Varehuset Messen

The Varehuset Messen, in Copenhagen

The Varehuset Messen is a former department store of the Købmagergade shopping street, remarkable for the statue of Hermes that crowns its roof. The Copenhagen audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this fine building of 1895 signed Emil Blichfeldt, closed in 1971 and today reassigned to an educational establishment, whose winged messenger of the gods makes one of the most curious buildings of the street.

History

You are here in the Købmagergade, a shopping street that reveals numerous fine buildings. On your right, at number 42, stands the Varehuset Messen, a former department store built in 1895 by Emil Blichfeldt, a Danish architect recognised in the country. The department store closed its doors in 1971, but the building was reused and today shelters a part of a secondary educational establishment. By looking up, you notice the impressive statue that crowns its summit: it represents Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, that you recognise by his winged helmet and sandals. This spectacular detail makes the Varehuset Messen one of the most interesting buildings to observe in this street, and testifies to the taste of the end of the nineteenth century for antique references and richly adorned façades. It is a fine example of the commercial architecture of the time, when department stores wanted to impress and attract the clientele by their stateliness.

What to see

Here you admire a former department store of 1895 signed Emil Blichfeldt, in the Købmagergade shopping street, crowned with an impressive statue of Hermes, winged messenger of the gods; closed in 1971, the building today shelters an educational establishment and counts among the most curious façades of the street. The Varehuset Messen is a fine example of commercial architecture of Copenhagen. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Varehuset Messen lies at number 42 of the Købmagergade, in the centre of Copenhagen, reachable on foot. You admire its façade and the statue of Hermes from the street; the building shelters an educational establishment and is not visited. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What does the statue of the Varehuset Messen represent in Copenhagen?

It represents Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, recognisable by his winged helmet and sandals; it crowns the summit of the Varehuset Messen, a former department store of the Købmagergade built in 1895 by Emil Blichfeldt, closed in 1971 and today occupied by an educational establishment.

Where is the Varehuset Messen in Copenhagen?

At number 42 of the Købmagergade, in the centre of Copenhagen, in Denmark.