Day 22 - Baltic Jewels & the Midnight Sun: Copenhagen, Denmark

 Copenhagen, Denmark – Saturday, July 16

Docking was bright and early at 7 a.m.  We were not awake to see it!  Here is what I have learned about Copenhagen.

Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark.  Situated on the eastern coast of the island of Zealand, it is separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the strait of Øresund. The Øresund Bridge connects the two cities by rail and road.

Copenhagen was originally a Viking fishing village established in the 10th century in the vicinity of what is now Gammel Strand.  It became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. Beginning in the 17th century, it consolidated its position as a regional center of power with its institutions, defenses, and armed forces. During the Renaissance the city served as the de facto capital of the Kalmar Union, being the seat of monarchy, governing the majority of the present day Nordic region in a personal union with Sweden and Norway ruled by the Danish monarch serving as the head of state. The city flourished as the cultural and economic center of Scandinavia under the union for well over 120 years, starting in the 15th century up until the beginning of the 16th century when the union was dissolved with Sweden leaving the union through a rebellion. After a plague outbreak and fire in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of redevelopment. This included construction of the prestigious district of Frederiksstaden and founding of such cultural institutions as the Royal Theatre and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After further disasters in the early 19th century when Horatio Nelson attacked the Dano-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a Neoclassical look to Copenhagen's architecture. Later, following the Second World War, the Finger Plan fostered the development of housing and businesses along the five urban railway routes stretching out from the city centre.

Since the turn of the 21st century, Copenhagen has seen strong urban and cultural development, facilitated by investment in its institutions and infrastructure. The city is the cultural, economic and governmental center of Denmark; it is one of the major financial centers of Northern Europe with the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Copenhagen's economy has seen rapid developments in the service sector, especially through initiatives in information technology, pharmaceuticals and clean technology. Since the completion of the Øresund Bridge, Copenhagen has become increasingly integrated with the Swedish province of Scania and its largest city, Malmö, forming the Øresund Region. With a number of bridges connecting the various districts, the cityscape is characterized by parks, promenades, and waterfronts. 

Copenhagen's landmarks such as Tivoli Gardens, The Little Mermaid statue, the Amalienborg and  Christiansborg palaces, Rosenborg Castle, Frederik's Church, Børsen and many museums, restaurants and nightclubs are significant tourist attractions.

Copenhagen is home to the University of Copenhagen, which was founded in 1479.

Today after breakfast Jeff and I set off on different excursions in the morning.  Jeff did the more rigorous "Copenhagen on Foot"

Explore the landmarks of Copenhagen and learn about the city’s history during a walking excursion. With a local guide, you will stop to see the Little Mermaid statue sitting serenely in the harbor at Langelinie and visit the courtyard at the 18th-century Amalienborg Palace. Continue to Copenhagen’s largest monument, the Gefion Fountain, followed by Amalienborg Palace, the winter residence of the Queen of Denmark, the sovereign of one of the world’s oldest monarchies. Here, admire the royal rococo buildings and square, plus the stunning Marble Church, New Opera House and flourishing Amaliehaven (Amalie Garden) with its geometrical layout, colorful plants and centerpiece fountain. En route back to your ship, walk through the 17th-century Citadel—one of Europe’s best-preserved fortresses surrounded by eight moats, tall ramparts and cannon bastions.

I chose the less demanding "Copenhagen Panorama"

Uncover 850 years of remarkable history during this tour of one of the region’s most prominent cities. With a local guide, you will pass City Hall Square, named for the impressive National Romantic–style building that dominates the plaza; Tivoli Gardens, one of the world’s oldest amusement parks; and more en route to the island of Slotsholmen. See Christiansborg Palace, home to the Danish government, and Børsen, the former stock exchange. Continue through Christianshavn for spectacular views of the harbor from the Opera House. Pass the brightly colored houses of Nyhavn—the neighborhood that was once home to Hans Christian Andersen—on your way to view Amalienborg Palace, the royal winter residence, and Rosenborg Castle, home to the Danish Crown Jewels. After a stop to see the Little Mermaid statue in the harbor at Langelinie, you will have the option of returning to your ship or disembarking in the city and making your way back independently.  A few highlights of our morning ...

