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north of Redmolen the so-called Kronløbsbassin and to the north of this the so-called 10 m Bassin
make up this entity of harbour environment and should be seen in context as part of the free port and
with connections to the older part to the south.
This relatively large area is difficult to cover from a cultural history angle in only a few lines, but the
following is an attempt - from an overall point of view - to pinpoint the specific qualities that his area
possesses and which ought to be taken seriously as a resource for future development and conservation.
Firstly the Free Port is the only Danish harbour of its kind. It is part of the largest Danish harbour and
contains structures and buildings that are unique in Denmark. It is an example of a well planned development
that represents the best standards of its time and in many ways the foremost engineering
competences of its time as well as several pioneering projects.
What is specifically representative of this history? The harbour must be seen as a totality of environ-
ment, but can be divided into a) a technical part consisting of basins, breakwaters, wharves, piers etc.
and b) of buildings and structures on land including infrastructure.
First of all the outlay of basins and the wharves are very characteristic elements that tell the story of
several extensions towards the north. All wharves are of an extraordinary quality, many in granite with
granite parement and of a larger scale than normally found in Denmark. Quite a few wharves represent
firsts in Danish harbour history, amongst others the first use of concrete blocks, full granite walls and
the first use of Larssen-iron (jernspuns) in Denmark. All this is well hidden behind fenders or granite
parement but is an important part of the history of Danish engineering – which for a while was world
leading in this field. The wharves normally have in-built cast iron bollards or steel rings, while only
few granite bollards have been in use in the Free Port.
On land there is a great variety of paving, the typical being normal granite-paving. On the newer part
along the 10 m Bassin a mix of concrete, asphalt and other materials are found on large areas.
Of all elements defining the modern industrial harbour the railway and the layout of tracks is the most
important on land. The soft curves defined the special harbour areas and made them unique. Nowhere
else than on the harbours are buildings and roads shaped and curved in this way. This was to a high
degree an important part of the Free Port, and this overall structure, as well as the tracks, is a very
important element in the feeling of harbour environment.
The older part of the free port (1890’s) for the first time in Denmark introduced electrical cranes, later
supplemented with steam cranes on a scale only found in Copenhagen. All the cargo-handling equipment
in the older part was removed as part of the later re-development, but this is not the case with
the extensions to the free port in the early 20th century. The later part of the Free Port of Copenhagen
- in contrast to many international harbours - has never been strongly dominated by cranes. This is
due to the fact that it was relatively cheap to build wharves, and it was a strategy for the harbour to
create an abundance of areas with direct access to water and build warehouses on adjacent land. A
few structures for cargo-handling still exist, though, as part of a silo on the northern part of Redmolen
as well as remains of crane tracks along the southern quay of 10 m Bassinet.
The totality of the building environment is important as well as an eye for detail. Quite a few buildings
have been wrongly treated with coloured mortar, different types of windows etc. The important part
when talking about the building environment is the roughness and a feeling of buildings used for
work.
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