The most striking feature of the square is an equestrian statue of Absalon, the warrior-bishop who has traditionally been credited as the founder of Copenhagen.

Prior to the fire of 1795, Højbro Plads was the site of a dense block bounded by Højbrostræde to the west and Store Færgestræde to the east.

City architect Jørgen Henrich Rawert subsequently created a masterplan for the rebuilding of the area.

Højbro Plads was laid out to create a fire break and in the same time contribute aesthetic qualities to the area.

Recurrent features are accented windows with triangular frontons supported by consoles, recessed joints, and friezes, usually above the second floor, decorated with patterns such as a Greek key or a Vitruvian scroll.

To promote good taste and diminish the gap between architecture and Vernacular buildings, Johann Friedrich Struensee had launched an initiative in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts to encourage such builders to take supplementary classes in drawing so as to develop the notion of "good taste".

The pilaster motifs are in such numbers that they dominate the entire building and are not limited to a single section of the façade, as was seen in Harsdorff's House.

4 on the other side of the square, at the corner of Læderstræde, is from 1796 to 1797 and was originally built as a new headquarters for Johan Frederik Schultz's printing business.

The building was originally designed by Fritz Koch but completed after his death by Gotfred Tvedein 1906æ It now houses the law firm Johan Schlüter .

It depicts Absalon as a military commander, mounted on a rearing horse, wearing a mail, holding an axe in his right hand, and looking towards Christiansborg Palace on Slotsholmen where he built his castle in 1167.The statue stands on a high plinth which was designed by Martin Nyrop.