Found just off bustling Strøget pedestrian shopping street, this colourful square is named for the friary that stood here back in the 13th century. It was destroyed by fire in 1728, bombarded by the British in 1807 and twice rebuilt. Once the site of a market hall and later a hot spot for local college students, today it's a quiet oasis, home to restaurants and bars, many with charming patios.
Gråbrødretorv was for a time called Ulfeldts Plads, after Count Corfitz Ulfeldt, who built a mansion here in the 17th century. The treasonous Ulfeldt would become the most notorious traitor in Danish history. His mansion was demolished and replaced with a pillar of shame that passing citizens could spit on, and the square returned to its original name. The pillar denouncing Ulfeldt can now be seen in the Danish National Museum.
