Home Traveling in Denmark Central Copenhagen - More Tourist Attractions (København)

Central Copenhagen - More Tourist Attractions (København) - Part 2

Copenhagen Tourist Map

9. The Old Square and The New Square (Gammeltorv og Nytorv). The Old Square and The New Square are two squares in Copenhagen approximately halfway down the main pedestrian street (Strøget). The squares have several nice cafes, and there is a very delightful atmosphere in the squares. The Old Square (Gammeltorv) is the oldest square in Copenhagen (København). It has been a trading square since the 12th century. The Caritas water fountain was built in 1610, and it is the oldest water fountain in Copenhagen. The New Square (Nytorv) was built in 1606 as a market place. The square is the home of Copenhagen’s Courthouse (Københavns Domhus) which is found in a building which was designed by C.F. Hansen in 1815. The building was once used as Copenhagen’s Town Hall.

10. The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet). The National Museum of Denmark is Denmark’s largest and most important museum of culture. Oddly enough the Nationalmuseet doesn’t only profile the history of Denmark. The varied history of other foreign cultures is also profiled in certain sections within the museum. The museum has exhibits on all significant time periods of Danish history. From Stone Age Scandinavia all the way up to present day. The museum has very impressive coin collection, and a special section of the museum is devoted to children ‘the Kids Museum (Børnemuseum)’. The Kids Museum is a section of the museum where children are exposed to different cultures and historical times through play and games. Additionally, the museum sponsors SILA, which is ‘The Greenland Research Centre’. The role of SILA is to promote and support further archaeological and anthropological research in Greenland. The museum is a must for anyone interested in history. There is free entrance into the museum on Wednesdays.

11. Christiansborg Palace (Christiansborg Slot). The enormous Christiansborg Palace is the seat of The Danish parliament (Folketinget), The Danish Prime Minister’s office and The Danish Supreme Court. The building was designed and built by the famous Danish architect Thorvald Jørgensen in 1918. Christiansborg Palace is on the island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen. The facades of the castle are covered with granite stones, and the courtyard is made up of more than 7000 individual stones. The audience chambers are the room parliament holds meeting and the room is beautifully decorated. The room is adorned with many famous paintings by Danish artists and a variety of elegant decorations. There are portraits of all the influential Danish politicians throughout the ages. Underneath the building you can see remains of the first castle which was constructed by the Bishop Absalon towards the middle of the 12th century. Absalon’s castle was torn down in 1369, and on top of the ruins another castle was built which unfortunately burned down in 1794, except for the horse-riding facility. In 1833 a new Christiansborg Palace was designed and built by the famous Danish architect C.F.Hansen. Yet once again the castle burned to ground in the year 1884, and only the Church and the horse-riding facility were spared by the fire. The church would later be destroyed by a fire in 1992, but it was rebuilt shortly thereafter. There is a guided tour in the royal representation rooms and the banqueting hall. In the banqueting hall Queen Magrethe the 2nd has displayed 17 of her colourful Goblins, showing events from the past 1000 years in Danish history. There is access to the Ruins Museum (Ruinmuseet) underneath Christiansborg Slot. In the museum you can see the ruins of Absalon’s fortress from the year 1167, and remains of the Copenhagen Castle, which was torn down in 1731.

12. The Horse-Riding Facility (Ridebaneanlægget). The two wings are the only remaining parts of the first Christiansborg Castle (Christiansborg Slot). The (Ridebaneanlægget) was fortunate to survive the numerous fires which have destroyed the previous castles. The two wings are an extraordinarily beautiful example of architecture from the 1730’s. On the riding grounds police horses and the horses of the Royal Household are trained every day. There is also an interesting museum in the Royal Stables (De Kongelige Stalde). The completion of the south wing was overseen by the famed Danish architect Nicolai Eigtved, and it is therefore considered to be the more appealing of the two wings. This was also the site of the Royal Theatre which was designed in 1767 by the architect Nicolas Henri Jardin, and it was rebuilt in 1842. Today the unique theatre hall is part of the Theatre Museum (Teatermuseet).

13. Christiansborg Castle Church (Christiansborg Slotskirke). Christianborg Castle Church is considered to be one of the finest buildings designed by C.F. Hansen who is considered to be one Denmark’s best architects of all-time. The church is part of the Christiansborg Castle complex. The church was seriously damaged in 1992 by a fire; however it was restored and re-opened in 1997 in a ceremony commemorating Queen Margrethe II’s 25 years as the Queen of Denmark. The outer temple is very austere yet it is counterbalanced by the very colourful interior decorations and figures made by several of the 19th centuries best known Danish sculptors, such as Bertel Thorvaldsen and H.V. Bissen. Christiansborg Slotskirke first opened in 1826; 1000 years after Christianity first came to Denmark.

14. Danish Design Centre (Dansk Design Center). The Danish Design Centre is a museum in central Copenhagen which is housed in a building which was designed by the architect Henning Larsen. The museum strives to build awareness of the massive impact that Danish Design has had over the years. The museum has many very impressive displays of the many significant Danish Designs which have take the world by storm. The museum has exhibits of Royal Copenhagen ceramics, Georg Jensen silverware, and furniture items which have been designed by Danish Designers. The museum usually has noteworthy temporary exhibitions by Danish Designers or International Designers. There’s also a café and a book store.

15. Thorvaldsens Museum (Thorvaldsens Museet). The Thorvaldsens Museum is a fine museum for art lovers. The museum has many sculptures by the world famous sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). Thorvaldsen’s has left us with many famous sculptures in countries all around the world. The museum is housed in the an elegant building which was built in 1848 and it was designed by another famous Danish architect, M.G. Bindesbøll. The museum has free entrance every Wednesday.

16. The Stock Exchange (Børsen). King Christian IV built the Stock Exchange building Borsen (Børsen) on the island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen (København) between the years 1619-1640. The building was built in the Dutch renaissance style, and it is one the best known and most appealing buildings in all of Copenhagen. The distinct 54-meter high copper spire with 4 dragon tales was King Christian IV’s idea. The building was originally designed as a type of shopping mall. People could buy corn, flax, hemp, animal skin, hops, dried fish, salt and many other goods. The trading ships would dock directly in front of Børsen and unload their goods which would be transported directly into Børsen by means of two ramps on each side of the dock. Børsen was a trading centre until 1857 when it was turned into a monetary stock exchange. It was the home of the Danish Stock Exchange until 1974. Today the building is owned by The Head organisation HTS, and it is rented out for a different variety of reasons such as trade shows.

Central Copenhagen (København) - Tourist Attractions (Part 1)
Central Copenhagen (København) - More Tourist Attractions (Part 2)
Central Copenhagen (København) - Tourist Sites (Part 3)
Central Copenhagen (København) - More Tourist Sites (Part 4)
Central Copenhagen (København) - Things to See and Do (Part 5)
Central Copenhagen (København) - Things to See and Do (Part 6)
Central Copenhagen (København) - Main Page