Church of Our Saviour
Built between 1682 and 1695, the Church of Our Saviour is one of the truly awe-inspiring landmarks of Copenhagen.
Designed initially by the Danish architect Lambert van Haven, the church was meant to replace the temporary wooden church that king Christian IV built for the growing island of Amager, but the church you see today with its skyline defining tower wasn’t completed until 1752.
King Frederik V chose Lauritz de Thurah, another Danish architect, to redesign the church, and he soon abandoned van Haven’s design in favour of his own project, which was approved by the King in 1749. Three years later the spire was finished and the king saw the skyline of Copenhagen at a ceremony in 1752, probably for the first time.
There is an old legend that says that once the architect realised that the spiral was not turning clockwise (towards heaven) but anticlockwise (into hell), he jumped from the top, killing himself. This is probably not true because historical records show that Lauritz de Thurah, the architect who built the church, died a peaceful death in his bed 7 years after building the spire.