The rat and the city - rat control, welfare and everyday life in 20th century Copenhagen

What to know

There are few animals as notorious as the rat. However, the rat was only seriously identified as a health threat and public enemy in the latter half of the 19th century. The background was new scientific insights and the rise of modern cities. Throughout the 1900 s, rat control became systematized and streamlined as the welfare state developed. But rats were not easy to eradicate. The city's dense construction, infrastructure and amounts of easily accessible waste created ideal living conditions for an animal that is largely omnivorous, a skilled climber and swimmer and equipped with teeth so sharp that it can gnaw through anything softer than glass andmetal. In the lecture, museum curator at the Technical Museum of Denmark Mikkel Høghøj tells the story of how rats helped shape modern Copenhagen, how rat control came to be as a welfare policy, how Copenhagen has functioned as arat habitat and how the rat has influenced Copenhageners' expectations of health, hygiene and the role of nature in the city. - Date: 29 October 2026 - Time: 15:30–17:00 - Venue: Hovedkassens Rådhus - Address: Rådhuspladsen 1, Copenhagen V, Denmark - Admission: From DKK 50