I have been very interested in Denmark ever since my 4th grade students read the novel, Number the Stars. During World War II, Denmark was occupied by the Germans. The Danish resistance performed a rescue operation that managed to evacuate several thousand Jews and their families to safety in Sweden before the Germans could send them to death camps. Due to their actions, over 99% of Denmark’s Jewish population survived the Holocaust.
Today, Denmark is considered to be one of the most economically and socially developed countries in the world and consistently ranks very high in the annual World Happiness Report. Its current population is 5.78 million. Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city (1,308,893) in Denmark.
Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family. Queen Margrethe II has been head of state since 14 January 1972 and lives here part of the year. Amalienborg consists of four identical classical palace façades. It was originally built for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Palace burned on 26 February 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various kings and their families have resided in the four different palaces. (Click on the picture to enlarge it)
We arrived at Amalienborg just in time for the 10:00 changing of the guard.
Frederik's Church, popularly known as The Marble Church, is an Evangelical Lutheran church and was designed by the architect Nicolai Eigtvedin in 1740.
The Royal Yacht, the Dannebrog, is named after the flag of Denmark. It was built in 1931–1932 at the Naval Dockyard in Copenhagen. The yacht now serves as an official and private residence for Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and members of the Royal Family.
The Citadel (Kastellet) is one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe. It is still an active military area that belongs to the Danish Defense Ministry. King's Gate (below) is the entrance on the south side or the Citadel facing the city.
The Rows are six two-story terraces which were originally built as barracks for the soldiers based at the Citadel.
The Christiansborg Palace is the seat of the Danish Parliament. The palace is home to the three supreme powers: the executive power, the legislative power, and the judicial power. It is the only building in the world that houses all three of a country's branches of government.
The Børsen the a 17th-century stock exchange in the center of Copenhagen. The historic building is situated next to Christiansborg Palace. It is most noted for its distinctive spire, shaped as the tails of four dragons twined together. It was built under the reign of Christian IV in 1619–1640 as part of his plan to strengthen Copenhagen's role as a center for trade and commerce in Northern Europe. It housed the Danish stock-market until 1974.
The Little Mermaid, based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, has been a major tourist attraction since its unveiling in 1913.
The Gefion Fountain was first activated on July 14, 1908. It features a large-scale group of animal figures being driven by the Norse goddess Gefjon. The fountain was donated to the city of Copenhagen by the Carlsberg Foundation on the occasion of the brewery’s 50-year anniversary.
The Copenhagen Opera House is the national opera house of Denmark and opened January 15, 2005. It is among the most modern opera houses in the world and also one of the most expensive ever built with construction costs well over $500 million.
On the other side of the river is the The Royal Danish Playhouse which opened in 2008.
This yacht belongs to a retired Microsoft employee who helped create MSOffice. He married a Danish woman and spends time in Copenhagen. His yacht has been used in some James Bond movies.
Between their windmills and waste to energy plants (in the background), Denmark is a very energy efficient country. Because the city burns more trash (64 tons an hour) than it generates, they need to import some of their garbage. In the foreground is the Nyholm Central Guardhouse, part of the Royal Danish Navy.
This morning, we went on a 4 mile walking tour and in the afternoon, a canal cruise. The buildings were beautiful, whether historical or modern and the history interesting. Tomorrow we travel to another Danish city, Alborg.
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