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27-515: The canal traces its history back to the extension of Copenhagen's West Rampart following the Assault on Copenhagen in 1659 which had taken place there. To better protect Slotsholmen, at that time home both to the royal palace and the fleet, the West Rampart was extended well into the sea. The shallow-watered area between the extended rampart and Slotsholmen was filled to form a district which

54-526: A drawbridge or a lifting bridge ) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span , or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or double-leafed. The name comes from the French term for balance scale , which employs the same principle. Bascule bridges are the most common type of movable span because they open quickly and require relatively little energy to operate, while providing

81-571: A "Chicago" bascule) rotates around a large axle that raises the span(s). The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by Joseph Strauss of the fixed-trunnion. The rolling lift trunnion (sometimes a "Scherzer" rolling lift), raises the span by rolling on a track resembling a rocking-chair base. The "Scherzer" rolling lift is a refinement patented in 1893 by American engineer William Donald Scherzer . The rarer Rall type combines rolling lift with longitudinal motion on trunnions when opening. It

108-679: A Dutch relief fleet under Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam defeated the Swedish fleet in the Battle of the Sound and lifted the sea blockade so that supplies and an auxiliary army could reach the capital. The Dutch were an ally of Denmark from the Anglo-Dutch Wars and were afraid that Swedish control of the Baltic would ruin their profitable trade in this area. The Swedes began

135-557: A diverse mixture of weapons, ranging from muskets and arquebuses to morningstars , scythes , boiling water and tar had been readied for action. Craftsmen, students and other civilians were divided into nine companies, and each of these companies was allocated a part of the wall to defend. The professional soldiers were stationed at the outer field works, Kastellet (the Citadel) and Slotsholmen (the Castle Islet). The Dutch had

162-534: A force of 2000 soldiers in the city. The Swedish army consisted of about 9,000 professional soldiers, while the Danish defenders, a mixture of professionals, militia and raw civilians, were of an equal number. The Swedes started the action by making a diversionary attack at Christianshavn and Slotsholmen on the evening of 9 February. They were repulsed, and the Swedes left one of their assault bridges behind, which

189-512: Is named for the storming of the city in 1659 which led to the construction of the canal. A double arch bridge built in stone and connecting Zealand-side Stormgade to Vindebrogade on Slotsholmen, the current bridge was constructed in 1914 to a design by Martin Nyrop from 1898. The most notable bridge crossing the canal is Marble Bridge which provides access to Christiansborg riding grounds. The old main entrance and one of few surviving features of

216-627: The Battle of Copenhagen on 11 February 1659 was a major engagement during the Second Northern War , taking place during the Swedish siege of Copenhagen . During the Northern Wars , the Swedish army under Charles X Gustav of Sweden , after invading the Danish mainland of Jutland , swiftly crossed the frozen straits and occupied most of the Danish island of Zealand , with the invasion beginning on 11 February 1658. This forced

243-458: The first Christiansborg Palace which burned in 1794, the bridge was constructed from 1739 to 1745 with Nicolai Eigtved as principal architect. Prinsens Bro ( Prince's Bridge ), also known as Tøjhusbroen ( Arsenal Bridge ) after Christian IV's Arsenal on Slotsholmen, connects Ny Kongensgade to Tøjhusgade. The first bridge at the site was constructed in 1682 but the present one dates from the 20th century. Bryghusbroen ( Brewhouse Bridge ) spans

270-491: The Danes captured and measured. They found that the Swedish assault bridges were 36 feet long, and thus they realised that they could render these bridges useless by making the ice-free parts of the moats wider than that. The moats and the beaches had been kept free of ice, and now the ice free zones were widened to 44 feet with help from 600 Dutch marines. The ice was thick, and the work was done in heavy snowfall from 4 o'clock in

297-528: The Danes to sue for peace. A preliminary treaty, the Treaty of Taastrup , was signed on 18 February 1658, with the final treaty, the Treaty of Roskilde , signed on 26 February 1658, granting Sweden major territorial gains. The Swedish king, however, was not content with his stunning victory, and at the Privy Council held at Gottorp on 7 July Charles X Gustav resolved to wipe his inconvenient rival from

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324-599: The Frederiksholm area was built over with residential buildings. The most prominent of these is Prince's Mansion , originally built in 1681 but expanded and adapted for use as a residence for two consecutive crown princes in the middle of the 18th century. Barchmann Mansion was built in 1741 and originally rented out to foreign diplomats. A few buildings on the Slotsholmen side of the canal also addressed on Frederiksholms Kanal, including Staldmestergården and

351-632: The Second Northern War between Sweden and the alliance of Denmark-Norway and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . In conjunction with the Treaty of Roskilde, it ended a generation of warfare and established the present-day borders of Denmark and Sweden. 55°40′34″N 12°34′06″E  /  55.67611°N 12.56833°E  / 55.67611; 12.56833 Bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as

378-403: The afternoon till evening on 10 February. Spies reported that the Swedish army had moved from their camp, Carlstad , at Brønshøj and had taken up positions behind Valby Hill, and when the Swedes began their assault about midnight the same evening, they met heavy resistance. The main assaults were made against Christianshavn and Vestervold , but the chopped-up ice and the massed weaponry on

