Strøget

This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe[1] at 1.1 km.

[4] Strøget was converted to a pedestrian zone on 17 November 1962 when cars were beginning to dominate Copenhagen's old central streets.

[8][9] The 'father' of a car free Strøget, Alfred Wassard, Copenhagen's 'mayor for town planning' from 1962–78, even faced death threats.

[7] The posher shops on the east end of the street were particularly opposed to the change, and they tried to have the project restricted to its western portion which was dominated by bars and cinemas at the time.

[4] However the project quickly proved a success,[10] and the area soon boasted more shoppers, cafes, and a renewed street life.

Building on Strøget’s success, the network expanded piecemeal – another street and a few more squares were emptied of cars in 1968, and further closures took place in 1973, and 1992.

The Lonely Planet travel guide noted as of 2014 that although Strøget is "a fun place to stroll," bustling with musicians and people, it seemed to be stagnating, "offering the same old international brand names" and "a scrappy mix of budget clothing stores, tourist shops and kebab houses."

They advised that visitors should, "walk down it once, but after that you'll find the side streets far more productive in terms of independent shops and more interesting design.