Mack's Guide to Copenhagen , Denmark
Please join me in a virtual tour of Copenhagen, the capital of the oldest kingdom in the world , dating to the 900's. The current royal family has been reigning for more than 1,000 years and has resided in Copenhagen since 1416. I was fortunate enough to visit this beautiful city and am happy to share my thoughts and impressions. Denmark is a country with a population of over five million persons. It encompasses some 16,600 square miles and the capital, Copenhagen (Kobenhavn), has a population of approximately 1,500,000 people. The climate is temperate and the people, both men and women, project both health and beauty, a handsome race.
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and the present head of state is Queen Margrethe II. The Royal Palace is in the center of the city and is guarded by the Royal Guards who patrol the grounds and wear big hats of bearskin. The country is actually governed by Parliament, which is located in the Christianborg Castle, also located in the center of Copenhagen.
Royal Palace Frederiksborg Castle 1599 Rosenborg Castle 1607
National Museum Treasury-Royal Collection
Royal Palace Guard Parliament Queen Margrethe II
I fell in love with Copenhagen's Little Mermaid.. I saw the "Little Mermaid" the first time on the cover of Life Magazine, many years ago. She is a life-size statue and is known the world over as the Little Mermaid that sits on a rock in the harbor and keeps Danish seamen safe.
The Little Mermaid
Copenhagen was the first city in Europe to close off streets and dedicate them to pedestrians, the Stroget area. This practice is now widespread in Europe today. Most of downtown is dedicated to pedestrians and, in the summer, the streets are full of vendors and musicians. Photos of downtown are below.
Nyhavn, means New Harbor, and was built over 200 years ago. It is now a trendy area with many cafes. Our Saviors Church was finished in 1696, and there are homes built in the 17th and 18th centuries, all in the Christainhavn area.
Nyhavn Our Saviors Church Christianshavn Canals
Let's visit the world famous Tivoli in the heart of the city, a highly sophisticated amusement park laid out in 1843. There are 25 or 30 restaurants, music, dance, theatre, fountains, carousels, as well as modern amusement park rides. I walked all over Tivoli and could not believe how modern it was when considering it's age.
Main Entrance Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Fountains
Tivoli Taj Mahal Tivoli Nimb Restaurant Tivoli Lake -Chinese Tower
Kronborg Castle, displayed below, is one of Europe's most popular renaissance castles. The castle is perched on the sea approach to the sound and hundreds of thousands of persons visit each year. It's history stretches back to 1420. First and foremost, as far as tourists are concerned, it is the setting for Shakespeare's "Hamlet." For Danes, it has national significance, "To have Kronborg on the starboard" means to return home to Denmark.
I hope that you felt that "you were in Copenhagen." There are, of course, many more things to see than those that I saw in the two days that I was there. Please let me know if you enjoyed this page and if you would like to see similar pages on Mexico City, London, Paris, and other cities of the world..
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