Of course, we both took copious pictures of the Little Mermaid statue.  I liked this one that Jeff took best.

Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (Den lille Havfrue) is a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid becoming human. The sculpture is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen.  It was a gift to the city from Copenhagen native Carl Jacobsen, brewer of Carlsberg beer.  The city celebrates the mermaid's birthday on August 23 every year with celebrations both onshore and in the harbor.  

Based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major tourist attraction since its unveiling in 1913. 

In recent decades it has become a popular target for defacement by vandals and political activists.  Our guides told us that she has been beheaded twice and has been splashed with paint in a wide variety of colors.  Yet she persists!

A favorite stop for me was at St. Alban's Church where the sculpture of Gefion is also located.  Both Jeff and I took photos here.  

St. Alban's Church

St. Alban's Church, or the English Church (as the locals call it), is an Anglican church in Copenhagen. It was built between 1885 and 1887 dedicated to the growing English congregation in the city. Designed by Arthur Blomfield as a traditional English parish church in the Gothic Revival style, it is in a peaceful park setting at the end of Amaliegade, a street in the northern part of the city center, next to the citadel Kastellet and the Gefion Fountain and Langelinie.  The church is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first martyr of Great Britain.  Of all the churches we have visited, I think I found this one the most charming.

Gefjon (fountain with bulls)

I also think the Gefjun Fountain may be my favorite of all the fountains we have seen.  In Norse mythology, Gefjon is a goddess associated with plowing, the Danish island of Zealand, the legendary Swedish king Gylfi, the legendary Danish king Skjöldr, foreknowledge, her oxen children, and virginity.  Wow!  What a lot of things to be associated with! 

According to the myth, King Gylfi was a ruler in what is now called Sweden. Of him it is said that he gave a certain vagrant woman named Gefjun (pronounced gef YOON), land in his kingdom as a reward for his entertainment.  He promised her as much land as four oxen, could plow up in a day and a night. Now this woman was one of the race of the Aesir. She took four oxen from the north, from Giantland, the sons of her and certain giant, and put them before the plow. But the plow cut so hard and deep that it uprooted the land, and the oxen drew the land out to the sea to the west and stopped in a certain sound. There Gefiun put the land and gave it a name and called it Zealand.

Gefjun and her four sons

Another favorite stop for me was Amalienborg Palace, the winter residence of the Queen of Denmark, the sovereign of one of the world’s oldest monarchies. It is the main residence of the Danish royal family and is actually a complex of four rococo palaces with identical façades. The palaces date from the 18th century and are situated in an octagonal formation with an equestrian statue of King Frederik V at the center.  From the square we could admire the royal rococo buildings and square, plus the stunning Marble Church and New Opera House.  

The Queen's Residence

The lack of a flag flying indicates that she is not at home today.

 

The Guards

Frederik's Church

Frederiks Kirke (Frederik's Church) is popularly known as the Marmorkirken (Marble Church) for its rococo architecture.  It is an Evangelical Lutheran church and forms the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district located due west of Amalienborg Palace.  The church was designed by the architect Nicolai Eigtved in 1740.  It has the largest church dome in Scandinavia and was probably St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The Copenhagen Opera House

Børsen

Not only is Børsen the oldest stock exchange in Denmark, it’s also one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen. Constructed at the request of King Christian IV in the early 17th century, the structure reflects the tastes of its royal patronage through its distinctive spire and garrets.

City Hall

Located precisely in the center of the city, the hall was built in 1905 and features statues of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and Nobel Prize–winning physicist Niels Bohr. Visitors can climb the 300 steps to the top of the adjacent clock tower for panoramic views.

Christian IV's Brewhouse

Originally built for military purposes, the sprawling space was converted to a beer brewery in the 1600s. In the 400 years since, the structure has functioned as a storage warehouse and a museum. It  is currently empty.

Christiansborg Palace

The Baroque Revival palace, opened in 1928, is the seat of the Danish parliament, the office of the prime minister, and the location of the Danish Supreme Court. It features a library, a throne room, a tapestry collection, and a remarkable kitchen.

Rundetaarn Tower

As its name implies, this landmark is a tall, cylindrical tower, built by Christian IV in the mid-17th century.  The structure functioned as a church, library, and observatory.  Today visitors can climb the tower's winding stairway and experience its bell loft, planetarium, and library.  It is Europe's oldest operating observatory.

Courthouse of Copenhagen

"Med Lov Skal Man Land Bygge" is inscribed over the courthouse.  An old, but wise quote in Danish history, it means "Countries have to build with laws."  It comes from the foreword of Jyske Loy (Code of Jutland), written in 1241 under the reign of King Valdemar II.  I think it's still valid today.

The Maritime Monument is a memorial to civilian Danish sailors who lost their lives during World War I.  It consists of a broze sculpture of a winged female figure, representing Memory, played on a rhombus-shaped podium with a series of narrative reliefs on its side.  The winged figure was modeled on the classical Hellenistic sculpture of Nike of Samothrace.  It contains the names of 101 Danish merchant ships that sank during the war as well as the names of the 648 sailors who drowned.  The front of the podium shows a ship that is sinking after colliding with a naval mine.  Sailors are jumping overboard and being evacuated to another ship.  The relief on the left rear side shows the Greek god Mars pointing with his sword.

Winged Victory

Jeff took this shot of another winged statue called Winged Victory or Winged Victoria.  The Roman winged goddess Victoria stands on an orb atop the Ivar Huitfeldt Column.  She symbolizes victory over death during a war or battle.  It seems appropriate to me that the statue towers over the monument to sailors who lost their lives during World War I.  The artist Ferdinand Edvard Ring created the sculpture in 1886.

Princess Marie of Denmark Statue

Princess Marie was a French Princess by birth and a Danish Princess by marriage to Prince Valdemar of Denmark, the youngest son of King Christian IX.  The Princess died in 1909, and this statue was created in 1912.  It consists of a bust of the princess that sits on top of a tall stone plinth.  At the base of the plinth is a life-sized statue of a semi-naked woman with a nude boy leaning against her.

Another of my favorite spots in Copenhagen was in the Old Town where there are a series of orangey-yellow houses called Nyboder Houses set in rows along cobbled streets.  The houses were commissioned by King Christian IV to house the nation's seafaring men and their families.

In a city of (albeit low rise) apartment buildings, these tiny dollhouses are something a little special.  Compact and bijoux, Nyboder’s green painted window frames capture small snapshots of Danish living, with tiny kitchens full of vintage enamel pots and utensils, and dining rooms of classic Danish pendant lamps visible over family dining tables. Outside the houses’ scrubby rendered walls, bikes are picturesquely parked and doorsteps and pavements host potted geraniums and rickety garden furniture. In winter, our guide tells us, there are candles on windowsills, fairy lights and handmade paper decorations around Christmas.

I loved the fact that quite a few of its streets are named after animals. I spotted Tigergade and Krokodillegade as well as Delphingade (Dolphin Street) and Svanegade (Swan Street). The street names are beautifully hand painted in black script on white rectangles painted right onto the houses.  It was a really fun part of this wonderful city -- one that we long to visit again.

Other images about town that struck our fancies ...

Our second excursion of the day was just steps away from Viking Mars, where we boarded a canal boat for a sail along the canal while we sipped champagne and listened to a quartet playing ragtime, gospel, and dixieland-style jazz.  It was a beautiful evening and a whole lot of fun!

We were sorry to see our day in Copenhagen come to an end and would have loved to have had a second day here.  We are already talking about a land tour that will involve returning to some of our favorite Scandinavian spots!

But for now we bid Copenhagen a fond farewell as we sail off to Warnemünde in Germany!