The north-western shore of Amager was originally characterized by a shallow watered beach. The northern part of this area was reclaimed already in the 1620s with the construction of
Christianshavn and the fortification of Copenhagen, while the area which would later become Islands Brygge remained undeveloped until the 1880s. At that time the shoreline was situated just east of present-day Artillerivej. In the 1880s,
Christian IV's Arsenal on
Slotsholmen had become too small, and the military received permission to reclaim an area to the south-west of Slotsgraven for the purpose of new military facilities. The area was filled in 1887-88 and a new arsenal, shooting ranges and army
barracks were constructed on the land. Towards the end of the 19th century, the
Port of Copenhagen had become very busy both with freight and passenger vessels and extensions were needed. In 1901, the Port Authorities extended the existing reclamation southwards to create new areas for the storage of coal, timber and other goods. From 1905 construction of residential buildings on the most inland parts of the new land began. The co-operative Danish retailer
FDB established new headquarters in the neighbourhood in 1908. It comprised both administrative functions, production and storage facilities.
Dansk Sojakagefabrik, a soy bean processing plant, was opened by the
East Asiatic Company in 1909. At its peak in the 1950s, the plant employed approximately 2,500 workers, many of whom lived in the neighbourhood. To improve road and rail connections between Zealand and Amager, a new bridge was constructed at the site of the present-day
Langebro, replacing an older bridge leading to Christianshavn. The new bridge soon became outdated and in 1930 a new temporary bridge was built. Langebro was completed in 1954. Still more land was reclaimed until 1933, when Islands Brygge reached its current extent. Under the
Occupation of Denmark during
World War II, many German troops were stationed at Islands Brygge, and the area was the target of a number of
sabotage acts by the
Danish resistance movement. == Famous people from Islands Brygge ==