
This is the "point zero" for Denmark's maps. The square opens onto Strøget (and then Amalienborg and the port), the old Royal Island of Slotsholmen and the tivoli Gardens and is the true centre of Copenhagen. As if to prove the point, the major daily..
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Carl Jacobsen , owner of the Carlsberg breweries, was a great art lover, with a soft spot for antique sculpture. He handed his collection to the State who, in 1897, opened a Glyptotek ( gluptos means stone engraving in Greek). It contains several c..
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Housed in the Prince's Palace (1774) that the Marble Bridge links to Christiansborg, the Museum was extended in the 1980s by vast halls that regularly hold temporary exhibitions. The permanent collection presents the history of Denmark through its ..
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This rococo style marble bridge crosses Frederiksholms Kanal and leads to the vast courtyard of Christiansborg. Designed by the famous 18C architect Nicolai Eigtved, it was built at the same time as the first palace. Seen from the shaded banks of the..
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From the Town Hall to the New Royal Square, there is a maze of streets that sometimes open out onto squares, forming the "main street" of Copenhagen. During a walk through these streets, styles change and duty free shops make way for elegant shops la..
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On the northwestern flank of Christiansborg, aside from the cupola of the Royal Chapel (1826), the Thorvaldsens Museum is of Greek-Roman inspiration (1839-1848) and houses neoclassical works of art from the great Danish sculptor, Bertel Thorvalds..
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Huddled between Strøget to the south and the parkst to the north and east, the "Latin Quarter" of Copenhagen revolves around the University , which was based on the English colleges and the Cathedral of Our Lady , that stands opposite. The district..
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Situated in the Latin Quarter, the Round Tower (1637-42) was built for astronomical observation and has been converted into the Tycho Brahe Museum . From the top of the tower (35 m), which you reach via a spiral ramp, aside from observing the star..
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Between the early fortress and Christianborg , there was a gothic castle in around 1416, a baroque palace (of which the two wings and stairs remain, accessed from the Marble Bridge) which was intended to rival Versailles. It burned down in 1794 and ..
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Founded in 1653 by King Frederik III and open to the public since 1793, the Royal Library has been somewhat rejuvenated by its contemporary annex (1999). It quickly became known to Danes as "the black diamond" because of its dazzling façade of shiny ..
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No clever fountains here, but hundreds of Venetian lights that make this eight-hectare park so magical. There are 400,000 flowers and 110,000 lightbulbs here and the park is a few steps away from the Town Hall. Since it was opened in 1843, this has b..
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In 1606, Chrisitian IV bought a vast stretch of land outisde the city walls that he first turned into an English garden. This King's Garden soon housed a "folly" that, over the years, became a real castle and home of this builder king. The gardens ..
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Built from 1670 to 1688 on the request of Christian V, Kongens Nytorv , the New Royal Square, is both the end of the streets created for the New City and the Nyhavn Canal (1671). There are imposing aristocratic palaces around the square and little..
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With the botanical gardens and King's Garden around Rosenburg, Oster Park , with its vast lakes, is the lungs of Copenhagen. But this little bit of ecology also has a cultural function as it is home for the Fine Arts Museum . Aside from the Danish ..
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Christian IV had this islet fortified in 1618: Christianshavn was born. Having acted as a preliminary protection for the city and an active port with a canal cutting right through it, the district has preserved its traditional characteristics and b..
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This picturesque port was built in the late 17C to allow ships up to the Royal Square. The rapid development of trade here led to the construction of warehouses and narrow housing for the merchants. This once infamous quarter is today an ideal place ..
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The David collection is situated on Kongens Have in a lovely 19C house that used to belong to CL David. This lawyer made it a public institution in 1945 and maintained the building. It contains a great collection of Islamic art from the Middle Ages a..
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Designed by Nicolai Eigtved on the request of Frederik V, this palace is made up of the four buildings that occupy the octagonal square and adjacent streets. It is an example of Classical urbanism that is delcately freed from its constraints by dis..
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Housed in a neoclassical building situated behind the Fine Arts Museum, the Hirschsprung Collection was left by the tobacco manufacturer in 1911 and includes a number of paintings by Danish artists from the 19C, including those from the Skagen scho..
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On leaving Amalienborg, Amaliegade leads to Churchill Park at the centre of which stands a former barracks, the 18C Kastellet (18 e s.), with Vauban-like fortifications surrounded by lakes. At the entrance to the park stands the Museum of the R..
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