Gråbrødretorv, Copenhagen

Gråbrødretorv is a public square in Copenhagen, tucked just off the pedestrian route of Strøget. Its history reaches back to a Franciscan friary founded here in 1238; after the friary disappeared, its buildings served at different times as a jail, a church, and an orphanage. The square was devastated by the Copenhagen fire of 1728 and again by the British bombardment of 1807.

Today, colourful façades surround a broad open space dominated by a large plane tree. At its heart is a granite fountain created by Søren Georg Jensen and unveiled in 1971. The square became car-free on 7 June 1968, during the expansion of Copenhagen’s pedestrian zone, and it now hosts restaurants and small outdoor concerts, especially during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival.