Copenhagen - uVisitRussia

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is Denmark's charming capital and one of the world’s greenest cities. It is the coolest kid on the Nordic block. A royal capital with almost nine centuries under its svelte belt, it's equally well versed when it comes to world-class museums and storybook streetscapes. Walk in fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen's and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard's footsteps in Copenhagen. It is the modern and charming city that still remembers its history. Here you have the backdrop of an old historic city with romantic canals, cobbled streets, secret gardens and fairy tale castles. Its cobbled, bike-friendly streets are a cosy concoction of sherbet-hued town houses, craft studios and candlelit cafes. Add to this its compact size, and you have what is possibly Europe's most seamless urban experience. Copenhagen is the most visited city of the Nordic countries with 1.3 million international tourists every year. It's a "people-friendly" city where your senses can roam, and where there's always something interesting around the next corner.

Copenhagen is the largest city in Denmark. This beautifull city is situated on the east coast of the amazing island of Zealand. Another small portion of the city is located on Amager Island. Copenhagen and Malmö, Sweden are separated by the strait of Øresund.

Copenhagen has a long and rich history. This largest city in Scandinavia boasts a population of nearly 2 million people, including greater Copenhagen and surrounding regions. During the Viking Age, and the Middle Ages a huge trading area on the small islands between Zealand and Amager was developed. Absalon built a castle between 1167-71 on the island today called Slotsholmen. Later the name changed to "Køpmannæhafn" meaning, "The Harbour of the grocers". The name change took place because of all ships which came into the harbour to buy and sell their goods. Some towns nearby considered this “new town” as a huge threat against their own trading, and the town attacked and burned down in 1249. Copenhagen’s wealth in the Middle Age was mainly based on the herring fishing in Oresund. In 1375, the population of Copenhagen was already 4000 people. The University was built in 1479, and in 1661 Copenhagen became a the main home of the Royal family.

In 1521 farmer families from the Netherlands were invited by King Christian II to move to Denmark, and live on the island of Amager. The Dutch build a colony and began farming vegetables, and the town "Store Magleby" became the center of island affairs. Heavy development in Copenhagen around the 19th century created a need for city planning. Copenhagen had to wait until after the 2nd World War before the city planning could be executed. The plan was called “The five fingers” (De fem fingre). From the centre of Copenhagen the five finger plan included highways and trains which linked the important towns of Køge, Roskilde, Frederikssund, Hillerød and Helsingør.

The busiest and best known section of Copenhagen is certainly the inner city. The majority of the Copenhagen’s best known tourist attractions are located in Central Copenhagen. Central Copenhagen is a great place to visit, and it is the heart and soul of this world famous city. Some notable places of interest in Copenhagen include, Christiansborg Palace, the Danish National Gallery, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, the Marble Church, and Kronborg Castle. Aside from the great museums, churches, old buildings, and castles that dot the cityscape of Copenhagen, there are also treats that families with kids will surely enjoy. For example the Tivoli Gardens amusement park has been around since the 1840’s. Two popular rides for big kids are the roller coasters named Daemonen and Mountain Track. There is also the world’s tallest carousel, dragon boat rides at the lake, and theater shows for the whole family.

The oldest section of Copenhagen's inner city is often referred to as Middelalderbyen (The Medieval City). However, the city's most distinctive district is Frederiksstaden, developed during the reign of Frederick V. It has the Amalienborg Palace at its centre and is dominated by the dome of Frederik's Church (or the Marble Church) and several elegant 18th-century Rococo mansions. The inner city of Copenhagen includes Slotsholmen, a little island on which Christiansborg Palace stands and Christianshavn with its canals. Around the historical city centre lies a band of congenial residential boroughs (Vesterbro, Inner Nørrebro, Inner Østerbro) dating mainly from late 19th century. They were built outside the old ramparts when the city was finally allowed to expand beyond its fortifications.

Sometimes referred to as "the City of Spires", Copenhagen is known for its horizontal skyline, broken only by the spires and towers of its churches and castles. Most characteristic of all is the Baroque spire of the Church of Our Saviour with its narrowing external spiral stairway that visitors can climb to the top. Other important spires are those of Christiansborg Palace, the City Hall and the former Church of St. Nikolaj that now houses a modern art venue. Not quite so high are the Renaissance spires of Rosenborg Castle and the "dragon spire" of Christian IV's former stock exchange, so named because it resembles the intertwined tails of four dragons.

Recent years have seen a boom in modern architecture in Copenhagen both for Danish architecture and for works by international architects. For a few hundred years, virtually no foreign architects had worked in Copenhagen, but since the turn of the millennium the city and its immediate surroundings have seen buildings and projects designed by top international architects. At the same time, a number of Danish architects have achieved success in Copenhagen and abroad. Buildings in Copenhagen have won RIBA European Awards four years in a row. The last three are all by Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects. At the 2008 World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, Bjarke Ingels Group won an award for the World's Best Residential Building 2008 for a house in Ørestad. In 2008 British design magazine Monocle named Copenhagen the World's best design city 2008.

The boom in urban development and modern architecture has brought some changes to the city's skyline. A political majority has decided to keep the historical centre free of high-rise buildings, but several areas will see or have already seen massive urban development.