Copenhagen

Bishop Absalon Photo by S. Mellor

Copenhagen is called in Danish København, which means merchant harbor. The first mention of Copenhagen in from the 11th century in the Icelandic Sagas. In the saga, Svein is fleeing king Magnus of Norway and goes to a town called Havn [harbor], which is todays Copenhagen. In the 10th century,

Early Copenhagen, Model from Bymuseum Photo by S. Mellor

Copenhagen was a small village, and not the capital of Denmark as it is today. Indeed, the Capital of Denmark moved with the King and was often in either Lund, which is today in Sweden, and Roskilde, about 20 miles outside of modern Copenhagen. In the early 12th century the site was given to the Bishop of Roskilde, Absalon, who had a castle built in 1167. At that time Copenhagen was an island, a desirable place to build a merchants town because of the easy access to the sea. The island town was fortified with ramparts and a moat, distinguishing characteristics of Copenhagen until the last century.

Medieval Copenhagen Sketching from Bymuseum Photo by S. Mellor

In 1416, King Erik broke the power of the bishops of Copenhagen, and in 1445, king Christian I made Copenhagen the capital of Denmark, which until that time had moved with the kings court. Christian I had a castle built at the site of Absalon's earlier castle, and made Copenhagen the royal residence. Today the castle is Called Christianborg and has been rebuild several times. In 1479, the University of Copenhagen was founded.

The 16th century was wrought in the civil and religious conflicts of the Protestant Reformation. Copenhagen was sacked and burned to the ground several times as Catholic nobles and towns people fought the protestant king. However, by the late 16th century, Copenhagen began to flourish as trade increased, and the city expanded beyond the original ramparts. Among the new buildings erected were Børsen (The Exchange), Trinitatis Church, with the adjacent famous Round Tower, and Rosenborg Palace.

Burning of City Hall, 1795 Representation from Bymuseum Photo by S. Mellor

In 1728 and 1795, fires destroyed many of the buildings in Copenhagen, including the City Hall. Again in the early 19th century parts of Copenhagen were destroyed from the bombarded by the British during the Napoleonic wars.

Royal Theater Photo by S. Brantly

In Hans Christian Andersen's day, Copenhagen was a city of about 100,000 inhabitants. The well to do patrician family all knew each other. Artisans, like Andersen, made their way into the homes of the upper social circle. Even though Andersen was poor, he knew many of the prominent citizens in Copenhagen. During Andersen's lifetime, many profound changes occurred to the city. Because of the damage during the war, Copenhagen was constantly being rebuilt. However, due to the fact that Denmark was bankrupt from the wars, there was not enough money to rebuild the city in as grand a style as had previously been the case. Perhaps one of the most dramatic changes was that, due to the change in warfare techniques, the ramparts, which defined Copenhagen, were no longer needed. In 1856 most of the ramparts were pulled down, leaving only a small section of ramparts for a park and allowing the city to further expand.

Andersen at Rosenborg Garden Photo by S. Mellor

Today Copenhagen is a city of about half a million people. The center of the city is Rådhuspladsen [City Hall Square]. From it a group of streets known as Strøget wind their way through the old part of the city to Kongs Nytorg [The King's New Square]. Though called new, The King's new Square was laid out by Fredrik III in the 17th century. The square is not far from where Andersen had his rooms. On the Square was, and is, the Royal Theater, where Andersen spent many evenings watching plays.

For Tourist information on Copenhagen try...

Wonderful Copenhagen
Copenhagen This Week

S. Mellor