Holmen - The old home of the Danish Navy and Naval Dockyards

For nearly 300 years, Holmen was the home of the Navy and the Naval Dockyard. Here, the old vessels docked to be supplied with sails and ropes. The naval station was a closed military area with a unique central location. When the Naval Dockyard closed down, and most of the military installations were relocated, a number of the schools and colleges that offer the most creative study programmes in the country moved into the old buildings in the area.

Early in 1996, the East side of Copenhagen Harbor, which for centuries has been the domain of the Danish Navy, was almost totally opened to the public. All, except for a small area on the North side of Holmen, which is still used by the Royal Danish Navy.

One of the major landmarks on Holmen is the old crane, which was used to raise huge oak masts and place them on the sailing vessels. The fact that oak takes about 100-200 years from planting till it reaches a size which is suitable for a mast on a warship with sails, didn't seem to worry the Danish kings in the 18th century. Huge forests were planted in order to provide the naval shipyards with oak planks and masts. However, before the forests ever reached the right size, iron had taken over, and the steam engine changed ship design dramatically.