Højbro Plads square.

©Caroline Hadamitzky/Lonely Planet

Højbro Plads

Copenhagen


Højbro Plads connects the Strøget pedestrian shopping street to Slotsholmen, birthplace of Copenhagen and home of Christiansborg Palace. The square features a statue of Warrior Bishop Absalon astride his horse; Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167. Højbro Plads is used for various events such as a Christmas Market and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Its namesake, Højbro (the Highbridge), offers lovely views of the canal and shoreline, Christiansborg Palace and its chapel, and Børsen, the Old Stock Exchange.

In the water under the bridge lies a sculpture depicting a Merman and his seven sons, who were abandoned by their human wife and mother when she returned to her life on land.

Transportation

  • metro: Gammel Strand
  • bus: 1A, 2A, 9A, 26, 37

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Copenhagen attractions

1. Amagertorv

0.05 MILES

This dashing square is the beating heart of the Strøget pedestrian area, where the two main shopping streets diverge. Its centrepiece is the imposing…

2. Christiansborg Slotskirke

0.07 MILES

Tragedy struck CF Hansen’s austere, 19th-century neoclassical church on the day of the 1992 Copenhagen Carnival. A stray firework hit the scaffolding that…

3. Nikolaj Kunsthal

0.08 MILES

Built in the 13th century, the church of Sankt Nikolaj is now home to the Copenhagen Contemporary Art Centre, which hosts around half-a-dozen exhibitions…

4. Strædet

0.08 MILES

Running parallel to crowded Strøget, Strædet is technically made up of two streets, Kompagnistræde and Læderstræde. The strip is a good spot to shop for…

5. Kunstforeningen GL Strand

0.1 MILES

The HQ of Denmark’s artists’ union continues to foster emerging and forward-thinking talent with around six to eight exhibitions of modern and…

6. Thorvaldsens Museum

0.12 MILES

What looks like a colourful Greco-Roman mausoleum is in fact a museum dedicated to the works of illustrious Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844)…

7. Christiansborg Slot Tower

0.13 MILES

The palace tower opened to the public for the first time in 2014. It’s the city’s tallest tower, delivering a sweeping view over the Danish capital. The…

8. De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler

0.14 MILES

The grandest part of Christiansborg, this series of palace rooms and halls was used by the queen to hold royal banquets and entertain heads of state. The…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "denmark/copenhagen/stroget-the-latin-quarter/attractions/hoejbro-plads/a/poi-sig/1595516/1342029",
      "destination": "Copenhagen",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Denmark",
      "city": "Copenhagen",
      "position": "superzone"
    }