Denmark Old University Library in Copenhagen

Visit the old library building in Fiolstræde in the heart of Copenhagen. Feel the magic in the beautiful book hall and see posters showing the University’s history, research and grand personalities. You can also visit the library shop and go on a guided tour of the historic University Quadrangle.
The history of the Library Building
In 1482, just three years after the establishment of the University of Copenhagen in 1479, the first University Library was established. In the beginning, it only consisted of a small collection of books and written material. In almost 200 years, from 1652 to the opening of the library in Fiolstræde in 1861, the University Library was placed in the attic of the Trinitatis Church that adjoins the Round Tower in Købmagergade.
The original collection has since been re-established because most of it was lost during the great Copenhagen fire in 1728. As the years went by the University faced a growing challenge: lack of shelf space.
As a solution, the first architectural competition ever for a public building in Denmark took place in 1855. The winner of the competition was the talented 38-year-old architect Johan Daniel Herholdt. The new library building was constructed along Fiolstræde. The building was opened in 1861 with shelf space for 300.000 volumes. The building functioned as a library until 2009.

Admission to the library is 75 DKK (approx. €10.00, as of April/May 2026).
There was no explicit mention that tripods are not allowed. I think that as long as you’re not disturbing anyone, you can certainly try taking photos with a tripod. A monopod is definitely less obtrusive. It’s relatively dark in the library, so you have to shoot with fairly high ISO settings (I took my photo at ISO 1600 and removed the noise during post-processing).

You can rent bicycles at many locations throughout the city. You can also take the S-Bahn or various metro lines (e.g., M3) to the Norreport stop. From there, it’s about a 10-minute walk.