1043
- The first written record of the city
Though there is evidence
that Copenhagen existed as a settlement over 6,000 years ago, its first written
record did not come until 1043.
At this time Copenhagen, then called simply Havn (harbour), was of little
strategic or political importance but consisted merely of a small group of
wattle and daub huts located between the present day Rådhuspladsen (City Hall
Square) and the sea. The occupation of the population consisted mainly of
fishing the plentiful herring in Øresund, the narrow stretch of water
separating Denmark and Sweden.
Gradually, however, the town began to grow in significance because of its
en route position between the royal seat in Roskilde (west of Copenhagen) and
the religious centre of the Cathedral of Lund in southern Sweden, an area
that was also full of trading posts. It should be remembered that at this time
southern Sweden was part of the Danish kingdom.
1167
- Bishop Absalon is granted control of the city
Saxo Grammaticus' work
Gesta Danorum (The Deeds of the Danes) is the chief source of Denmark's early
history. It was commissioned by Bishop Absalon, the man who more than anyone can
lay claim to be the founding father of Copenhagen.
Grammaticus calls Copenhagen 'the Traders' Port' (København in Danish) and
tells us how King Valdemar gave control of the town to his friend Absalon in the
late 1150s.
The coast of Denmark had been ransacked by Wendish pirates for many years, and
Absalon was charged with building a fort at Copenhagen (its ruins can still be
seen in a museum beneath Christiansborg Castle), from which the Wends could
be repelled. This he duly did, using his victory as a launch pad for the
founding of Denmark's Baltic empire.
1254
- Copenhagen's first charter
Copenhagen's growing
prosperity, founded on the good herring catch in Øresund, attracted the
attention of the tradesmen from Lübeck in northern Germany, who attacked the
city twice in the mid-13th century. The inhabitants, however, simply picked
themselves up and rebuilt under Bishop Jakob Erlandsen who at this point in time
held the power.
Erlandsen also gave the city its first charter, in which the town's merchants
were awarded special privileges in order to win their support in the power
struggle against the king. Eighty years later a land survey shows that the
present day Gammeltorv was already an important meeting point, and that the
population of the town was 5,000, many of them Germans.
1397
- The Kalmar Union
By
marrying the Norwegian king and simultaneously being sovereign of Sweden, the
Danish Queen Margrethe I set the scene for the founding of the Northern
Alliance, formalised as the Kalmar Union in 1397.
Later her grand nephew Erik VII came to power and paved the way for
Copenhagen's expansion as Denmark's capital by making it his permanent home,
having seized control of the city from the Catholic Church in 1417. Copenhagen's
location at the centre of the region was central to its subsequent growth as a
trading port and military and political centre.
Erik's successor, Christian I, was the first king to be crowned in the city. He
rebuilt Copenhagen Castle and founded the country's first university, Copenhagen
University, in 1479.
1536
- The Danish Reformation
Following the emergence
of the Lutheran Church in Germany in 1517, the Danish Church split from Rome in
1526, and the population began to turn against the Catholic Church with
Copenhageners leading the way. Many buildings belonging to the Catholic Church
were looted or destroyed completely, and the people of the city sided with the
exiled King Christian II against the assumed heir, Christian III, from Germany.
This sparked off Denmark's last civil war, Grevens Fejde (the Count's Feud
1534-6).
Following that the victorious Christian III laid siege to Copenhagen (during
which the population is said to have been reduced to eating rats), before
conquering the city in 1536. The same year Christian imprisoned his bishops,
heralding the Reformation.
Subsequently Lutheranism became the country's official religion and remains so
to this day.
1596
- Christian IV's coronation
In 1596 thousands of
guests from Europe's noblest families gathered at the coronation of the man who
was to become probably Denmark's best known king, Christian IV.
