My Visual Travel Experience: Copenhagen

I spent three days in Copenhagen in the summer of 2007 while on a three week European trip, during which I visited Germany, Italy and Denmark. It was a wonderful trip. I did, however, make the mistake of not wearing proper walking shoes because it was the peak of summer, and I thought wearing shoes would be hot and uncomfortable. I walked some 20 km every day wearing floaters, which are not suitable for such long walks. I ended up damaging my heels, and that has gone on to become a chronic problem. Still, the enthusiasm for travel continues unabated!

I can never forget my journey to Copenhagen. I went there from Hamburg by train. There was a stretch of the journey over the sea and I wasn't sure how we were going to cross that stretch of sea. What happened next surprised and thrilled me no end. It was a long train, that must have been easily more than a kilometre in length. The whole train went on to a very long ship, crossed the sea on the ship, and then continued with its journey!

I was supposed to visit Copenhagen again in the summer of 2020 with my wife and five year old son. My wife's cousin brother works there with a large Danish multi national company, and he stays in the heart of Copenhagen with his wife and daughter. The family is very close to us. We were really looking forward to our trip. Copenhagen had caught my fancy so much the last time, that I didn't at all mind going back to it and doing a deeper dive into the beautiful city. Three days during my previous visit had made the trip a little rushed, and I was looking forward to spending a lot more time there. We were also planning to visit places in Sweden and Norway, and had made a detailed two and a half week plan. However, the Corona Virus struck and our plans had to be cancelled. We do hope to go in 2021!

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and a city with a population of over 630,000 (as of 2020). It started as a Viking fishing village in the 10th century, because of the abundance of herrings. Copenhagen has had an uninterrupted reign of monarchs from the 10th century onwards, which makes it one of the longest running monarchies in the world. In 1167, the warrior-bishop Absalon fortified the town and built a castle around it. This is considered the year of Copenhagen’s foundation.

Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in 1343 under King Valdemar Atterdag. It served as the capital of the Kalmar Union in charge of present day Denmark, Sweden and Norway for 120 years, from 1397 till 1523. Sweden then rebelled and left the union. Christian IV ruled from 1588 to 1648 and is  perhaps the best known of Denmark’s kings. He enhanced the city with numerous beautiful buildings. He was involved in many wars during his reign. In 1659, the Swedes attacked the city but were defeated by the Danes.

The 18th century saw a plague outbreak in 1711 (where 22,000 of the city’s 65,000 residents perished) and two big fires (in 1728 and 1795), after which Copenhagen went through a period of major redevelopment and was beautifully restored, but it meant the city has very few buildings from the middle ages. Today it is one of Europe’s most beautiful capitals, with numerous attractions like Tivoli Gardens, The Little Mermaid Statue, Amelienborg Palace, Rosenborg Palace, Frederik’s Church, Nyhavn, Radhuset, Stroget, the National Museum of Denmark and Glyptotek Museum.

Rosenborg Slot is a castle built by King Christian IV and dates back to 1624. It as originally built as a country summer house. It was used as a royal residence twice, in 1794 and in 1801, both times in emergencies. The castle’s collections include the Crown Jewels, a Coronation Carpet and the Throne Chair of Denmark. The castle’s Knights Hall has tapestries depicting scenes from Danish history, and a ceiling depicting the Danish Coat of Arms.

Rosenborg Slot

Frederiks Kirke is also known as the Marble Church. It lies next to the Amelienborg Palace. It was designed in 1740, but was opened to the public only in 1894, after years of delays and budget cuts. The church has an imposing large dome, inspired by St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Frederiks Kirke

Amelienborg Palace houses the Danish Royal Family. It has four identical palace facades. In the centre, there is an equestrian statue of King Frederick V, the founder of the palace. It was originally built for four noble families but became the royal residence after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794. The palace is guarded by the Royal Life Guards.

Amelienborg Palace

Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront, full of brightly coloured town houses, restaurants, coffee shops and bars. The harbour has several wooden historical ships. Nyhavn was built by King Christian V and completed in 1675.

