Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark (Danmark). It is situated on the Zealand and
Amager Islands and is separated from Malmö, Sweden by the Oresund. With the
completion of the transnational Oresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen and the Swedish
city of Malmö are connected by a car/rail link and are in the process of integrating their
respective labour markets, resulting in the number of commuters from both sides
growing annually.
In 2007, the magazine Monocle listed Copenhagen second in their Top 20 Most Livable
Cities Chart. In addition, it has also been classified as a GaWC Cultural World City.
The original designation for the city, from which the contemporary Danish name is
derived, was Kjøbmandehavn, "merchants' harbor". The English name for the city is
derived from its Low German name, Kopenhagen. The element hafnium is named after
the city's Latin name, Hafnia
From the Viking Age there was a fishing village by the name of "Havn" (harbour) at the
site. From the middle of the 12th century it grew in importance after coming into the
possession of the Bishop Absalon, who fortified it in 1167, the year traditionally marking
the foundation of Copenhagen. The excellent harbour encouraged Copenhagen's growth
until it became an important centre of commerce (hence its name - the first part of the
word denoting commerce in Danish language). It was repeatedly attacked by the
Hanseatic League as the Germans took notice. In 1254, it received its charter as a city
under Bishop Jakob Erlandsen.
During 1658-59 it withstood a severe siege by the Swedes under Charles X and
successfully repelled a major assault. In 1801 a British fleet under Admiral Parker fought
a major battle, the Battle of Copenhagen, with the Danish navy in Copenhagen harbour. It
was during this battle Lord Nelson famously "put the telescope to the blind eye" in order
not to see Admiral Parker's signal to cease fire. When a British expeditionary force
bombarded Copenhagen in 1807, to gain control of the Danish navy, the city suffered
great damage and hundreds of people were killed. The reason why the devastation was
so great was that Copenhagen relied on an old defence-line rendered virtually useless by
the increase in shooting range available to the British. But not until the 1850s were the
ramparts of the city opened to allow new housing to be built around the lakes ("Søerne")
which bordered the old defence system to the west. This dramatic increase of space was
long overdue, not only because the old ramparts were out of date as a defence system,
but also because of bad sanitation in the old city. Before the opening, Copenhagen
Center was inhabited by approximately 125,000 people, peaking in the census of 1870
(140,000); today the figure is around 25,000. In 1901, Copenhagen expanded further,
incorporating communities with 40,000 people, and in the process making Frederiksberg
an enclave within Copenhagen.
During World War II, Copenhagen was occupied by German troops along with the rest of
the country from 9 April 1940 until 4 May 1945. In August 1943, when the government's
collaboration with the occupation forces collapsed, several ships were sunk in
Copenhagen Harbour by the Royal Danish Navy to prevent them being used by the
Germans. The city has grown greatly since the war, in the seventies using the so-called
five-finger-plan of commuter trainlines to surrounding towns and suburbs.
PLACE TO VISIT
Amalienborg Palace - (home of the royal family). You can't get in but can watch it
from the outside. Changing of the guards each day at noon. (Marches from Rosenborg
Castle barracks).
Assistant Cemetery - in Norrebro with graves of many notable Danes, among
others Hans Christian Andersen, Martin Andersen Nexø, Peter von Scholten, Søren
Kierkegaard, Hans Christian Ørsted, NHøP and Niels Bohr.
Bakkehus Museum - a cultural history museum about the Danish Golden Age of
Literature and four of its most prominent figures: Kamma Rahbek, Knud Lyne Rahbek,
Adam Oehlenschläger , dating back to the 1620's.
Copenhagen Opera House - (in Danish usually called Operaen) is the national
opera house of Denmark, and among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is
also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built with construction costs well over
500 million dollars. It is located on the island of Holmen in the center of Copenhagen.
Dyrehavsbakken - referred to informally as Bakken ("The Hill"), is the world's
oldest intact still-surviving amusement park. It is located in Klampenborg (Gentofte
municipality), Denmark. It started modestly when Kirsten Piil, in 1583 discovered a
natural spring in the area north of Copenhagen. Locals took tours to the natural spring to
drink the good tasting, fresh water, which was in short supply in Copenhagen, and to take
advantage of its health-bringing properties. In their wake followed enterprising individuals
who took financial advantage of the visiting crowds by offering, among other products and
services, food and pottery in which to collect the water.
Christiansborg Palace - on Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen is the home of
Denmark's three supreme powers: the executive power, the legislative power, and the
judicial power. It is the only building in the world which is the home of all a nation's three
supreme powers. Christiansborg Palace is owned by the Danish state, and is run by the
Palaces and Properties Agency.
