page_title: Hauser Plads
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Hauser Plads / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The site where Hauser Plads in Copenhagen is now located as seen on Gedde's district map from 1757.
context_page_description: Hauser Plads is a public square in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is separated from the larger, more well-known square Kultorvet by the former Copenhagen Central Library Building. A landscaped playground and Copenhagen Municipality's underground Cleaning Facilities Centre occupies most of the site since a renovation in 2011..
context_section_description: St. Gertrud's Cemetery was located at the site in the 16th century but the area was later built over. Hauser Plads was created as a result of the British bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, which resulted in large damages on the city centre. A working facility operated by the Poor Authority (Fattigvæsnet) had until then been  located on the site but it burned during the attack.
  In 1809, Conrad Caspar Hauser purchased some of the empty lots in the area. He was originally from Basel but had moved to Copenhagen after marrying the sister of the Danish ambassador to Algeria. The area where Hauser Plads is now located remained empty and was used for handling and storage of timber by the many craftsmen who worked on rebuilding the surrounding neighbourhood. Hauser's own house was completed in 1811.
  It was first proposed to establish a proper square at the site in 1818, mainly to release the pressure on Kultorvet, the city's coal market, which became very busy on market days. City architect Peder Malling created a plan for the area. Hauser proposed that a fountain be included in the plans, an idea which was supported by the fire brigade. City architect Peder Malling made a design proposal for the fountain, featuring a lion's head, but it was never built and it would take until 1939 before the square was completed.
  The square was formally called Suhrs Plads after the historian Peter Frederik Suhm who had lived at the site until his death in 1798 but this name never gained popularity. The square was instead colloquially known as Hausers Pladsand this name was used when the first street signs was installed.
  In the 1950s, the buildings on the west side were demolished to make way for the new Central Library. The buildings that disappeared were a house row from the 1830s. The new building was completed in 1957 to designs by.
  The square was renovated in 2011 as part of a project which also included Købmagergade and kultorvet. The design competition was won by Danish architectural firm Polyform in collaboration with Dutch Karres en Brands.
caption: The area where Hauser Plads is located as seen on Gedde's district mak from 1757
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