Rantzausgade was originally called Nordvestvej and only reached as far as Brohusgade where it ended in a wooden fence. Being located within the so-called Demarcation Line which followed Jagtvej, that is on the esplanade 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. They were particularly known for their production of rhubarb. When the area was built over from the 1870s on, developing into a dense working-class neighbourhood, one of the poorest in Copenhagen, it became known as Rabarberkvarteret. The term rabarberkvarter has in Danish since developed into a derogatory, generic term for a poor, late 19th or early 20th-century working-class neighbourhood with low housing standards. In 1879, the company Glud & Marstrand, a manufacturer of metal goods, opened a factory at No. 22-24.
Another extension of Nordvestvej, beyond Jagtvej, began in 1902 but this section was renamed Borups Allé following the death of the politician Ludvig Christian Borup in 1903. The rest of the street was renamed Rantzausgade in 1906 for the Danish-German noble family Rantzau originating in the Duchy of Holstein. The Nordbanenrailway line crossed the street from 1894 on its way from Copenhagen's second central station at Axeltorv to Helsingør. The railway crossing disappeared in 1930 when the Boulevard Line opened. Tram line No. 13 operated through the street from 1915 until 1965 on its way from the City Hall Square to Lyngbygade .
Notable buildings and residents
's former metal goods factory is located at No. 22-24. It was converted into a combined restaurant, wine store and wine bar by Kenn Husted in 2017. Prinsesse Thyras Asyl at No. 48 opened as a private kindergarten on 1 January 1878 with Princess Thyra of Denmark as protector. It is now owned by the city. Brorson's Church is from 1901 and was designed by Thorvald Jørgensen, who also designed Christiansborg as well as several other churches in Copenhagen. The former building of the Regional Archive for Zealand is located in the northern part of the western end of the street, facing Nuuks Plads. The oldest part of the complex is from 1893 and was designed by Martin Nyrop in the National Romantic style. It was expanded by Nils Koppel in the 1960s. The triangular apartment block located between the Regional Archive Building is called Brohus and is from 1901. It is bounded by Florsgade.
The artwork Secret Garden was designed by Morten Stræd in connection with the creation of three new urban spaces between Rantzausgade and the Agade Cycle Bridge in 2011.
Transport
The Nuuks Plads City Circle Line station is located at the northern end of the street. The Nørrebro Route of Copenhagen's network of super bikeways follows the alignment of the abandoned rail line. A bus trap is located at the site where the bikeway crosses Rantzausgade. The street is served by bus lines 12, 18 and 66.
Cultural references
In his memoir, En rabarberdreng vokser op, the writer Christian Christensen describes his childhood, growing up in a working-class family living on Nordvestvej.