405-402: The map of Europe. Without any warning, in defiance of international treaty, he ordered his troops to attack Denmark–Norway a second time. The Swedish armies had never left Denmark after the peace and already occupied all of Denmark apart from the capital, Copenhagen. After a failed assault, Copenhagen was put under siege in the hope of breaking the defense by starvation. In October 1658 however

432-470: The moat, when they fell victim to a well-conducted ambush, and they withdrew with heavy losses. At about five in the morning the Swedes gave up and retreated. They had taken severe losses. Before the walls 600 bodies were counted, and many more had perished in the ice-cold water and were never found. On top of that there were many wounded. At least 900 wounded were sent to Köge and Roskilde för treatment. The Danes had only suffered about 14 dead. The Dutch in

459-498: The mouth of the bridge, between Christian IV's Brewhouse and the Brewhouse Site. It is a bascule bridge built in 1935 and originally also carried railway tracks for the harbour rail line but they were removed in 1972. It received its current name in 1963. The canal is home to a couple of large house boats . The most distinctive of these is Lightvessel No. XI, originally built in 1878 and later altered several times before it

486-425: The possibility for unlimited vertical clearance for marine traffic. Bascule bridges have been in use since ancient times, but until the adoption of steam power in the 1850s, very long, heavy spans could not be moved quickly enough for practical application. There are three types of bascule bridge and the counterweights to the span may be located above or below the bridge deck. The fixed- trunnion (sometimes

513-756: The siege with about 4,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and crew for about 50 cannons. They were organised into 11 brigades and 16 squadrons. After the Copenhageners had withstood about six months of siege , bombardments and attacks, the Swedes attempted to take the city by a grand assault, as a prolonged siege no longer offered any hope of success, now that the sea lanes had been opened by the Dutch. The Copenhageners had been forewarned by spies, so they had planned their defences well and stockpiled weapons and ammunition. The walls of Copenhagen bristled with about 300 pieces of cannon , mortars and other artillery , while

540-476: The small Faroese Warehouse . The latter was originally located on the other side of the canal but moved to the current location when the King's Brewery , until then based in its current neighbour, the building now known as Christian IV's Brewhouse , moved across the canal to minimize fire hazards. The new brewhouse was demolished in 1976 and the site, known as the Brewhouse Site, has remained undeveloped since then. It

567-473: The spring of 1659 sent a second fleet and army under Vice-Admiral De Ruyter to further reinforce the city and cut the Swedish supply lines so that the siege would have to be lifted altogether. After Nyborg had been taken by a Dutch-Danish force, the Danish Isles were abandoned by the Swedes. Negotiations were opened and the Treaty of Copenhagen was signed on 27 May 1660, and it marked the conclusion of

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594-457: The wall made the densely packed attackers pay a horrific toll in lives. Still, they fought their way to the top of the wall, and fierce hand-to-hand fighting broke out. When the Swedes realised that the assaults on the Western part of the wall were in trouble, the choice was made to make a supporting attack at Østerport . The Swedes got very close to Nyboder and were in the process of crossing

621-539: Was acquired by the Realdania foundation in 2005 and a mixed-use building designed by Rem Koolhass is expected to go under construction in 2013. The building will house Danish Architecture Centre , now based in Gammel Dok on the other side of the harbour, as well as offices and dwellings. Frederiksholms Kanal is spanned by four bridges, including Storm Bridge which separates it from Slotsholmens Kanal. The latter

648-486: Was also a sandpit where dredger deposited sand used for constructions around the city. The military storage facility Fæstningens Materialgård was established shortly after Frederiksholms Kanal had been dug but none of the original buildings exist today. The buildings remaining today are arranged around a central courtyard. The oldest of them is the Storage Keeper's House from 1740. The military storage facility

675-586: Was decommissioned and sold in 1977, after 99 years of service at various positions. The buyer was artist and designer Bo Bofils who adapted it for use as a house boat and moved it to its current location. A sister ship, Lightvessel No. XVII Gedser Rev , is owned by the National Museum and is based in Nyhavn where it serves as a museum ship . Assault on Copenhagen (1659) The Assault on Copenhagen ( Danish : Stormen på København ) also known as

702-401: Was given the name Frederiksholm. Frederiksholms Kanal was dug out in 1681. Part of the new Frederiksholm area was used for the storage of building materials which were used in the construction work, both military and civilian, which was constantly ongoing in the expanding city. Many materials arrived by ship and the location next to the canal where they could moor was therefore convenient. There

729-574: Was joined by Civiletatens Materialgård in 1771, a civilian storage facility, consisting of a small cluster of yellow-washed buildings. in 1792 followed the Royal Horse Guards Barracks . They were built on a strip of land formerly part of Civiletatens Materialgård . The barracks were hit by a fire in 1798 but rebuilt and after the Royal Horse Guards were disbanded and served as Artillery Barracks. Further inland,

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