Copenhagen

Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital and seat of government. The city’s profile is made up of a historic city centre with beautiful medieval buildings, though many of the exciting architectural sights, which have helped put Copenhagen on the map as a leading design centre, have mushroomed in the last few decades.

The Merchants’ Harbour
Copenhagen has existed as a settlement for over 6000 years, but the first written records only appeared in 1043 when the city was called simply ‘Harbour’. At this time, the city had little strategic or political significance and largely consisted of a collection of mud-built fisherman’s huts. The town started to grow as it became a hub and a link between Zealand and Scania which at that time was part of the Kingdom of Denmark
In 1150 Bishop Absalon was given power of the city and he founded a new fortress so he could defend the merchants’ town – ‘København’ - Copenhagen. The town’s importance grew and in 1397 Copenhagen became the centre of the united Scandinavia under Queen Margrethe I. Copenhagen had a central location in the kingdom which consisted of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and the town became both a military and political centre.

Copenhagen in buildings
Architecturally, the historical city centre is characterised by the many beautiful buildings built by Christian IV during his reign from 1596 until his death in 1648 – among them, Rosenborg Castle, The Round Tower, the Stock Exchange, Nyboder, the city quarter of Christianshavn (Christania) and the beautiful Frederiksborg Castle.

Although large parts of Copenhagen’s older buildings were destroyed in several major fires in the 18th century and futher in 1801 and 1807 when the British fleet bombed the city during the Napoleonic Wars, the city is still characterised by the many historical buildings that stand next to new architectural gems such as ‘The Black Diamond’, the Opera and Turbinehallerne.

Copenhagen as a centre of knowledge
As Denmark’s capital, the city has always attracted some of the country’s most brilliant people and cultural giants such as Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard have helped put Denmark in the history books globally. Today, Copenhagen is also Denmark’s leading centre of knowledge and the University of Copenhagen is the country’s largest university.

A lively city
Copenhagen is at the cutting edge of culture, music, architecture and design. The city hosts an annual jazz festival: a wide range of cultural events that take place in established theatres, smaller niche theatres, music venues and galleries. Copenhagen is also the place where Danish sporting heroes are celebrated when they return home from championships and the Olympic Games.

Copenhagen is also famous globally for its fashion week where buyers from all over the world come to purchase Danish design which is known for its clean lines, but also for its great creative energy and playful approach to design and fashion.

Green city
In recent years, the city has focused greatly on the environment and Copenhagen is in many ways at the cutting edge of the green lifestyle with its organic food, recycling and use of alternative energy sources.
In 2008, Copenhagen was elected the best city in the world to live in by British lifestyle magazine, Monocle. Monocle was very impressed by Copenhagen's many green areas, its clean docks and canals that are safe for swimming - not to mention the many beautiful people, who recycle their rubbish and use bicycles to get around the city.