Last updated on December 5th, 2018

Just like migratory birds fly down South during the winter and migrate back North during the warmer summer, now that Summer is back we Copenhageners flock outdoors as soon as the sun shines and the rain clouds blow away.

Come visit the beautiful Stork fountain or Storkespringvandet on Amagertorv. Since 1894, the fountain’s three bronze storks no longer migrate to warmer climates during the long Danish winter, unlike some of us lucky Copenhageners!

Amagertorv (Amager Square) lies along Strøget, Denmark’s longest pedestrian street. Strøget links Kongens Nytorv (King’s Square) to Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square) though a series of streets and squares.

Amagertorv is one of the larger squares, actually more a long triangular shape, lined with historic buildings, shops and cafes. The Stork fountain sits on the widest end of Amagertorv, at the junction with Højbro Plads, another square named after the ‘High Bridge’ that leads to Slotsholmen (Castle Island).

The Storkespringvandet was the city’s present to celebrate Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Louise’s silver wedding anniversary in 1894. The Stork Fountain was designed by painter Edvard Petersen and sculptor Vilhelm Bissen.

It is a tall three tiered bronze and stone fountain, with three storks taking flight. The water trickles from the top bowl, down to the storks, down the pedestal, complete with bronze frogs and reeds, and down into the nonagon (yes, nine-sided…) stone basin below. On dry days, the water flows down only from the lower pedestal, but still provides a bit of splashing action if you are close!

The Stork Fountain is a local symbol. It used to be the gathering place for hippies in the 1960’s, and a protest song was even written about “det store stygge Storkespringvand”, the “big bad Stork Fountain” (called Storkespringvandet, by Caesar, which you can listen to on YouTube here).

Nowadays, the Stork fountain is still a busy meeting place, before a night out, or shopping and walking along Strøget. New midwives also dance around the Stork Fountain to celebrate their graduation, although I am thinking if storks really bring babies, there would be no midwives!

So come dance around, get a little wet and meet your friends at the foot of the Stork Fountain! Yes our Summer is short, so we must make the most out of it!

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