St. Paul tidende. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1902-1928, 1919-05-23
The Free Port Of Copenhagen
By Georg Beeh.

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dinavian Reviews nIai-Juni ISSUED,
free port, because a comparatively
small part of the goods arriving at
New York from overseas are desti-
ned to be distributed to countries
outside the custom sphere Of the
United States. Copenhagen has one
more advantage, which is not neces-
sary, but very desirable, and that
is what | have pointed out above:
the water lanes leading up to it
ARE so deep that it can take in a
very large ship, while the lanes
leading from it are more shallow.
Free ports have been established
in various parts of the world.
The best known is the Free Port
of Hamburg, which had as its area
HE ErHHEFE
of interest Germany and the Scan
dinavian countries, but until the
building of the Kaiser Wilhelm
Canal the location of Copenhagen
was a advantageous as that Of
Hamburg. With the building Of
l /, E >. as -,
the Kiel Canal, it became possible
to ship goods from Hamburg
through this waterway to all the
Baltic and Russian ports, and it
was to meet this competition, which
was most dangerous to Copenha-
gen, hat the Free Port of Copen-
hagen was planned. It was built
partly with private capital and
partly with Government money, and
| the Government has an important
influence in the management, espe-
cially in the appointment Of the
Director.
When the Free Port was to be
built, there was a great discussion
about whether it should be placed
in the southern part Of the Copen-
hagen harbor, but as this would
have necessitated that all the ships
entering it would have to pass
through all Of the old ,harbor, it
was decided rather to build the
Free Port at the northern approach
to the city and to protect the entrance
against current and wind by a large
cement breakwater. It is Just OBJ
posite Trekroner, the we'll known
little fortress which played quite
an important part in the battle be-
tween the Danes and the English
in 1901, and the granite walls and
green slopes of which greet the
traveller from afar when he comes
to Copenhagen.
1t is quite interesting to note
that the cities having free ports
have increased their business con.
siderably more than those that have
none. For instance, the traffic or
Hamburg increased from 1892 tc
1906 with 107 per cent, and the
traffic on Copenhagen with III
per cent, while the traffic on Nal
mo and Stockholm only increased
with IS and 81 per cent. in the
same period.
The Free Port contained, before
the war, several big basins, some
with a depth of 80 and 81 fee,
of water. The ferry line between
Denmark and Sweden has its Dan.
ish station there. Those who have
been in Copenhagen will remembe,
the beautiful walk called LANCE.
linje running outside Of the MAR
dock, and behind Langelinje is thu
fence which surrounds the whole
L EA
Free Port. On the various piers
there are big warehouses, and al
the work is done with electric
winches and grain elevators, By
means Of which the big grain ship:
are discharged in a very short time
At the time when the Great WA
broke out, the size Of the Free
!'Jrt {. . corresnonded with t}it
trafic that vas .arr.cl on via c..
penhagen; in other words, the pier:
and basins were never, idle moi
overcrowded. Almost all the rea
estate within its confines was occu
pied partly by the above-mentionec
warehouses and partly BY industrial:
or manufacturing enterprises, which
made the Free Port their head:
quarters. Even before the wa,
broke out, however, plans wer,