Nørrebro

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Nørrebro

Nørrebro is the common name for an area in Copenhagen, Denmark located beyond the historic city center (the Indre By), and beyond the location of the old Northern Gate (Nørreport), which was near the current Nørreport station until dismantled in 1856.

The Nørrebro area consists of two of the 15 administrative, statistical, and tax city districts (bydele) comprising the municipality of Copenhagen:

Indre Nørrebro (lit. English, "Inner Nørrebro")
Ydre Nørrebro (lit. English, "Outer Nørrebro")

The dynamic, multi-ethnic main street "Nørrebrogade" runs through the area, with a multitude of shops and restaurants. One of the main points of interest in the area is historic Assistens Cemetery (Assistens Kirkegård).

Nørrebro was the scene of the Nørrebro riot on May 18, 1993 following the Danish "yes"-vote to the European Union. The police were unprepared for the rioters who threw paving stones from a nearby city construction site and wounded numerous policemen. 113 shots were subsequently fired into the mass of protesters and several demonstrators and policemen were wounded, some heavily. Miraculously none were killed. The riot was the worst in Danish history, but no accurate account of why the policemen were unprepared or what exactly happened has ever been given. Following the riot the Danish police upgraded their hand-carried weapons to modern standards and began a process towards becoming a professional and modern policeforce.