Christianshavn was founded and is named after King Christian the 4th as an independent market town and harbor in year 1614. The great fires that ravaged central Copenhagen in the beginning of the 18th century never reached here, which means that there are still houses which date back to the founding of the city 400 years ago. Today, Christianshavn is an expensive and beautiful part of the city, but shortly after it was established the King had difficulty getting people to move here, as it was very muddy and far away from the rest of Copenhagen. He therefore had to lure them by offering free plots of land and 12 years free rent.