Nyhavn

Boat Cruises in Nyhavn

Radhuset is the Copenhagen City Hall. It dates back to 1905. It has a clock tower that is 105 meters high. It was inspired by Siena City Hall in Italy. Above the balcony, there is a prominent statue of Absalon. The first city hall was built in 1479 but burned down in the great fire of 1728. The second city hall was subsequently built but it was destroyed in the great fire of 1795.

Radhuset

Statue of Bishop Absalon, Radhuset

The Borsen is the Stock Exchange Building. It was built under the reign of King Christian IV and completed in 1640. It has a distinctive 56 meter tall spire shaped like the tails of four dragons intertwined together. The building now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce.

Borsen

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in the heart of the city. It opened in 1843, and is one of the world’s oldest amusement parks. The park’s main attractions include a wooden roller coaster, a large ferris wheel, bumper car rides, a pantomime theatre, and an aquarium. At the entrance, one has the Hans Christian Anderson Castle.

Tivoli Gardens

Stroget is a pedestrian area in the heart of the city. Stroget was made a pedestrian area in 1962, and it stretches for 1.1 km. Stroget has luxury brand chain stores, souvenir shops, fast food outlets, garment stores and is very popular with tourists. It is one of the world's oldest and longest pedestrian streets.

Stroget

Nikolaj Kunsthal is an a contemporary art gallery that occupies the former Nikolai Church. It has a 90 meter tall tower that offers great views of the city. The original church was built in the 13th century but burned down in the fire of 1795. The present building dates back to 1912.

Nikolaj Kunsthal

Kastellet is a fortress shaped like a pentagon. Kastellet was built by King Christain IV and construction began in 1626. It was constructed for the defence of the city. It now serves the role of a public park and historic site. It also has the Citadel Church and a windmill.

Citadel Church, Kastellet

Windmill, Kastellet

The Little Mermaid Statue is a bronze statue of the 1837 character inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s story. The statue is 1.25 meters tall, weighs 175 kg and was made in 1913 by the sculptor Edvard Eriksen. The statue has been vandalised a few times but fixed each time. 

The Little Mermaid Statue

National Museum of Denmark has exhibits from around the world. Highlights include 14,000 years of Danish history (from the ice age to the Vikings to the middle ages); coins; objects of art from Greece, Italy and Egypt; and exhibits on Danish people till the current times.

National Museum of Denmark

St George Killing the Dragon, National Museum of Denmark

Glyptotek, officially called Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, is an art museum that houses the private collection of Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914), who was the son of the son of the founder of Carlsberg Breweries. It is largely a sculpture museum and has ancient sculptures from Egypt, Rome and Greece.

Glyptotek

Markus Aurelius, Glyptotek

Hermes, Glyptotek

One artist with a lot of works displayed at Glyptotek is the Norwegian-Danish sculptor, Stephen Sanding (1856-1922). 

Sinding's Adoration, Glyptotek

Sinding's Captive Mother, Glyptotek

Sinding's Idyll, Glyptotek

Glyptotek also has sculptures by the famous French sculptor, Auguste Rodin. There are also impressionist paintings by artists like Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne and Van Gogh.

Rodin's The Kiss, Glyptotek

Thorvaldsen Museum is dedicated to the work of the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). He lived and worked in Rome for most of his life. The museum houses many of his works, largely in marble, inspired by ancient Roman and Greek sculptures. There are also works of art that the sculptor collected, plus some of his personal belongings.

The Three Graces, Thorvaldsen Museum

Mercury, Thorvaldsen Museum

Copenhagen is certainly one of Europe's most beautiful capitals. The spectacular palaces, the imposing castles, the pretty churches, the sumptuous museums, the rich history and traditions of the royal family, the lively streets and markets, the vibrant entertainment districts and the friendly people all draw me to it. I do hope we visit again next year because I would be very glad to see these sites again, there were several places of interest that I didn't get down to seeing last time because three days were hardly sufficient to do justice to this historical city, and it would be lovely spending time with close family in such beautiful surroundings!