Copenhagen Police Headquarters
Copenhagen’s police headquarters is a huge, closed building with a round courtyard in the middle. The outside is austere and almost without decoration, but the round colonnaded courtyard and the inner courtyard are monumental. It is one of the masterpieces of Nordic Classicism in Denmark.
Hack Kampmann designed Copenhagen’s new police headquarters, which was built in 1918–1924. Kampmann died in 1920, and the work was completed by his son Hans Jørgen Kampmann and the architects Aage Rafn, Holger Jacobsen and Anton Frederiksen. The building became a manifesto for Nordic Classicism in Denmark.
The building has a triangular plan, adapted to the site, and encloses several courtyards. The best known is the round courtyard, surrounded by a colonnade with paired columns. The façades are austerely rendered and have almost no decoration, only rows of windows. Inside, the public rooms and corridors are more monumental, with columns and stonework.
The building is still the headquarters of the Copenhagen police. It is regarded as one of the most important examples of Nordic Classicism in Denmark and has influenced later public buildings. The round courtyard has become one of the most photographed architectural spaces in the city.