A man of great appetites and ambition, Christian IV is known as the Architect
King, and he was responsible for many of Copenhagen's finest buildings and
quarters (Rosenborg Castle, the Round Tower, parts of Christiansborg Castle, the
Stock Exchange, Nyboder and Christianshavn among them). He also caused Denmark's
fall to virtual bankruptcy.
His relationship with Sweden, beginning with his declaration of war in 1611, was
his downfall, and the battles between the two neighbours raged long after his
death in 1648, ultimately resulting in the loss of much of Denmark's empire.
1728
- The great fires of Copenhagen
Following a plague in
1711, Copenhagen was visited by further disasters in the 18th Century in the
shape of two fires which ravaged the city in 1728 and 1795.
The first started in a candle maker's shop in Nørreport and went on to destroy
1,700 houses as well as the original town hall and the old University
building.
The fire was exacerbated by the ineptitude of the fire brigade who were drunk on
the money they had received for carrying out fire drills, and by a local brewer
who in his rush to help put out the fire left an oil lamp burning in his stable
and started another.
The story of the 1795 fire is similarly unfortunate: the firemen could not find
the keys to the pump house, and as a result of the spreading fire the spire of
St Nikolaj Church toppled down on the surrounding houses.
The fires did, however, give the town an opportunity to rebuild, replacing
the low-rise wooden housing with grander stone buildings.
1801-1807
- The bombing of Copenhagen by Admiral Nelson
Among the darkest days in
Copenhagen's history were the two occasions it fell victim to bombardments by
the British navy.
The first occasion arose after Denmark had entered into an armed neutrality pact
with Russia, Sweden and France against England, and as a result Admirals Nelson
and Parker in April 1801 led a fleet into the Øresund and commenced bombarding
the city with canon fire. The Danes only survived thanks to a change in the
direction of the wind which left some of the English fleet at risk of being
driven ashore.
Eventually King Frederik VI surrendered, but the British came back six years
later, this time led by the Duke of Wellington who wanted to prevent the Danish
navy from being commandeered by the French.
The second bombardment was far worse, resulting in 300 houses being destroyed
and the spire of the Church of the Blessed Virgin (Vor Frue Kirke) falling
down.
1940-1945
- The German occupation
On 9 April 1940 Hitler's
troops landed at Kastellet and, meeting little resistance, commenced an
occupation that was to last the rest of the War. Germany moved 200,000
troops into Denmark which it saw as a useful source of agricultural produce.
Despite the best efforts of the Danish resistance movement, and the secret
evacuation of nearly 7,000 Danish Jews to Sweden, Denmark resigned itself
to being ruled by Berlin. Liberation by the British army, led by Field Marshall
Montgomery, came on 4 May 1945.
The present Queen, Margrethe II, was born shortly after the occupation
began, on 16 April 1940.
2000
- The opening of the Øresund Bridge
On 1st of July 2000 a
bridge and tunnel between Denmark and Sweden opened across the Øresund from
Kastrup to Malmö, Sweden's third largest city.
The 16-km (10-mile) Øresund connection cost DK27bn ($3.3bn) to build and
features a 4-km (2,4-mile) tunnel and a 7,8-km (4,9-mile) road and rail bridge.
The rail journey from Copenhagen to Malmö now takes 35 minutes, with Stockholm
just four-and-a-half hours away.
The opening of the Bridge also heralded the dawn of a new spirit of co-operation
within what is now known as the Øresund Region (encompassing Copenhagen, Malmö
and their surrounding regions).
Great
Danes
For a relatively small
country, Denmark has produced more than its fair share of world famous
artists, scientists, philosophers and musicians.
From the king of fairy tales, Hans
Christian Andersen, to the atomic physicist Niels
Bohr, Danes have often emerged as leaders in their field, and
without exception the city of Copenhagen has played a significant role in all
their lives.
Apart from Copenhagen's founding father, Bishop
Absalon, all of those featured here are well known
internationally, and their reputation and work survive to inspire, educate and
entertain generations long after their deaths.
