Petrol Store

Before Copenhagen residents enjoyed the clean power of the district heating grid, they had to heat their homes using wood or petrol. 

Here you can see one of the (now closed) petroleum stores, with jerrycans ready for sale.  One long-time Vesterbro resident remembers, "My neighbors used to carry petrol and wood up to their flats, and sometimes the cans leaked all the way up, so our [common] stairs stunk."

Beyond the smell of petrol and the damage that burning wood and petrol in the small fireplaces caused, it was a fire hazard for this high-density neighborhood.  Vesterbro burned down and was rebuilt numerous times.  One reminder of this dangerous past is a law that every corner building must be 'clipped' to allow the fire engines and other traffic to pass more easily.