page_title: Gammeltorv
section_title: Effects of the two fires
hierarchical_section_title: Gammeltorv / History / Effects of the two fires
caption_attribution_description: English: Detail of Gammeltorv from Christian Gedde's map of Vestre Kvarter in Copenhagen, Denmark
context_page_description: Gammeltorv is the oldest square in Copenhagen, Denmark. With adjoining Nytorv it forms a common space along the Strøget pedestrian zone. While the square dates back to the foundation of the city in the 12th century, most of its buildings were constructed after the Great Fire of 1795 in Neoclassical style. Another dominating feature is the Caritas Well, a Renaissance fountain erected by King Christian IV in 1610.
  Historically, Gammeltorv has been the focal point of Copenhagen's judicial and political life as well as one of its two principal marketplaces. Several former city halls have been located on the square or in its immediate vicinity. Surprisingly, its name is not a reference to adjoining Nytorv but to the slightly younger Amagertorv, Copenhagen's other major market in early times.
context_section_description: In the Great Fire of 1728, the town hall was among the many buildings lost to the flames. A new town hall was erected on its foundation, built to a design of Johan Conrad Ernst and Johan Cornelius Krieger in the Baroque style. To commemorate the tercentenary of the House of Oldenburg's accent to the Danish throne, the City Magistrate erected an octagonal memorial temple in the square in 1749.
  In the Copenhagen Fire of 1795 the city hall burnt down once again. After this it was moved to a site at Nytorv and the two earlier squares were merged to form one large, rectangular space. After the fire the buildings around the square were mainly rebuilt in the Neoclassical style typical of the time.
caption: Gammeltorv seen on Gedde's map of Copenhagen's Vestre Quarter
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