THE DANES’ GREAT CITY
Copenhagen an eclectic spot
Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, is an improbable combination of corny Danish clichés, welldressed executives having a business lunch amid cutting-edge contemporary architecture, and some of the funkiest counterculture in Europe. And yet it all just works so tidily together.
I like tuning in to the little details of everyday life here. Along with the city’s key sights (such as the outstanding National Museum), I make sure to get out among the fun-loving locals. There’s an orderliness without rigidity, a sense of balance and calm.
A busy day cycling the generous bike lanes and taking in an oldtown walk gives me my bearings. I feel right at home strolling the Strøget, a series of lively streets and inviting squares that stretches through the old town. Established in 1962, it was Europe’s first major pedestrian boulevard.
Appreciating the street scene means taking in the swoon-worthy art of the great Danish Neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Within a few blocks around the Strøget, I spy a marble bust of the sculptor at the landmark city hall, and then see Thorvaldsen’s work at the Church of Our Lady and at Thorvaldsen’s Museum.
The deeper I go, the more I find myself plunging into a city of lovely spires and public spaces. Once-formidable fortified walls and moat systems have morphed into peaceful, lake-filled parks. The most royal public space is the King’s Gardens surrounding the Renaissance-era Rosenborg Castle, where Danes soak in the long days of their short summer.
Beyond the Strøget, the promenade along the Nyhavn canal is a comfy people zone with trampolines, harbourview benches, and ice cream-licking ambience.
Several blocks from the promenade is the new Inderhavnsbroen sliding bridge for pedestrians and bikes. This “Kissing Bridge” (it’s called that because the two sliding, or retractable, sections “kiss” when they come together) links the town centre with Christianshavn across the harbour.
Christianshavn’s centrepiece is Our Saviour’s Church, with a unique exterior spiral staircase that rewards those who climb it with commanding views of the city. And down the street is the famous commune, Christiania. In 1971, the original 700 Christianians established squatters’ rights in an abandoned military barracks. Two generations later, this “free city” still stands — a mishmash of idealists, hippies and potheads.
Get outside the touristy main drag of Christiania to find a ramshackle world of moats and ramparts, cosy tea houses, carpenter shops, hippie villas, children’s playgrounds, peaceful lanes, and people who believe that “to be normal is to be in a straitjacket.” A local slogan claims, “Only dead fish swim with the current.”
Copenhageners have a knack for enjoying everyday experiences. Sampling the Danish good life (including a gooey “Danish” pastry), it’s easy to feel right at home here. Live it up in Scandinavia’s cheapest and most fun-loving capital.