Valby | |
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 Single family detached homes south ofValby Langgade | |
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| Coordinates:55°39′39″N12°30′13″E / 55.66083°N 12.50361°E /55.66083; 12.50361 | |
| Country | Denmark |
| Region | Capital Region of Denmark |
| Municipality | Copenhagen Municipality |
| Postal code | 2500 |
Valby ([vælpyˀ]ⓘ) is one of the 10 officialdistricts ofCopenhagen Municipality, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner ofCopenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single-family houses andallotments, plus the remaining part of the old Valby village, around which the district has formed, intermingled with past and present industrial sites.
Valby Hill marks the boundary between Valby and the more central and urban neighbouringVesterbro district. The expression "west of Valby Hill" is in Danish often used as ametonym for "the provinces" or "outside Copenhagen". Separated from the rest of Copenhagen byVestre Cemetery, Denmark's largest cemetery, towardsVesterbro/Kongens Enghave andSøndermarken-Frederiksberg Gardens towardsFrederiksberg, theCarlsberg brewery site, and areas of low density, Valby retains a certain air of 'independence', or isolation, even today. With the progressing redevelopment of the Carlsberg area into a new lively, high-density neighbourhood, this is likely to change. Other former industrial sites are also under redevelopment and Valby is today one of the districts in Copenhagen with the fastest growing population.
Valby covers an area of 9.23 km2 and has a population of 46,161, giving a population density of 5,002 per km2.[1] The district is bounded byKongens Enghave andVesterbro to the east,Frederiksberg to the north,Vanløse to the north-east andHvidovre Municipality to the west, while Kalvebod Beach, the shallow-watered area just south of Copenhagen Harbour, separates it from the island ofAmager to the south.
The most distinctive geographical features of the district areValby Hill in its north-eastern corner andHarrestrup Å which marks its western boundary. Valby also borders onDamhus Lake in its extreme north-western corner.
TheDanshøj tumulus, along with many other archeological finds in the area, provides evidence that the Valby area has been inhabited since ancient times.[2] Modern Valby has developed around the two villages of Valby and Vigerslev. The first recorded mention of the name Valby is from 1186, asWalbu,[3] but the history of both settlements probably goes back considerably longer. Valby means "village/house on the plain". In the earlyMiddle Ages both villages came underUtterslev,[4] a Crown estate which included most of the area aroundHavn, the small market town which later became Copenhagen.
In 1167,Valdemar I granted both Havn and the Utterslev estate to theBishop's Seat of Roskilde but in 1417 the villages came under the Crown once again when KingEric VII made Copenhagen a royal possession.[5]
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Both during the civil war leading up to the Reformation (1533–1536) and during theAssault on Copenhagen in theSecond Northern War, Valby was faced with almost complete destruction (1658–60), leading to deep poverty for the communities.
In 1682, Valby had 13 farms and 25 houses with no more land than a modest garden. The produce from this intensely cultivated area was, in fierce competition with theAmager farmers, sold on the market atAmagertorv inCopenhagen, where KingChristian IV had granted the Valby farmers trading privileges.[4]
At the time, the Valby community did not have its own church but instead, since 1628, belonged to Hvidovre Parish.[6] In 1675,Hvidovre Church was extended with aValby nave, both to bring symmetry into the design and to accommodate a wish among the citizens of Valby not to mingle with the Hvidovre farmers.[7]
In the 17th century, the road toRoskilde was taken through Valby and an inn opened. The first holder of the license was Hans Pedersen Bladt, a skillful merchant who was elected mayor of Copenhagen in 1675.
Valby also profited from the proximity ofFrederiksberg Palace which was constructed from 1699 to 1703 atop Valby Hill as a new summer residence for KingFrederick IV. The royal presence in the area brought along more activity in the village. It is said that QueenMarie Sophie, consort of KingFrederick VI, often rode through Valby, handing out candy to the children.[3]
In 1721, the king granted the community new trading privileges and aRytterskole, a precursor of the Danish public school, was built the following year. Valby became particularly associated with raising poultry which theValby women sold beside theCaritas Well onGammeltorv in Copenhagen. The trade took place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which were market days, until 1857.[8]
In 1776, theroad to Roskilde was given a new course, a direct continuation ofVesterbrogade across Valby Hill, with the effect that it bypassed Valby to the detriment of the inn and other businesses.
Instead Valby began to develop into an area where members of the bourgeoisie took up summer residency, a practice which spread from adjoining Frederiksberg. One of the first to arrive in Valby proper was the actor James Price who spent his first summer there in 1795, shortly after his arrival in Denmark. He was followed by other members of the bourgeoisie.
When the first railway out of Copenhagen opened in 1847, a 30 kmrailway line to Roskilde, it had anintermediate station slightly east of whereValby railway station lies today. The station was originally meant to serve mostly leisure trips to nearby Frederiksberg; it had a booming traffic in the railway's first years, which however dwindled as the novelty wore off. The station was closed in 1864 when thesecond main station in Copenhagen opened and the railway was rerouted throughFrederiksberg railway station instead.
