Former name(s) | Torvet, Gammeltorv |
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Location | Indre By, Aarhus, Denmark |
Postal code | 8000 |
Coordinates | 56°09′27.5″N10°12′26.2″E / 56.157639°N 10.207278°E |
Lille Torv (lit. Little Square) is a cobbled public square located in the Indre By neighborhood in Aarhus, Denmark. [1] It is situated between the squares of Store Torv and Immervad in the historic Latin Quarter neighborhood and it is one of the oldest public squares in Aarhus. The streets of Vestergade, Guldsmedgade, Immervad and Badstuegade radiates from Lille Torv. It is today a venue for public events and gatherings in the city. The square is home to some notable buildings such as the storied Meulengracht's House and the listed Business- and Agricultural Bank of Jutland. [2]
Little Square was originally a swampy area outside the city walls of the medieval town. In c. 1200, the area was drained and in 1250 Little Square was established where major thoroughfares met. When Little Square had been established the street of Immervad was created, crossing the Aarhus River. The square today has roughly the same dimensions and proportions as when it was initially created in 1250. The name "Lille Torv" was applied to the square in the 1700s whereas it had previously been known as Gammeltorv (Old Square) or simply "Torvet" (The Square). Since the 1200s, Little Square, along with Great Square, has been one of the primary market squares in Aarhus. Weekly markets were held here up until the 1800s when farmers and traders from the catchment areas around the town would gather here and trade. In 1896, the city council closed the St. Oluf's Market and in the years after the rest of the markets in the city closed as traffic gradually increased and took over the public spaces. [2] [3]
In 1904, electrical trams started operating in Aarhus and Little Square became a hub where tram lines would intersect and trams would stop for breaks. Buses and trams had to negotiate Lille Torv to get through the narrow, curved streets of Guldsmedgade and Klostergade, eventually confining pedestrians to sidewalks. In the late 1990s, the Aarhus River was reopened, removing the former street of Åboulevarden that covered it in the process. In connection with this project it no longer made sense to have motorized traffic at Little Square and it again became the domain of pedestrians. [2] [4]
The central location of the square and the markets formerly held here meant it was a desirable location for merchants to establish themselves. Little Square is therefore home to several notable and storied merchant mansions. Meulengracht's House with address on Lille Torv 2 was built by the merchant Harboe Meulengracht in the late 1700s and was for a time the social focal point for the high society and even royalty. Today Meulengracht's House is home to stores. [5] [6] The Business- and Agricultural Bank of Jutland (Danish: Jysk Handels- og Landbrugsbank) is a listed building by the architect Sophus Frederik Kühnel featuring architecture relatively unique to Aarhus. Previously the square was also home to the Mayor's House (Borgmestergården) which was moved to Tangkrogen during the Danish National Exhibition of 1909 and afterwards to the Botanical Gardens where it became the first building in the Old Town Museum. [2]
Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately 187 kilometres (116 mi) northwest of Copenhagen.
Aarhus C is a postal district in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, consisting of the Inner city, Vesterbro, University of Aarhus, Frederiksbjerg, Langenæs and Aarhus Ø, with postal code 8000. The district is commonly defined as the area enclosed by the ring road of Ring 1, and in the west by the Aarhus Harbour and shoreline.
Midtbyen, also known as Aarhus Center or City, is the inner part of Aarhus. Midtbyen is part of district Aarhus C, mainly with postal code 8000, together with Vesterbro, Nørre Stenbro Trøjborg and Frederiksbjerg and has a population of around 90000.
Århus Stiftstidende is a Danish newspaper based in Aarhus, Denmark, focusing largely on local topics.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Aarhus, a city in central Denmark.
Spanien Public Baths, colloquially known simply as Spanien, is a public bath house and a listed building in Aarhus, Denmark. The bath house was completed in 1931 and was listed on the Danish national registry of protected buildings and places by the Danish Heritage Agency on 15 February 1989 as a fine example of the Nordic funkis style. The building was thoroughly renovated in 2010–12.
Badstuegade 1H is a house and a listed building in Aarhus, Denmark. The house was built in 1809 and was listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places by the Danish Heritage Agency on 7 October 1970. The house is situated in the historic and central Latin Quarter neighbourhood on Badstuegade by Pustervig square.
Mejlgade is a street in Aarhus which runs north to south from Østbanetorvet to Skolegade and intersects Nørrebrogade. The street is situated in the historic Latin Quarter neighborhood and has the highest number of historic and listed buildings in the city. Mejlgade is one-way and no-parking zone for cars for most of its length and pedestrians and cyclists are given priority. The single lane is tiled and a part of the Cykelringen bicycle ring which circumnavigates the city center. Mejlgade has a high number of small specialty shops and some cafés and bars.
