By 1443 the name Tulehøj was spelled
Tulleshøy. It was regarded as Copenhagen's border to the west. People lived here since the
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
.
The history of Frederiksberg goes back to June 2, 1651 when
King Frederik IIIFrederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He stands as the ruler who introduced absolute monarchy in Denmark.-Before becoming king:...
gave 20 Danish—Dutch peasants the rights to settle at Allégade (=
allé = tree-lined street,
gade = street), and founded the town then named "
Ny Amager" (= New
AmagerAmager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to Zealand by five bridges.-History:...
) or "
Ny Hollænderby" (= New Dutchman-town). Farming was not very successful, and in 1697 most of the town burned down. This meant that the peasants were unable to pay
taxTo tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law.Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es, and the land reverted back to the crown by Frederik III's son Christian V.
In 1700-1703,
King Frederik IVFrederick IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel .-Foreign affairs:...
built a
palaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome...
on top of the hill known as Valby Bakke (
bakke = hill). He named the palace
Frederichs Berg, and the rebuilt town at the foot of the hill consequently changed its name to Frederiksberg. A number of the local houses were bought by wealthy citizens of Copenhagen who didn’t farm the land, but rather used the properties as country houses.
The town changed slowly from a farming community to a merchant town, with craftsmen and merchants. During the summer rooms were offered for rent, and restaurants served food to the people of Copenhagen who had left the cramped city for the open land, and to be near the royals.
Initially the town grew slowly with population growing from 1,000 in 1770, to 1,200 in 1800, and to 3,000 in 1850.
In 1852
ParliamentA parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at...
removed restrictions which prohibited permanent construction outside Copenhagen's city walls. Almost immediately numerous residential areas were constructed, starting in the eastern part near Copenhagen, and ending in the western part farthest away from Copenhagen in 1950. This led to rapid population growth; in 1900 the population reached 80,000, and in 1950 the city peaked with a population of 120,000.
Today the city consists almost entirely of 3-5 story residential houses, large single-family homes, and large parks; only a few small areas with light
industryAn industry is the manufacturing of a good or service within a category. Although industry is a broad term for any kind of economic production, in economics and urban planning industry is a synonym for the secondary sector, which is a type of economic activity involved in the manufacturing of raw...
remain. On aerial pictures Frederiksberg stands out from the surrounding city of Copenhagen as a green area with few large roads. It is considered to be one of Copenhagen's more prestigious areas in which to live.
Main sights
- Frederiksberg Town Hall
thumb|250px|Frederiksberg Town HallFrederiksberg Town Hall in Frederiksberg, Denmark was built during the years 1942-53. In addition to administrative rooms, the Town Hall also has a Town Hall auditorium, grand ceremonial hall, Wedding Room, and an assembly hall and library for the Municipal Council...
- Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, was constructed during the period 1700-1735, serving as the royal family’s summer residence for a period up to the mid-1800s....
- Frederiksberg Park
Frederiksberg Park ) is one of the largest and most attractive greenspaces in Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjacent Søndermarken Park it forms a green area of 64 hectares at the western edge of Inner Copenhagen...
- Copenhagen Zoo
Copenhagen Zoo is a zoological garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. It comprises 11 hectares and located in the municipality of Frederiksberg, sandwiched between the parks of Frederiksberg Park and Søndermarken. With 1,161,388 visitors in 2008 it...
- University of Copenhagen Faculty of Life Sciences
The faculty previously known as the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is located in Frederiksberg, Denmark and was established in 1856. As of 1 January 2007, the University merged with the University of Copenhagen. The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is now a faculty under...
- Copenhagen Business School
Copenhagen Business School, also known as CBS, is one of the three largest business schools in Northern Europe and is situated in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business school is situated in Frederiksberg municipality. CBS has approximately 16,000 students and researchers and each year welcomes more...
- Royal Danish Army Officers Academy
The Royal Danish Army Academy educates and commissions all officers for the Royal Danish Army. The Army Academy function was initiated in 1713 by request of King Frederick IV on inspiration from the Naval Academy....
- Frederiksberg Hospital
Frederiksberg Hospital is a medium sized government owned general hospital located in Frederiksberg, Denmark. It has 380 beds and an emergency department....
Education
Frederiksberg houses
University of Copenhagen Faculty of Life SciencesThe faculty previously known as the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is located in Frederiksberg, Denmark and was established in 1856. As of 1 January 2007, the University merged with the University of Copenhagen. The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University is now a faculty under...
and
Copenhagen Business SchoolCopenhagen Business School, also known as CBS, is one of the three largest business schools in Northern Europe and is situated in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business school is situated in Frederiksberg municipality. CBS has approximately 16,000 students and researchers and each year welcomes more...
and also 9 public schools (run by the municipality), 3 private schools, 1 technical college and more.
Shopping
The 3 streets
Gammel Kongevej,
Godthåbsvej og
Falkoner Alle are the busiest shopping streets.
Demography
Population of Frederiksberg
(from 1979 January 1):
- 15.1.1769:1,030
- 1.7.1787:1,143
- 1.2.1801:1,172
- 1.2.1840:2,304
- 1.2.1850:2,874
- 1.2.1860:8,164
- 1.2.1870:16,878
- 1.2.1880:26,510
- 1.2.1890:46,954
- 1.2.1901:76,231
- 1.2.1911:97,237
- 1.2.1921:104,815
- 5.11.1930:106,251
- 5.11.1940:113,208
- 7.11.1950:118,993
- 26.9.1960:114,285
- 9.11.1970:101,874
- 1979: 88,835
- 1980: 88,287
- 1981: 88,167
- 1982: 88,047
- 1983: 88,409
- 1984: 88,114
- 1985: 88,030
- 1986: 87,616
- 1987: 86,558
- 1988: 85,814
- 1989: 85,327
- 1990: 85,611
- 1991: 85,817
- 1992: 86,372
- 1993: 87,173
- 1994: 87,466
- 1995: 88,002
- 1996: 88,789
- 1997: 89,230
- 1998: 89,507
- 1999: 90,227
- 2000: 90,327
- 2001: 91,076
- 2002: 91,322
- 2003: 91,435
- 2004: 91,721
- 2005: 91,886
- 2006: 91,855
- 2007: 92,234
- 2008: 93,444
Mayors
- Marius Godskesen (1919-1936)
- Vilhelm Fischer (1936-1948)
- Aksel Møller (1948-1950, 1954-1958)
- Arne Stæhr Johansen (1950-1954, 1958-1978)
- John Winther (1978-2000)
- Mads Lebech (2001-2009)
- Jørgen Glenthøj (2009-)
Twin towns — Sister cities
Frederiksberg Municipality is
twinnedSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
with:
TartuFor the French captain, see Jean-François TartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university....
, Estonia
UppsalaUppsala is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth largest city of Sweden with 144,839 inhabitants....
,
Uppsala länUppsala County is a county or län on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
Bærumis a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the coast west of the city...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
HämeenlinnaHämeenlinna is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and is the residence city for the Governor of the province of...
,
Etelä-SuomiThe Province of Southern Finland is a province of Finland. It borders the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also borders the Gulf of Finland and Russia.- Former provinces :...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
HafnarfjörðurHafnarfjörður or Hafnarfjordur is a port town located on the south-west coast of Iceland, about 10 km south of Reykjavík. It is the third most populous city in Iceland, after Reykjavík and Kópavogur, with a population of 26,003...
,
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...