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Copenhagen: Overview and History
Home » Denmark » Copenhagen: Overview and History » Copenhagen: Overview and HistoryPosted by Your Guide on May 17, 2006 8:38 PM
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and is the largest city in Denmark, with a population of 1,116,979. Denmark is located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It is one of three Scandinavian countries. Denmark is made up of a mainland peninsula, Jutland, and 406 islands. Copenhagen is also the largest city in Scandinavia, and it is located on the island of Zealand. Danish is spoken in Copenhagen, but many Danes also speak English.
Copenhagen was found by Sweyn Forkbeard and his son Canute the Great around the year 1000. It was originally a fishing village called “Havn,” which means harbor. In the 12th century, the city became more important when it came under the rule of the Bishop Absalon.
Bishop Absalon built a Citadel to protect the city of Copenhagen in the 1160's. This Citadel was located near Christiansborg Castle and was the first step to found the capital of Copenhagen. Today, Christiansborg Castle can be visited by tourists. The Bishop Absalon fortified Copenhagen in 1167. Absalon died in 1201 and donated all of his possessions to the monastery at Sorø. He is buried at this monastery, behind the High Altar.
Copenhagen's harbor was an excellent resource for the city, causing it to grow and become an important city of commerce. As it grew, the Germans noticed its success, and Copenhagen was repeatedly attacked by the Hanseatic League, an alliance that had established a trade monopoly over the Baltic Sea and most of northern Europe. Copenhagen received its charter as a city in 1254, under Bishop Jakob Erlandsen.
The Kalmar Union was founded in 1397. This was a northern alliance set in motion by the Danish Queen Margrethe I, who was also sovereign of Sweden, marrying the Norwegian king. In 1417, Erik VII, Queen Margrethe's grand nephew, came to power by seizing control of Copenhagen from the Catholic Church. He made the city his permanent home, thereby paving the way for Copenhagen to become the capital of Denmark.
In 1416, Copenhagen became the Royal Capital of Denmark. In 1443, Copenhagen became the Danish capital, replacing Roskilde. The first king to be crowned in Copenhagen was King Christian I in 1448. King Christian I was also the founder of the first university in Denmark in 1479, Copenhagen University. Today there are eight colleges and universities in Copenhagen.
King Christian IV was the most prominent architect of Copenhagen. Under his reign, many historical buildings and other projects were finished, such as Rosenborg Castle, The Round Tower, the Old Stock Exchange, and the Canals of Copenhagen.
The Swedes under Charles X severely attacked Copenhagen during 1658 and 1659, but the city endured. Then in 1728, the city was struck by the plague and also several fires. These things combined destroyed Copenhagen. Therefore, King Christian VII resided in the Amalienborg Palace in 1794.
In 1801, in Copenhagen harbor, the Battle of Copenhagen was fought between a British fleet under Admiral Parker and the Danish navy. In 1807, the city was greatly damaged and many lives were taken when a British force bombarded the city to prevent Denmark from surrendering to Napoleon. The damage was so extensive because Copenhagen was relying on an old defense system that was practically useless compared to the British defense. In the 1850's, however, the city allowed new walls to be built around the lakes, reinforcing a newer defense system and expanding Copenhagen's territory.
Bankruptcy caused Denmark to cede Norway to Sweden in 1813, after Norway had been part of the Danish kingdom for over 450 years. As Denmark recovered from this bankruptcy from 1830 to 1850, Copenhagen grew and gained the new territories of Vesterbro, Nørrebro, and Østerbro. The first Crisberg Beer was distributed in the city in 1846, and the Tivoli Gardens were founded by Georg Carsten in 1843.
In 1863, Copenhagen established the first Tram Car service. The famous Copenhagen City Hall building was finished in 1905.
Copenhagen is known for its popular sausage stands, which were established around 1910. Today, over 130 million red sausages are consumed each year at Danish sausage stands. This red sausage, served with bread, has been the favorite fast food meal of the Danes for generations. You can find a sausage stand on nearly every street corner in Copenhagen.
The Little Mermaid is a character in fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. In 1912, Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen created a statue of the Little Mermaid. Since then, this statue has become a world-famous tourist attraction. It is one of the most photographed statues in the world.
In 1925, Kastrup Airport was inaugurated. This is the closest airport to Copenhagen, and it serves about 50,000 passengers per day. Also in 1925, Tango Jalousie was composed in Copenhagen by the famous Danish composer Jacob Gade. This piece of music was performed for the first time on September 14, 1925, at the Palads Cinema. It accompanied a silent film. Tango Jalousie is one of the most famous pieces of music in the world. It is said that this piece is being played every minute of the day somewhere on the planet.
Under construction since 1907, the third Christiansborg Palace was finally completed in 1928. This palace housed the Danish parliament and the royal reception rooms.
Grundtvig's Church, the largest public Evangelical Lutheran church in Scandinavia, stands in Copenhagen. It was completed in 1940. Three generations from the same family of architects were involved in building Grundtvig's Church. The main architect, P.V. Jensen Klint, was later succeeded by his son Kaare Klint, and then by his grandson, Esben Klint. Grundtvig's Church is a national monument to N. F. S. Grundtvig, a hymn-writer who was also a philosopher and social reformer. This church, which took nearly 20 years to finish, is located at Bispebjerg in northern Copenhagen.
Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark were occupied by German troops during World War II, from April 9, 1940 to May 4, 1945. In 1943, the Royal Danish Navy sank several ships in Copenhagen harbor so that the ships could not be used by the Germans. Since that war, the city has been successful.
In 2000, a bridge/tunnel was built to connect the cities of Copenhagen and Malmö. This construction, called the Øresund Bridge, consists of both a roadway and a railroad. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark inaugurated the bridge in July of 2000. Because of this, Copenhagen has become part of a large metropolitan area that spans both Sweden and Denmark.
This bridge was part of a planned integration of the two cities, as well as the two countries. It has not been as successful with road passengers, probably because of high tolls, but the number of train passengers using the bridge is increasing every day. Another problem with this integration is that the two cities use two different currencies. To remedy this, a growing number of shops and restaurants are starting to accept both currencies.
In 2002, a fully automated metro line running from east to west was opened in Copenhagen. The metro line was constructed in conjunction with a major city development in the south of the city called Ørestad. The first part of the Metro runs from Nørreport to Lergravsparken, and from Nørreport to Ørestad. Phase 2A and 2B of the Metro opened in 2003, running from Nørreport to Frederiksberg and from Frederiksberg to Vanløse, respectively. In 2007, the Metro will connect to the airport. At that time, it will take less than 20 minutes to get from central Copenhagen to the airport.
Today, Copenhagen is considered a center of culture and arts. It is brimming with tourist attractions and activities, along with multiple shopping centers and the longest pedestrian street system in the world. With its valuable educational and commercial opportunities, Copenhagen has also become an international city.
Sources:
www.en.wikipedia.com
www.visitcopenhagen.com
www.copenhagenet.dk
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