Rantzausgade was originally called Nordvestvej ("Northwest Road") and only reached as far as Brohusgade where it ended in a wooden fence.
[1] Being located within the so-called Demarcation Line which followed Jagtvej, that is on the esplanade (in the original military sense of the word) outside Copenhagen's fortifications, only minor buildings could be built in the area.
The area on the other side of the fence continued down to the Ladegård Canal to the south and was used for market gardens.
[2] The Nordbanen railway line crossed the street from 1894 on its way from Copenhagen's second central station at Axeltorv to Helsingør.
[6] The artwork Secret Garden (Den hemmelige have) was designed by Morten Stræd in connection with the creation of three new urban spaces between Rantzausgade and the Agade Cycle Bridge in 2011.