| Niels Hemmingsens Gade | |
| Location: | Indre By, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Postal Code: | 1153 |
| Length M: | 245 |
| Metro: | Gammel Strand |
| Coordinates: | 55.6796°N 12.5772°W |
Niels Hemmingsens Gade is a street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from the western part of Amagertorv in the south to Skindergade in the north and passes Gråbrødretorv on the way. The Church of the Holy Ghost is located in the street. The street is named after the 16th-century Lutheran theologian Niels Hemmingsen.
The street has existed since the Middle Ages but was formerly known under different names. The street section from to Valkendorfsgade was called (Little Holy Ghost Street) after the adjacent church. It was a very narrow alley. The inclusion of "Little" in the name distinguished it from ("Large Holy Ghost Street") as was then called.
The section of present-day which runs from to was called or after Ambrosius Løffelman, a trumpeter, who owned a property at the site.[1]
The short section from to was called (Jailhouse Gate) after a children's jail established at the site by Christian IV but soon moved to Christianshavn (see Women's Prison, Christianshavn).[2] It was a narrow, vaulted passageway which ran through a building. The building had six window bays along the square and two window bays across the street.[3]
was merged into in 1843 after complaints from the residents who found the name unappealing. was renamed . In 1881, the entire street was renamed to commemorate the theologian Niels Hemmingsen.
The churchyard was originally surrounded by a low wall. It was demolished and replaced by an iron fence in 1797.[4]
The Church of the Holy Ghost and the House of the Holy Ghost have the address 5, although both are usually entered through one of two gates on . The House of the Holy Ghost is now used as an exhibition space.
The Women's Building at No. 8 - 10 was built in 1935 in a Functionalist style by Ragna Grubb. The music venue Jazzhouse is located in the building.
Numbers 1, 3, 15, 23 and 32 all date from the 18th century and are listed.
No. 24 (24/ 7) is a former hospitality school. The building was designed by Vilhelm Klein and H. C. Stilling. The school has now moved to Vigerslev Allé in Valby.
The large building complex at No. 21–21 which continues along and was built between 1904 - 1905 to design by Valdemar Ingemann. Ingemann also designed the building at No. 32 - 34. It is now known as Pressens Hus.
The building at the corner of (No. 24 (7) is the former headquarters of Sparekassen for Kjøbenhavn og Omegn.
At No. 2, on its centered corner with, between the first and second floors, is a plaque commemorating that Herluf Trolle and Birgitte Gøye owned a property at the site. It mentions that they founded Herlufsholm School on 23 May 1565 and that Trolle died one month later in the house at the site.[5]
The Keystone above the gate to No. 32 features the names Christopher Klog and Anna Jensdatter. Below the stone is a gilded Neptune figure.[6] Klog (1696 - 1750), a merchant and brewer, was also director of Kjøbenhavns Brandforsikring.