To strengthen the town center, Roskilde Municipality has launched a major renewal project for Hestetorvet and Algade. Earlier this year, MASU Planning won the tender and has since created a landscape project that supports the municipality’s vision of a new cohesive urban and street space. The design is based on the municipality’s three overarching objectives: renewal and preservation, green and beautiful streets and urban spaces, as well as art, play, and movement.

On August 15, Roskilde’s mayor, Thomas Breddam (S), and chairman of the Planning and Technical Committee, Claus Larsen (S), made the first groundbreaking for the transformation project, which will change the arrival point to Roskilde and the central pedestrian street in the town center. In his speech, Thomas Breddam emphasized, among other things, that Hestetorvet is a place where thousands of people over centuries have met, traded, traveled on, and created life – and that one of the aims of the renewal is precisely to promote urban life.

Hestetorvet and Algade will become greener

In the Middle Ages, Hestetorvet functioned as a marketplace, and after countless changes, the square today serves as the arrival area to Roskilde Station. Concrete initiatives for the renewal of the square include more trees, larger green areas, and new and improved recreational spaces. The upcoming green areas will feature lush plantings that create spaces for relaxation and which visually and acoustically shield against traffic from Jernbanegade. To hounor the square’s history and name, a horse sculpture will be erected there.

Algade, the central street in the town center, will be transformed from a fragmented course into an inviting urban space. Initiatives include more planting, new outdoor furniture, a safer traffic hierarchy, and strengthening the identity of the three central squares.

To reduce the project’s overall climate footprint, most of the existing materials will be reused in the design of both Hestetorvet and Algade.

Strengthens urban life and promotes urban nature

Sune Oslev, partner at MASU Planning and responsible for the project, grew up and lives in Roskilde. He has therefore drawn on his firsthand experience with what works – and what needs renewal in the central part of Roskilde – in the design development.

 “I have spent many hours at both Hestetorvet and Algade, and today these two areas do not meet the needs of residents, businesses, or visitors. In collaboration with the municipality, we have developed a project that improves functionality, strengthens urban life, and promotes urban nature. With respect for Roskilde’s history and cultural heritage, we are creating a dignified arrival to Roskilde and an inviting central street that meets today’s requirements. Thanks to a comprehensive reuse strategy, we are also minimizing the project’s climate footprint,” explains Sune Oslev.

After the first groundbreaking, Scheller, Hougaard, and Petersen A/S will take over the construction work, with the first stage expected to be completed during spring 2026.

FACT BOX: Renewal of Algade and Hestetorvet

Client: Roskilde Municipality

Lead consultant: MASU Planning

Contractor and landscape gardener: Scheller, Hougaard, and Petersen A/S

Area: approx. 5,000 m²

Period: 2025–2026