 It was the result of one of the first successful initiatives of the recently founded Society for the Beautification of Copenhagen.With the establishment of the Kvæsthus Pier at the end of the square, the site had become a hub for the new steam ferries that had begun to operate between Copenhagen and the largest cities in the provinces.The ferry company Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (The United Steam Ferry Companies) was from 1871 based in the former navel hospital.