Højbro Plads connects the Strøget pedestrian shopping street to Slotsholmen, birthplace of Copenhagen and home of Christiansborg Palace. The square features a statue of Warrior Bishop Absalon astride his horse; Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167. Højbro Plads is used for various events such as a Christmas Market and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Its namesake, Højbro (the Highbridge), offers lovely views of the canal and shoreline, Christiansborg Palace and its chapel, and Børsen, the Old Stock Exchange.
In the water under the bridge lies a sculpture depicting a Merman and his seven sons, who were abandoned by their human wife and mother when she returned to her life on land.