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During the construction of the new railway, when the tracks were dug through Valby Hill, a natural spring was discovered. This attracted the brew masterJ. C. Jacobsen to the site and he founded hisCarlsberg Brewery in 1847 on the eastern slopes of the hill. In 1882,Carl Jacobsen,J. C. Jacobsen's son, opened his own brewery at a neighbouring site after a controversy with his father. Over the following decades both breweries grew and were later merged.
Carl Jacobsen also became the driving force behind Valby's first church, the largeJesus Church, which he financed with money he inherited from his father. The new church was consecrated on15 November 1891 but it remained under Hvidovre Parish for another decade.[6]
In 1901, the Valby area was transferred toCopenhagen Municipality and became increasingly urbanized, with both new residential areas and industry.Ole Olsen established theNordisk Film film studios in 1906. The following year theDanish Cotton Factories opened theirValby Spinning Mill in central Valby. Other companies established in the area early in the century wereCarl Aller'sAller Press andC.F. Rich & Sønner, a manufacturer ofcoffee substitutes.F L Smidth & Co relocated its activities to a huge site in central Valby in 1956.
The remains of Old Valby are located in the northern part of the district onValby Langgade, the old road to Roskilde, which today extends from Carlsberg, as the continuation of Pile Allé, and runs west along the municipal border with Frederiksberg until it finally joins the new Roskildevej atDamhus Lake.
The centre of modern-day Valby is the area aroundToftegårds Plads which was refurbished in 2011. New facilities on the square includeball cages, aclimbing wall made out of glass and a mobile stage.[9] Valby Cultural Centre,Valby railway station andSpinderiet shopping centre are all located next to the square, the latter with direct access to the station platforms. Two major arteries connect to the square. Vigerslev Allé extends west along the railway tracks fromEnghavevej, at the border betweenVesterbro andKongens Enghave, and passes Toftegårds Plads before turning into Allingevej at the intersection withHvidovrevej further west.Gammel Køge Landevej extends south and forms part of the secondary route 151.
The White Houses in Valby (Danish:Den Hvide By i Valby), also known as Trekanten (lit. "The Triangle"), is one of several developments ofbuilding society houses in theValby district ofCopenhagen,Denmark and are located on the south side ofValby Langgade and the streets Søndre Allé, Nordre Allé and Østre Allé. They are similar to anotherdevelopment of white houses in Frederiksberg.
Valby Arbejderes Byggeforening (English:Valby Workers' Building Society) was founded on 17 May 1898 and quickly acquired an approximately five-hectare, triangular site from a local farmer forDKK 47,000. The 34-year-old architectChristian Mandrup-Poulsen was commissioned to design the development and the foundation stone for the first house was set on 26 November 1899.[10] All of the development's original houses were then built between 1899 and 1903.
Mandrup-Poulsen's plan created three tree-lined avenues—Søndre Allé, Nordre Allé and Østre Allé—which form a large "A" off the south side of Valby Langgade. The development consists of a total of 81 houses of which 77 are double houses and four are single houses. Each house contained originally two apartments, one for the owner and one for a tenant. Mandrup-Poulsen created seven different house types but all were white with red tile roofs and green window frames and fences. Most have details in red brick.
TheDanish Maritime Authority and theDanish Maritime Accident Investigation Board have their head offices in Valby.[11][12]
Located off Gammel Køge Landevej,Valby Sports Park contains amulti-purpose stadium which is mainly used for football. A new aquatics centre is currently under construction and will open on February 2+12.[clarification needed][needs update]
The major green spaces in the district areValby Park, the largest park in Copenhagen, andVigerslev Park which runs alongHarrestrup Å and the western boundary of the district, fromGammel Køge Landevej in the south toRoskildevej at the Damhus Lake with theDamhus Meadow in the north. The Carlsberg area also contains two historic gardens one of which is now open to the public.
Some major plans for the Valby district include:
Boldklubben Frem (also known as Frem, BK Frem or BK Frem Copenhagen) is a popular football club based in Valby-Sydhavnen. Frem plays its home games atValby Idrætspark. Since its foundation in 1886, Frem has won the Danish Championships six times and the Danish Cup twice. Frem fans are especially known for unconditional love and support.
Valby is well served byS-trains.Valby station is centrally located next toToftegårds Plads. It is located where theTåstrup andFrederikssund radials diverge, and is served by trains on either radial. Some regional and intercity trains also stop at Valby, mainly to provide transfers to the Frederikssund S-trains.Langgade station near Valby's eastern border withKongens Enghave is also located on the Frederikssund line.
Ny Ellebjerg station is becoming a major hub which serves as an interchange station between theKøge radial and thering line which connects the station toHellerup station north of Copenhagen through the suburbs.Danshøj station serves mainly as an interchange station betweenB trains (on the Tåstrup radial) andF trains on the ring line. Other stations in Valby serving the ring line areÅlholm station andVigerslev Allé station.
The 1989 Swedish-Danish drama filmThe Miracle in Valby takes place in Valby. Also, in theOlsen-banden films, the eponymous gang lives in Valby.
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Authority control databases: Geographic |
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