Dyrehavsbakken (Deer Park Hill) – Klampenborg
Dyrehavsbakken (Deer Park Hill) is an amusement park in the town of Klampenborg on the island of Sjaelland (Zealand) about 12 km north of Copenhagen (København). The park is generally referred to simply as ‘Bakken’ (The Hill).
The history of the park dates back to the late 16th century, and it is the oldest amusement park in the world. The park has been a popular with the citizens of Copenhagen since 1583. In 1583 Kirsten Piil discovered a natural spring in the area. Clean water was very difficult to find at the time in Copenhagen which made the discovery of the spring a very popular place for the people of Copenhagen to visit. It was believed that the spring had healing properties. This resulted in flocks of people visiting the spring in the hopes of curing themselves from a variety of ailments. Naturally entertainers and merchants followed and set up shop in hopes of earning some money.
The spring has always been located on royal ground, and in 1669 the avid hunter King Frederik III set up royal hunting grounds on this land. The hunting grounds were named Jægersborg Dyrehave which is where we get the name Dyrehavebakken. The land was fenced off and closed to the public from 1670-1756 to keep the animals inside the hunting grounds. In 1756 the spring was opened to the public again and it regained its former popularity with the citizens of Copenhagen. From 1756 until today the park has undergone many changes to suit society’s concept of entertainment, but it has always been an amusement park.
As of 2009 there are 31 rides, slot machines, over 30 different competitions and games. The park has over 40 restaurants and bars to suit anyone’s taste. Unlike many amusement parks the restaurants in Dyrehavsbakken are not only fast food. There are high quality eating establishments within the park. The reason for this is that the park is actually comprised of over 160 individual businesses, and many restaurants, games and bars are run by self-employed people who will obviously run their business the way they wish. This is a very unique business model for an amusement park, but it has worked out well for park visitors who are treated to a much larger variety of modes of entertainment than your average amusement park. There are also a huge variety of performances and musical entertainment. The park is also home to the Circus Revyen which is Denmark’s largest Circus act.
There are 5 roller coasters in the park. The roller coaster named ‘Rutschebanen’ which opened in 1932 is a park favourite. This is old wooden roller has stood the test of time as is still thrilling park visitors every year. The ‘American Coaster Enthusiasts’ association give recognition to this roller coaster as being classic roller coaster.
The park is open from late March until the end of August each year. Each year the opening and closing of the park is marked by an enormous motorcycle parade between Nørrebrogade in central Copenhagen and Klampenborg. There are usually between 5000 and 7000 motorcycles involved in the parade. Motorcycle enthusiasts from all over Scandinavia and other European countries flock to Copenhagen to participate in the parade. The tradition was started by Bjørn Andersen in 1965. Originally the only people allowed to participate in the parade were members of “The Wild Angels” (De Vilde Engel) which was a motorcycle gang in Denmark at the time. However, today the parade is not restricted to anyone, and any motorcycle enthusiast is more than welcome to participate in this unique tradition. Information about the parade can be found on the Bakken homepage.
A/S Dyrehavsbakken
Dyrehavevej 62
DK-2930 Klampenborg
Denmark
Telephone: +45 3963 3544
Telefax: +45 3963 0138
LastUpdate: 2015-04-22 10:18:00