Brønshøj
Encyclopedia
Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

, forms, together with Husum
Husum (Copenhagen)
Husum is a mainly residential district in the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark. Named after a medieval village which has been all but replaced by 1900s development, it is located to the far northwest in the municipality, near the border to Herlev. Together with nearby Brønshøj it forms the...

, the administrative city district (bydel) of Brønshøj-Husum
Brønshøj-Husum
Brønshøj-Husum is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It lies on the northwest border of the municipality. It covers an area of 8.73 km², has a population of 39,588...

. Brønshøj lies on rising ground 4 km west of Copenhagen center and is bordered by the large wetland area of Utterslev Mose to the north. A number of ponds, lakes, and parks characterise Brønshøj. On its eastern edge, the ridgeline of Bellahøj provides extensive views over Copenhagen.

The first mention of the village Brønshøj (Brunshoga), is in a letter dated October 21, 1186 from Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 Urban III to Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

 Absalon
Absalon
Absalon was a Danish archbishop and statesman, who was the Bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and Archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and churchfather of Denmark in the second half of the 12th century, and was the closest advisor of King Valdemar I of...

. The church dates from approximately the same time.

In 1658-1660, during The Northern Wars
Northern Wars
Northern Wars is a term used for a series of wars fought in northern and northeastern Europe in the 16th and 17th century. An internationally agreed nomenclature for these wars has not yet been devised...

, the village and its immediate surroundings were transformed into a military fortress and town, named Carlstad
Carlstad
Carlstad was a short lived fortified town in Denmark built by the forces of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden during his siege of the Danish capital, Copenhagen, 1658 - 1660 AD. Carlstad's size rivalled the besieged Danish capital, reaching a peak of approx. 30,000 inhabitants. The modern Copenhagen...

 by the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...

 under the command of King Karl X Gustav. This town supported the Swedish siege of Copenhagen. The population reached c. 30,000, which was the same as that of Copenhagen itself. The siege ended on the death of Karl X Gustav, 13 February 1660. Evidence of the fortifications cannot be found in the landscape today, though many artifacts have been uncovered. Artifacts and models of Carlstad and the events surrounding its creation are found at Brønshøj Museum.

During the late part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century the rural village developed into a suburb of the growing metropolis
Metropolis
A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...

 of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

. In 1901, Brønshøj, together with several of the neighboring villages, was incorporated into the municipality of Copenhagen. Brønshøj contains some important examples of Danish housing types. In 1899, the cooperative housing area of Enigheden was begun as worker housing for the local dairy: this was followed in 1923 by the English Garden Village. In the 1950s, Denmark's first significant high-rise housing was built at Bellahøj. The great Danish Landscape Architect C.Th. Sørensen lived in one of the penthouses, known as rooftop villas, until his death.

Today, Brønshøj lies somewhat detached from the core areas of Copenhagen city and is not served by the S-train
S-Train
The S-train network is a combined urban rapid transit and suburban rail network of Metropolitan Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects the city center with the inner suburbs of Copenhagen, and has close to half of the stations within the urban city. The first line was opened in 1934...

 and Metro
Copenhagen Metro
Copenhagen Metro is a rapid transit system serving Copenhagen, Frederiksberg and Tårnby in Denmark. The system opened between 2002 and 2007, and has two lines, M1 and M2. The driverless light metro supplements the larger S-train rapid transit system, and is integrated with DSB local trains and...

networks. In the most significant current development, small workshops, car lots and other single-storey buildings are being demolished and replaced with new housing blocks, often over shops, along Brønshøj's main street, Frederiksundsvej. However, the area maintains a distinctive character generated by its topograhy, parks, and housing architecture.

External links

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