The palace today bears witness to three eras of Danish architecture, as the result of two
serious fires. The first fire occurred in 1794 and the second in 1884. The main part of the
current palace, built in 1928, is in the historicist Neo-baroque style. The chapel dates to
the 1800s and is in a neoclassical style. The showgrounds date were built in the
eighteenth century in a baroque style.
Copenhagen Zoo - is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. It was founded by the
ornithologist Niels Kjærbølling in 1859. He was given the summer garden of "Prinsess
Vilhelmines Have" (The garden of Princess Vilhelmine) by the chief directorate of
Copenhagen.
The animals that the visitors could contemplate at the opening were eagles, chickens,
ducks, owls, rabbits, a fox, a seal in a bathtub and a turtle in a bucket. In the early years
the zoo focused on showing as many different types of animals as possible, but as
animal welfare later became an issue, the number of different species has dropped in
favour af more space to each animal.
Frederiksborg Palace - is a palace in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal
residence for King Christian IV, and is now known as The Museum of National History.
The current building replaced a previous castle erected by Frederick II, and is the largest
Renaissance palace in Scandinavia. The palace is located on three small islands in the
middle of Palace Lake, and is adjoined by a large, baroque formal garden.
Gefion fountain - is a large fountain on the harbour front in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It features a large-scale group of animal figures being driven by the legendary Norse
goddess, Gefyon. It is the largest monument in Copenhagen and is used as a wishing
well.
Børsen - (The Stock Exchange) is a building on the island Slotsholmen in central
Copenhagen built by Christian IV in 1619-1640. The building was designed by Hans van
Steenwinckel in the style of the Dutch renaissance architecture and is famous among
tourists for its "dragonspire". The spire from 1625 is shaped as the tails of four dragons
twined together. The tower measures 56 meters.
Kastellet - located in Copenhagen, Denmark is one of the best preserved fortifications
in Northern Europe.[citation needed] It is constructed in the form of a pentagram. The five
bastions are named as follows: The King’s Bastion (Kongens Bastion), The Queen’s
Bastion (Dronningens Bastion), The Count’s Bastion (Grevens Bastion), the Princess’s
Bastion (Prinsessens Bastion) and the Prince’s Bastion (Prinsens Bastion). Kastellet
has its own church, as well as a windmill.
Kronborg Castle - is situated near the town of Helsingør (immortalised as
Elsinore in Shakespeare's Hamlet) on the extreme tip of Zealand at the narrowest point of
the Oresund, the sound between Denmark and Sweden. In this part, the sound is only 4
km wide, hence the strategic importance of maintaining a fortress at this location. The
castle has for centuries been one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern
Europe and was added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list on November 30, 2000.
Statue of The Little Mermaid - sits on a rock in the Copenhagen harbour at
Langelinie. This small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist
attraction. The statue was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of
Carlsberg, after he had been fascinated by a ballet about the fairytale. The sculptor
Edvard Eriksen created the statue, which was unveiled on 23 August 1913. He used his
wife Eline Eriksen as the model.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art - is located directly on the shore of the
Øresund in Humlebæk 35 kilometers north of Copenhagen in Denmark. It has a wide
range of modern art paintings, sculptures and videos, including works by artists such as
Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Anselm Kiefer, Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek - is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The
collection is built around the personal collection of the son of the founder of the Carlsberg
Breweries, Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914). The museum collections include classical
Egyptian, Roman and Greek antiquities, Romanticist sculptures, and paintings, as well
as Golden Age Danish art. The Etruscan collection is one of the most extensive outside
Italy.
Nyhavn - is a popular area in Copenhagen, Denmark with both locals and tourists.
Starting from the memorial anchor at Kongens Nytorv, the street is lined with many small
bars and restaurants facing out to a picturesque harbor. In warmer weather people fill
every available table in the outdoors seating area in front of every restaurant. And even in
cooler weather the heartier types sit outdoors with a beer and a blanket, provided by the
restaurant on each seat, over their legs. While not extremely expensive, the restaurants
are not cheap.
Rosenborg Castle - is a small castle situated at the centre of the Danish capital,
Copenhagen. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is
an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch
Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period, and has been
expanded several times, finally evolving into its present condition by the year 1624.
Architects Bertel Lange and Hans van Steenwinckel are associated with the structural
planning of the castle.
Rundetårn - The Round Tower is a 17th century tower located in Copenhagen,
Denmark. The tower is part of the Trinitatis complex, which was built to provide the
scholars of the time with an astronomical observatory, a student church and a university
library.
