In 1815 the family moved to Kastellet, a military fortification area in Copenhagen, where his father was head baker.

[3] In 1822 at 12 years of age he started his studies at Royal Danish Academy of Art (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi).

Eckersberg's influence is readily seen in Købke's first mature work "Parti af Århus Domkirke" painted in 1829.

[8] [9] At the end of 1837 he married Susanna Cecilie Krohn (1810–1849), and shortly afterwards painted a portrait of his young bride.

They arrived in Rome by year's end where he met his brother-in-law, sculptor and medallionist, Frederik Christopher Krohn (1806–1883) and many other Danish artists.

He traveled, along with Constantin Hansen (1804–1880) the following summer to Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri where he painted in the open air.

[13] Two years after his father died in 1843, the family sold the property outside Copenhagen, and Købke moved back into the city.

Now he is recognized internationally for his well composed and harmonic paintings, for their coloristic qualities and for his sense of the everyday life.