ABOUT DRAGØR
Dragør was a prosperous maritime town in the latter half of the 18th century, and its charming waterfront is still in use. Today, Dragør is known as the place where the “happiest Danes” live.
Dragør, on the southeast coast of the island of Amager, is only 12 km from central Copenhagen. Together with the neighboring village of Store Magleby, it forms a separate urban area with a population of 12,309 (1 January 2020).
Dragør has many well-preserved historic buildings. The old part of the city is a compact, picturesque labyrinth of alleys with yellow-painted houses, red roofs and cobbled streets built in traditional Danish style. Many of these buildings are hundreds of years old.
Dragør's location has favored fishing and shipping, which until this century has been the city's livelihood, and which is the reason why a city has arisen in this place at all.
Dragørlejets var fra ca. 1350350 handelsplads for fiskere, hvor kongen gav de første privilegier til handel på stedet. Særlig hansetidens sildefiskeri, der hvert efterår tiltrak op til 30.000 fremmede købmænd, fiskere og mange fra omegnen, havde stor betydning for Dragørlejets videre udvikling. Da sildehandelen ophørte i 1600 tallet, blev de første huse bygget i nærheden af kysten. Det var især fiskere, der bosatte sig på stedet. På samme tid blev området formelt overdraget til indvandrede nederlændere, som havde bosat sig i Store Magleby fra 1592
