Mile Stones

I was walking through Flakhaven, the City Square, when I saw an odd cobblestone.  It had a number on it.  I asked at work, no one knew what is was for so I did a little research.

In 1907 the metric system introduced in Denmark.  Miles, yards and feet were replaced by kilometers, meters and centimeters. The new international Metric system also made changes for Danish roads.  The Danish highway system had begun in the 1700s.

To measure the distance between cities, "Milestones" were placed in the cities, which indicated the distance to the nearest city.

It was decided to measure the starting point by marking a special "0-milepost" stone.  The stone should be placed at the heart of the city, and it could, for example be on the square by the town hall, or the main church as an example  The measurements usually went from town to town.

Officially mile stone replaced by kilo champion stones in summer 1910.  The last mile stone was not set up until around 1920.

There are preserved "0-milepost" in several cities. In Copenhagen there is a granite pillar, for example. Town Hall Square in Christianshavn has one, as well as Norreport.

The "0-Milepost Stone"

Amazing what you see if you look down at the ground!