Bishop
Absalon
When he first took
control of Copenhagen, or Havn as it was then known, in 1167 (the power having
been granted by King Valdemar himself), the warrior Bishop Absalon found a small
settlement of wattle and daub fishing huts, and little else.
By the time of his death, however, Havn had been transformed into a vital
military post whose stone fortress served as a base for the destruction of the
Wendish pirates. It also sheltered a thriving trading centre and became an
important stop on the route from Roskilde to southern Sweden.
Absalon was a well educated man, born around 1128 into a powerful Zealand family
that had close links with the monarchy. At the King's behest he began
building a stone fortress on the site now occupied by Christiansborg Castle
in Copenhagen. The building of the fortress paved the way for the expansion of
Havn into Copenhagen and began a development that continues unabated to this day.
Absalon died in 1201 and is buried in the church of the monastery founded by his
family in Sorø.
Hans
Christian Andersen
Though he was born in the
Funen town of Odense, the life and work of writer Hans Christian Andersen will
be forever linked with his adopted home, Copenhagen.
Andersen was born in 1805 and arrived in the Danish capital in 1819, intent on
becoming either an actor or a ballet dancer. Luckily for us he failed in
both these pursuits and instead turned to writing. His first published work, A
Walking Tour from Holmens Canal to the Eastern Point of Amager, was
written in 1828.
Andersen's travel journals earned him great respect around the world
(Charles Dickens was a friend and fan), and he travelled extensively in Europe,
but it was his fairy tales, the first of which was published in 1835, that
cemented his reputation.
Enchanting, often dark, moral and original stories such as The
Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen,
The Red Shoes, The
Emperor's New Clothes and The
Ugly Duckling are enjoyed by adults and children alike and have
helped earn Andersen the title of the world's most widely read author.
Andersen lived most of his life at various addresses in Nyhavn, Copenhagen. He
never married but died a wealthy man at the age of 70 on 4 August 1875.
Søren
Kierkegaard
Born into a wealthy
Copenhagen family in May 1813, Søren Kierkegaard declared himself a genius at
an early age and rapidly went on to prove he was right.
Generally regarded as the founding father of the Existentialist Movement,
Kierkegaard studied theology at Copenhagen University.
He experienced a religious awakening in 1838 which prompted a more serious turn in
his studies, and that, together with the collapse of his engagement to Regine
Olsen, had a profound influence on his writing. His book Enten/Eller
(Either/Or) from 1843 heralded his debut as an important
philosopher, one who became more and more devout as his life progressed.
Kierkegaard died in November 1855 and was somewhat neglected until after
World War II when interest in his work was revived, a revival that has been
maintained to this day.
Søren
Kierkegaard related locations in Copenhagen:
On the building at the corner of Nytorv and Frederiksberggade (now housing a branch
of Danske Bank) you will find a memorial plaque with the following wording in
translation: "In a house located here until 1908, Søren Kierkegaard had
his home from his birth on May 5th 1813 until April 27th 1848".
In the entrance to No. 3, Klareboderne a memorial plaque has the following text
in translation: "In this building Søren Kierkegaard came daily as a
pupil of the school/Borgerdydsskolen from 1821-1830".
At the Copenhagen City Museum
a room has been set up with Kierkegaard memorabilia.
www.kbhbymuseum.dk
Søren Kierkegaard is buried at the Assistens Kirkegaard (entrance from
Kapelvej), where you will find a map showing the exact location of his grave,
not far removed, by the way, from that of his fiancée Regine Olsen.
Statues:
In the garden of the old Royal Library building is a bronze monument of a seated
Søren Kierkegaard putting pen to paper. Made by Louis Hasselriis, Carl
Aarsleff and Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan. Unveiled in 1918.
Behind the Marble Church facing Store Kongensgade is a statue depicting Søren
Kierkegaard on one of his strolls through the city. Made by Knud Nellemose and
unveiled in 1973.
