DANISH SITES

                                                COPENHAGEN
Carlsberg Brewery.

     The brewery, headquartered in Copenhagen moved its major brewing facility to the island of Jutland, in 2008. One can now tour the original brewery and museum in Copenhagen. Isaac Jacobson who started the brewery had one son, but as the son grew into adulthood, father and son disagreed about how to run the business. The son was sent off to Europe to school and when he returned he wanted to brew ale to which Dad said no. 

     The elder Jacobson wrote the son out of his trust, but after a court confrontation the son was awarded one million krones. He spent one-quarter of it to build a church, another quarter for a museum, and another quarter to build a brewery to brew his ale which he started in 1882.  For years father and son never spoke to each other, but eventually before the elder died they made peace. The brewery building is unique and beautifully decorated. The entrance to the brewery sits upon four huge elephants, two on each end of the short narrow tunnel entrance. It was known as the elephant gate. and eventually there was a beer brewed called elephant beer.

Carlsberg Glyptotek, 1897

      The Glyptotek is an excellent sculpture and art gallery, and the building is as lovely as its contents. We perused the gallery and made it up to the third level to view the masters’ artwork. Hundreds of sculptures are displayed in a multitude of rooms. No elevators are available. The marble inlay and mosaic floors were simply gorgeous. A lovely garden is in back of the building.

Rosenborg Castle.

      The castle sits on several acres of park-like grounds with lots of trees with many hard pack paths running through it. There are several small flower gardens, but they were not as extensive or as lovely as I had anticipated.

     The capital's old medieval castle, Copenhagen Castle, was hardly the ideal residence for a young and ambitious Renaissance ruler. Christian IV preferred Frederiksborg Castle, 35 km away from the city, but it was, of course, more convenient to also have a residence  closer to the capital.      The history of the Rosenborg Castle goes back to 1606-1607, when the King in a newly laid out park, The King's Garden, (Kongens Have), built a summerhouse.

     The summerhouse, which today makes up the core of the southern half of Rosenborg, was two stories, with a spire-crowned stair turret facing the city and two bays to the east. In 1611 a gate tower with a drawbridge was built forming the central part of the current gate house.  

     In 1613-1615 the summerhouse was extended to its present length. There were two bays to the east with a stair turret between them.  In 1616 additions were made for the Dutch Renaissance castle that it is today.

     Rosenborg was used as a Royal residence until around 1710, when Christian IV's great grandson, Frederik IV, gave it up in favor of other, more up-to-date, summer residences. Rosenborg Castle instead became the setting for the Royal collections. After the reign of Frederik IV, Rosenborg was used as a Royal residence only twice; both times were emergencies: after Christiansborg Palace burned in 1794 and during the British attack on Copenhagen in 1801. It has been open to the public since 1838. The Danish crown jewels are housed here as well as 500 years of royal knick knacks.

      The sparkling collections in the Treasury were mind boggling. Jewel studded saddles and sabers are among the jewels, brooches, and several crowns.

Kronborg Castle

     This structure, both an elegant Renaissance castle and a monumental military fortress, in 2000  became a UNESCO site.

      Perched high on a hill overlooking the city of Helsinger and the Baltic Sea, Kronborg Castle was built by Fredrik II in 1580 on the site of the 1420s Krogen fortress.  He lived in the castle only a short while, but Christian IV lived there a few more years. Then the castle was occupied by soldiers and has been unoccupied for the past couple of centuries. The castle also collected taxes from passing ships. In the basement were prison cells. Kronborg is the legendary home of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark. In 1629 a great fire destroyed the castle. Christian IV rebuilt it.

     Huge wooden beams hold up the ceilings. The high 15-18-foot walls are painted white, and the many windows make the rooms light. The original marble floors are covered with 17^th century wide wooden planking in pleasant designs. The fire places in each room were large.

     The king’s private room still had the original marble floor. Queen Sophie had a hallway built from her room to the grand ballroom so she could transit in her party finery without having to go outside. The grand ballroom, 52-meters long, runs the whole width of the castle. The ceiling has been lowered six feet to its present 18-foot. Old tapestries hang on the walls. They were not only decorative; they also held heat from the fireplace in the room.

     Some of the stone walls in the castle were 5-6-feet thick. Globes were often placed in rooms to impress guests how educated and traveled the owner was.   