Tivoli Gardens - is a famous amusement park and pleasure garden in
Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on August 15, 1843 and, except for
Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg, it is the oldest amusement park which has
survived intact to the present day.
Strøget - is a peaceful carfree zone in Copenhagen, Denmark. This popular tourist
attraction in the centre of town is the longest pedestrian shopping area in Europe.
WHAT TO DO
Climb the 400 steps to the top of the spire of Vor Frelsers Kirke in Christianshavn for
panoramic views of Copenhagen. The church is undergoing restoration until late 2008,
but the tower is still open.
Visit the Round Tower where you can have a nice 360 degrees view of Copenhagen
after walking up its spiral ramp.
See a play in the Royal Theater or the new Opera (opened January 2005)
Tivoli - the world famous theme park in central Copenhagen. Tivoli is especially
beautiful at night when coloured lamps light up everywhere. Pop/rock concerts every
Friday night, sometimes with internationally known names. (Be early). Some evenings
end with fireworks, consult the program. Also brass bands, pantomime theater etc. on the
program.
Niels Bohr Institute - If you are a physicist or just interested in physics, come to the
Institute and see the room of Niels Bohr with photos of the staff of the institute when he
was the head of it, a model of the famous thought experiment weighing the clock, the
archive, the photos of all the famous people who were developing the quantum theory
during the so-called "golden age of physics, when even small people could do big things"
and also the modern part of the institute. The people at the archive are wiling to show the
institute to other people, if they are not too busy, but you should make an appointment in
advance.
Fælledparken - Located in Østerbro a few km north of the city centre, this large
expanse of grass offers the perfect opportunity for a laid-back summers afternoon and
evening - when weather permits! Buy a disposable grill, bread, meat and beer, and bring
a frisbee, football or similar. Eat and play - there are playgrounds for the children. Be kind
to the grass when placing the grill.
PARKEN - Next to Fælledparken one will find PARKEN, Denmark's national stadium,
which serves as home to Copenhagen's main footballteam (soccer), FC Copenhagen
(da. FC København or simply FCK) as well as the national football team (except for
friendly matches). PARKEN is also the main arena in Copenhagen for bigger concerts
and other sports and cultural events.
Beaches - at Charlottenlund Fort, Charlottenlund and the newly renovated Amager
Strandpark (The Lagoon), metro Lergravsparken. Amager Strandpark opened in the
summer of 2005 after being rebuilt for a price of £20 million.
Or take a swim at the very popular designated swimming areas in the clean water of the
Copenhagen harbour. But beware: it is very popular among the Danish people.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport (CPH) is the main hub of Scandinavia's
largest carrier SAS Scandinavian and regularly wins favorable comments from
passengers for both design and function — this is a much more pleasant place to transit
than, say, London Heathrow or Frankfurt. Check-in lines for SAS can get very long
however during the peak hours of the summer months so make sure to allocate some
extra time for this. Self-service check in counters are actually available, but it appears that
not too many people make use of them.
It takes 12 minutes by train to get from Kastrup to the central station (Hovedbanegården)
in downtown Copenhagen. You need a ticket for 3 zones. Purchased from one of the
automated vending machines or the ticket counter located inside the atrium, this costs
28.50 DKK. The Copenhagen Metro also connects Kastrup with central Copenhagen,
with trains leaving every four minutes in daytime and every 15 minutes in the night and
taking 14 minutes to the city center (for the same ticket and price of 28.50 DKK).
Consider Sturup Airport (MMX) in Malmö, Sweden as well - it's 40 minutes by bus from
central Malmö, and from there 30 minutes by train to Copenhagen Central Station. Or use
the direct Bus 737 (DKK 100, 50 minutes). Until November, Ryanair flies from London
(Stansted) and Dublin, and Wizzair from Warsaw and Budapest.
By train and bus - All buses and trains stop at Central Station, the main transport
hub. There are hourly trains from major cities such as Odense and Aarhus via the
Storebælt Bridge. The easiest and fastest way to get in from Sweden is to cross the
Øresund Bridge via Malmö, a journey of only 30 minutes.
Öresund bridgeGråhundbus (DKK 60, DKK 100 same day return), Swebus Express, and
Säfflebussen have routes to Malmö and Sweden. To Malmö the buses take longer but
are cheaper than the train, especially for daytrips.
By boat - Ferries ply between Copenhagen Port and Oslo (16hr) and Swinoujscie
(Poland).
By yacht - Copenhagen has several marinas. The biggest is Svanemøllehavnen.
There are no designated visitor berths but it is almost always possible to find one with a
green sign. Daily charge: 75-120 DKK.
