The Fishwife

The address "Gammel Strand" (i.e. Old Beach) refers to the fact that the street formed part of the waterfront towards Øresund and the oldest harbour. This was the location of the Copenhagen Fish Market until 1958. Especially women from the small fishing hamlet, Skovshoved, north of Copenhagen came here daily to sell their fresh wares. The stalls were open and it was quite a cold experience in the wintertime, so they would be bundled up into warm clothes and had newspapers wrapped around the body for insulation. Only one "Skovserkone" (fishwife from Skovshoved) remains to-day.