    This structure was not only big but very stark and I would suspect very damp and cold  much of the year.

    Amalienborg Palace has been home to the royal family since 1794. Four identical buildings were built in 1754 for wealthy Danes. After the palace burned, a little arm twisting resulted in the whole compound being given to the royal family.  The square is large enough to hold 35-40,000 people.

     The Marble Church, with the second largest dome in Europe sits at the end of the Palace courtyard. Built in 1754, it was modeled after St Peter’s in Rome. We tried twice to get into this church but it is only open two hours in the afternoon and we just never made it back in time. The inside is supposed to be magnificent with a marble dome, and gilded frescos.  A King Christian statue is in the middle of the palace courtyard. It took 22 years to make and a year and a half to put in place. It also cost three times that of the palace! It took 23 days to bronze.

DENMARK

Danish Layout

      Denmark, about twice the size of Massachusetts, is an island nation with its highest elevation only 565 feet. With 500 islands the ocean is never more than an hour away. Generally, Danes are well educated and well informed, yet at the same time enjoy a distinctly Danish lack of formality. This gives the Danes a relaxed and often humorous attitude toward authorities and life itself. The people are open, friendly and talkative.  The art of living is enjoyed and there is little sense of any hectic lifestyle. The people enjoy comprehensive social services, sexual freedom and high taxes to support the lifestyle. The land of Vikings fiercely remained neutral during WW II, but never the less was occupied by Germany.

       Denmark’s state-managed palaces, castles and gardens, representing different eras, are an important part of the country’s cultural heritage. There was a lot of talk about King Christian IV, the builder king, who once was king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. He ruled 1588-1648 and is also referred to as the Renaissance King. Many grand buildings were erected during his reign, and  the city prospered. He had 23 children with an assortment of women.

      Ninety percent of the population is Lutheran, although very few, about 5 %, attend church. In 1536 the country declared Lutheranism as the proper religion. Believe or be beheaded! In 1848 the country attained freedom of religion. Presently there are 250,000 Muslims living in Denmark.

      Denmark is a heavily industrialized nation, but there still are a quarter million farmers. The queen is the first female monarch in six centuries, and she is much loved by the Danes. Both the Faeroe Islands and Greenland are territories of Denmark.

     Denmark’s national animal is the swan and the national flower is the daisy.       

     Copenhagen, founded in 1167, means Port of Merchants. The once tiny fishing village started at Christainborg and has been the capital of Denmark since the 15^th century. Copenhagen is the largest city in the country.  The world’s oldest capital flies the oldest flag and is the oldest monarchy. The low rise city sits on a flat landscape with few steeples or towers breaking the skyline, although it is a city of cathedrals, canals, historic waterfront, parks, waterways, lively pedestrian streets, and the crown jewels.

      The SAS building, built in 1960, is the only skyscraper and after it was constructed the city fathers decided one tall building was enough. Located on the island of New Zealand across the Strait of Southern Sweden, the capital city is one of the most youthful and exuberant in Europe.

      In the 12^th century Copenhagen was a fortified city known as Kobenhaven. In 1850 all 120,000 residents lived within the walls. When building outside the walls it was understood that in the event of attack, one would have to burn his dwelling to allow for a good defense line.  In the 17^th century King Christian IV extended the fortification north, doubling the size of the city and adding a grid plan of streets and his Rosenborg Castle. This old ‘new town’ is where Amalienborg Palace and the Little Mermaid statue are located.

      A cholera   outbreak in 1850 killed 5000 people. The old medieval walls now are roads that define the city. The old moat is a string of lakes and parks.  Denmark is the gateway to Scandinavia and a new bridge connects Denmark and Sweden. The ancient city wall had four gates. It came down in 1856 when the plague killed 17,000 people. A hospital was built beyond the wall.

     The Stroget, running through the heart of the city, is a mile-long pedestrian thoroughfare. the

French Embassy and the five star Hotel D’Angle Terre. The western end of the Stroget ends at Town Hall Square.

     Nyhavn, New Harbor, was excavated in 1671 by prisoners to allow traders to bring their wares into the heart of the city. At one time the area was overrun with sailors, prostitutes and rowdy individuals. Today the revitalized canal district, once home to Hans Christian Anderson when he first arrived in “Wonderful Copenhagen”, is lined with casual cafés.