Carl
Nielsen
As with Hans
Christian Andersen, the composer Carl Nielsen left his home town of Odense at an
early age and headed for the capital. Having produced his first compositions at
the age of eight, the child prodigy joined Odense's Regimental Band at the age
of 14 before moving on to Copenhagen's Royal Theatre Orchestra.
Nielsen, who was influenced by Mozart and Sibelius among others, produced
symphonies, folk songs, chamber music, opera and choral pieces, many of which
have become world famous. The best known of his works include Symphonies
Three, Four and Five, the opera Saul and
David and the choral piece Springtime
on Funen.
Nielsen was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog on his
60th birthday and died in 1931, aged 66.
Karen
Blixen
Best known as the author
of the book that inspired the 1985 Oscar-winning film, Out
of Africa, Karen Blixen (or Baroness Blixen, as she preferred to be
called), was born into a rich Copenhagen family in 1885. She studied painting at
the Danish Academy of Art and later in Paris and Rome.
In 1913 she married her second cousin, Baron Bror Blixen Finecke, and moved to
British East Africa (today Kenya), where they managed a coffee plantation.
Though it was tainted by tragedy, the time she spent in Africa provided Blixen
with the material for her memoirs, Den
Afrikanske Farm (Out of Africa),
written after her return to Rungstedlund just north of Copenhagen.
She lived and worked there until her death in 1962, producing her masterpiece Seven
Gothic Tales as well as other works including Winter's
Tales, The Angelic Avengers and
Anecdotes of Destiny.
Blixen's writings had a great influence on Danish literature of the 20th
century and continue to be widely read.
Niels
Bohr
Niels Bohr, the 1922
Nobel Prize Winner in physics, was born in Copenhagen in 1885.
While at Copenhagen University Bohr calculated the basics of atomic
structure and went on to formulate the principle of atomic fission, crucial to
the development of the atom bomb. He won the Nobel Prize for his work of
explaining the periodic system of elements, and how it relates to the atomic
structure.
Bohr was one of the thousands of Jews who escaped Nazi occupation in 1943,
travelling via Sweden to the US. While in exile there he worked together with
Einstein, among others, on the construction of the first atom bomb, though
he later campaigned against its use, publishing an open letter to the United
Nations in 1950 asking for international co-operation on nuclear weapon
development.
Arne
Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen was one of
the pioneers of functionalism, and his buildings helped define not only an
architectural movement but an entire era of design.
Jacobsen was born in 1902 and lived and worked in Copenhagen all of his life.
Most of his greatest buildings are in Copenhagen and include the Bellavista
Housing Estate, the Danish National Bank and, perhaps his most celebrated work,
the 1960 Radisson SAS Royal Hotel.
In the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel Jacobsen's famous attention to detail
encompassed every aspect of the building, right down to the cutlery and the door
handles, and, as a tribute to Jacobsen, room 606 remains to this day a shrine to
its designer, featuring the original furniture and fittings he created for it.
Jacobsen is, of course, equally well known for his furniture design, notably the
Swan, Egg and Ant chairs which were revolutionary when he designed them in the
1950s, and they remain collectors' items.
Jacobsen died in 1971, but his functionalist ideal - 'economy plus function
equal style' - has since become a mantra for generations of designers.
The
Vikings
The most common
definition of the Vikings is the people of Scandinavia from app. 700 to mid 11th
century. Originally the warrior bands set out because of hunger, but soon these
expeditions were motivated by a desire for loot and conquests, and with the
formation of states in Europe in the 11th century, the Viking Age came to an
end. As well as dramatically affecting the course of European history, the
Vikings also left behind many indelible traces on the Danish landscape. To learn
more about the Vikings in the Copenhagen Area, you can visit:
The
National Museum in Copenhagen
Has one
department which focuses on this glorious period in Danish History.
Home page: www.natmus.dk
The
Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
(35 minutes'
train ride west of Copenhagen)
Here you will find five Viking ships on display and a further number of ships
being restored, a process the visitors can observe.
Home page: www.mac-roskilde.dk
