What is this tour about?

Østerbro is known as a peaceful neighbourhood and not least for the young families who choose to settle down here. Østerbro, however, has much more to offer, including dramatic war tales, Danish workers' history, a progressive climate movement and even a legend about a sea monster.

The name ‘Østerbro’, which means ‘Eastern Bridge’ in Danish, is known all the way back to the 1770s, when it supposedly referred to a small bridge outside the eastern city gate. Until the middle of the 19th century, the area was sparsely populated, unlike the working-class districts of Vesterbro and Nørrebro where development began earlier. This was an advantage, as new regulations did not allow dense constructions, resulting in significantly wider streets. But when the expansion took off, the population grew rapidly from approx. 1,500 in 1850 to 66,000 in 1906. The first to move to Østerbro were wealthy families from the posh street Bredgade in the city center. They built large villas in the then rural, green and swampy Østerbro. Along the current Østerbrogade, high-rise buildings shot up with spacious apartments. The ‘Rosenvænget’ area with its magnificent villas was for the richest only.

Østerbro is located on the coast but with the construction of Copenhagen's Freeport, the neighbourhood was cut off from the sea. It is only in recent years that residents have benefited from the coastline, and they diligently use both the harbour bath in Nordhavn and the beach in Svanemøllen. Today, Østerbro is a lively neighbourhood with many good restaurants, specialty boutiques and secondhand shops for the quality conscious. At the same time, Østerbro is one of the city's greenest neighbourhoods with plenty of space for play and movement.

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