The1853 Copenhagen cholera outbreak was a severeoutbreak ofcholera which occurred inCopenhagen,Denmark in 1853 as part of thethird cholera pandemic. It killed about 4,800 people.
The outbreak has been blamed on the dismal sanitary conditions of the city, in combination with theoverpopulation caused by a ban on the expansion of urban development outside the area covered by thefortifications of Copenhagen. The outbreak lasted from June to October, 1853.
Among the changes in the city in the aftermath of the outbreak, was the decommissioning of Copenhagen's fortifications, the construction of a newBrown Meat District and theCisternerne to provide for a safer water supply, and the new housing development ofBrumleby inØsterbro under the directions of theMedical Society. It was Denmark's first example ofsocial housing.
Medical professionals had since the 1840s warned against the dismal sanitary conditions in the city as a combination of a lack of proper sanitary installations and services and increasingoverpopulation due to the ban of urban development outside the City Walls.[1]
The outbreak struck on11 June 1853 and lasted until October when it faded out. A total of 7,219 infections were reported of whom 4,737 (56,7%) died. From Copenhagen the outbreak spread to the provinces where 24 towns were hit and 1,951 people died.[2]
The cholera outbreak was a key factor in the decision to decommission Copenhagen's fortifications, although the step was long overdue and had been underway for decades. The cholera outbreak also contributed to the city's decision to build a new cattle market, the so-calledBrown Meat District, and a safer municipalwater supply.[citation needed]
It also resulted in several housing developments built by philanthropic organisations to provide healthy homes outside the city centre for people of few means. TheMedical Society completed the first stage of the housing development now known asBrumleby inØsterbro in 1857. They are considered Denmark's first example of social housing. TheClassenske Fideicommis acquired a three-hectare site inFrederiksberg in 1856 and constructed the Classen Terraces (De Classenske Boliger) between 1866 and 1881.[3]