Stork Fountain, Amagertorv

Bronze birds in the heart of old Copenhagen

The Stork Fountain stands at the centre of Amagertorv, one of Copenhagen’s oldest squares and a natural pause point along the Strøget pedestrian street. Here, between elegant gabled townhouses and design stores, a cluster of bronze storks rises from a tiered basin, wings half‑spread as if caught at the instant of take‑off. Water plays around their slender legs and from small frogs at the base, softening the stone and metal with a constant shimmer. From early morning coffee runs to late‑evening strolls, the fountain acts as a quiet constant in a square that never really stands still. Locals weave past with shopping bags and bicycles, street performers occasionally appear on the surrounding paving, and visitors circle the basin in search of the perfect angle on the birds against the historic skyline.

A royal celebration cast in bronze

The fountain was inaugurated in 1894 as a gift marking the silver wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Frederik, later King Frederik VIII, and Crown Princess Louise. A design competition produced the winning concept: three storks symbolising fidelity and renewal, created by architect Edvard Petersen and sculptor Vilhelm Bissen. Their composition gives the piece its unique dynamism – one bird bending, another straightening, the third lifting its wings – so that the whole group seems ready to rise above the square. At the time of its unveiling, Amagertorv was transforming from a traditional market into a prestigious urban space, and the new fountain helped signal that shift. Ornamental yet functional, it provided a decorative focus for the square’s widening, fire‑friendly layout and spoke to a broader movement to beautify the city with public art and civic monuments.

Traditions, myths and modern rituals

Over the decades the fountain has gathered its own layer of stories. Since 1950, it has been the scene of a distinctive Danish custom: newly graduated midwives gather here to dance around the basin in celebration, storks and water echoing their profession’s association with birth and new life. The birds, long seen in Northern Europe as symbols of happiness and family, lend themselves perfectly to this ritual. At times the fountain has also been a backdrop for political and student demonstrations, spontaneous celebrations and the occasional prank involving coloured water or props. These episodes, amusing or serious, underline its role as a stage for public expression as much as a decorative object.

Amagertorv’s changing cityscape

Amagertorv itself traces its history back to the Middle Ages, when farmers from the island of Amager came here to sell produce in what was then a bustling marketplace. Later, the square was reshaped after major fires, lined with handsome townhouses and commercial buildings such as the Royal Copenhagen porcelain flagship store and other Danish design brands. Today, these facades frame the fountain on all sides, creating a photogenic ensemble of brick, copper roofs and ornamented gables. Because the fountain sits at a crossroads of the pedestrian network, it naturally becomes a wayfinding point. Sightlines from several directions converge on the storks, so as you walk along Strøget the glint of water and bronze draws you forward, breaking up the sequence of shopfronts with a reminder of the city’s layered past.

Experiencing the square through the fountain

Spending time here is as much about atmosphere as it is about sculpture. In fine weather people rest on nearby benches or the low steps, listening to the trickle of water over the sound of street musicians. In winter, the fountain can appear almost sculpted in monochrome under a grey sky or a dusting of snow, framed by seasonal decorations and lights strung across the streets. Whether you visit briefly while exploring central Copenhagen or linger to watch the square’s life unfold, the Stork Fountain offers a compact snapshot of the city: royal history cast in bronze, folk tradition in the midwives’ dance, and everyday urban life flowing continuously around a familiar, much‑photographed landmark.