Unidentified photographer
1869
[Steam engine from B&W used during the construction of the "new" Knippelsbro in 1869]

Albumen print
Det Kongelige Bibliotek (The Royal Library)
(Alan Griffiths, 29 April 2025) The Knippelsbro built in 1869 was the third bridge at the site connecting Copenhagen’s Inner City (Indre By) to Christianshavn across the city's harbor. It replaced earlier, more primitive structures to accommodate the growing demands of urbanization, commercial expansion, and modern transportation in nineteenth-century Copenhagen. This 1869 version was a swing bridge (drejebro), a type that could pivot horizontally to allow ships to pass through the busy harbor—an essential feature for a city heavily reliant on maritime trade. Designed during a period of significant infrastructural modernization across Europe, the 1869 Knippelsbro embodied contemporary engineering advances, combining functionality with a more permanent and durable construction than its wooden predecessors.
 
The bridge of 1869 was part of a broader transformation of Copenhagen following the decommissioning of the city's medieval fortifications, which had previously limited expansion and development. It contributed to improved connectivity within the increasingly industrial and commercial urban landscape, facilitating both pedestrian and vehicular traffic while maintaining access for shipping. Although it served the city well for several decades, technological advances and heavier traffic demands eventually rendered the 1869 Knippelsbro obsolete. It was replaced by the current, modernist structure designed by Kaj Gottlob, inaugurated in 1937. Nonetheless, the 1869 bridge marked an important moment in the infrastructural and civic modernization of Copenhagen during the nineteenth century.
 
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