The shape of the square were created when the grounds of Copenhagen's former West Rampart was redeveloped in the 1880s but it was then simply part of an extension of Ny Vestergade.
It was not until a narrow strip of Tivoli Gardens was acquired by the city and the Arena Theatre was demolished that Tietgensgade was connected to Stormgade one block further to the north.
Its floor is paved with slender, yellow tiles and rises in four waves with perforated rusty red iron sides.
A collection among Danish expats in Rome raised money for the monument which was designed by the sculptor Einar Utzon-Frank in collaboration with the architect Carl Brummer.
On the south side of the square, with its façade facing H. C. Andersens Boulevard, is the shared home of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and the Carlsberg Foundation.