Vestergade is a street in Aarhus, Denmark, which runs east to west from the central square of Store Torv to the city park of Åparken at Carl Blochs Gade, intersecting the main streets of Grønnegade and Vester Allé along its course. Vestergade begins in the Indre By neighborhood and ends in neighborhood of Vesterbro, close to CeresByen. Vestergade has some of the best preserved 18th-century merchant estates in Aarhus and a history of creativity and artistic expression.
Rudolf Frimodt Clausen was a Danish architect born in Copenhagen on 29 June 1861 to the bishop Johannes Clausen and grandson of the theologian Henrik Nicolai Clausen.
The coat of arms of Aarhus is an official symbol of Aarhus based on one of the oldest surviving seals of the medieval Danish market towns. The coat of arms can be traced back to a seal used in Aarhus around 1250. The oldest known preserved seal was in a document from 24 June 1356 which was lost in destruction during the Second World War. The seal has had a number of different forms during its 750 year long existence.
The architecture of Aarhus comprises numerous architectural styles and works from the Middle Ages to present-day. Aarhus has a well-preserved medieval city center with the oldest dwellings dating back to the mid-1500s and some ecclesiastical structures such as St. Clemen's Cathedral and numerous smaller churches that can be traced back to the 1100s. The industrialization of the 19th and 20th centuries left distinctive industrial structures, important National romantic works and some of the best examples of Functionalist architecture in the country. The history of the city as a Viking fort is evidenced in the street layout of the Latin Quarter, the wider Indre By neighborhood testifies to its later role as a Market town and center of commerce while the Frederiksbjerg, Trøjborg and Marselisborg districts showcase the first cohesive urban planning efforts of the early 20th century.
Harboe Galthen Meulengracht was a Danish merchant and shipowner in Denmark who was appointed to the Danish Supreme Court and was purveyor to the royal household.
Store Torv is a public square located in the Indre By neighborhood in Aarhus, Denmark. It is situated between Lille Torv and Aarhus Cathedral, shaped as an elongated triangle. It is the largest public square in Aarhus and one of the oldest venues for markets in the city. The square is home to many notable buildings including the dominating cathedral and is frequently host to cultural events.
Bispetorv is a public square located in the Indre By neighborhood in Aarhus, Denmark.
Immervad, previously Emmervad, is a pedestrian street in Aarhus, Denmark, which runs north to south from Lille Torv to Åboulevarden and Frederiksgade. The alley Sankt Clemens Stræde leads to Immervad from the east. The street is situated in the historic Latin Quarter neighborhood and has existed as a road or street since the Viking Age when it was used as the eastern ford to cross the Aarhus River. Immervad is fairly short at just 110 meters long but it is one of the streets with the most foot traffic in Aarhus. At the southern section of the street is the bridge of Frederiksbroen, the first bridge built to cross the river in the city.
Ryesgade is a 240-meter-long street in Aarhus, Denmark. It is located in the central Town Center neighborhood and runs south to north from Banegårdspladsen to Søndergade and provides access to Rosenkrantzgade. Ryesgade is today one the busiest commercial pedestrianized streets in Denmark. It was created in 1873 as an extension to Søndergade to connect the Central Station to the rest of the inner city. Ryesgade is one of several streets in Denmark named for the Danish general Olaf Rye who became famous for his exploits during the First Schleswig War.
Søndergade or Strøget is a street in Aarhus, Denmark. It is located in the inner city neighborhood and runs 350 metres south to north from Ryesgade to Skt. Clemens Stræde and provides access to the alleys Telefonsmøgen and Posthussmøgen. Søndergade was created between 1854 and up through the 1860s as the city expanded southwards following the abolition of octroi and the city walls. The word Sønder is an older Danish form of "south" and the name thus means "Southward-street". Søndergade is part of the 750 meters long shopping street and pedestrian zone Strøget which runs from Aarhus Central Station to Aarhus Cathedral, consisting of the three streets Søndergade, St. Clemens Street and Ryesgade. Strøget has about 47,000 visitors on a daily basis and some 14 million visitors annually, making it among the busiest commercial streets in Denmark.
Frederiksgade is a street in the Indre By district in Aarhus, Denmark which runs north to south from Åboulevarden to Frederiks Allé. Frederiksgade is a major thoroughfare for pedestrians and cyclists and it connects Immervad to ARoS Aarhus Art Museum and the City Hall and Concert Hall parks. The street is fairly narrow and the architecture is primarily late 19th century to early 20th century.
Rømerhus is a building in Aarhus, Denmark in the historic Indre by neighborhood on Skt. Clemens Torv near Store Torv. The building was erected in 1895 by designs of the architect Sophus Frederik Kühnel in a historicist style drawing inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. Rømerhus is located on one of the busiest pedestrian streets in Aarhus and has through its existence primarily been used for commercial purposes.