Copenhagen (in Danish København) is the most visited northern European city, located on the largest Danish island of Zealand (Sjælland), home to Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid and Tivoli Gardens. Copenhagen is not only the capital of Denmark, but also the most diverse city in Scandinavia. A quarter of all Danes live in the greater Copenhagen area. With the huge bridge link across the Sound (Øresund) over to Sweden Copenhagen grew in the new millennium to even greater importance as a hub in Scandinavia.
The Amalienborg complex consists of four buildings, built by aristocratic Dane. After Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794, residence of the Queens and Kings of Denmark, King Christian VII bought the building and since that time Amalienborg Castle is the new royal residence, today Queen Margrethe of Denmark. If the Queen is present, the Danish flag is hoisted. On these days the change of the guards take place at 12:00 clock. The ground floor of the building is open to visitors and has been converted into a museum, where there is much to learn about the history of the Royal Family.
The Little Mermaid is one of the most photographed women of the world. The story of The Little Mermaid began in 1837 with the same title fairy tale by the Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen. In 1909 the founder of the Carlsberg brewery, Carl Jacobsen, saw the ballet “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Beck. He was so fascinated by the story that he created a sculpture in her honor.
The space on which the Tivoli Gardens are located today is a former military site. The park was opened in 1843 and inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland. The Tivoli is one of the oldest and still existing amusement parks of the world. The founder of Tivoli Gardens, Georg Carstensen, wanted the park to be a place for music, leisure, restaurants and entertainment. He built the park in line with other amusement parks in Europe. Carstensen convinced the King to build Tivoli Gardens with the words: “There will be no politicizing when the people are out for amusement”.
A prominent sight is the Nyhavn. This road with beautiful gabled houses on both sides of the harbour is the gastronomic center in Copenhagen. The Royal New Market (Kongens Nytorv) is located at the west end. It’s the largest and most important square in the city. On the square with a statue of the popular King Christian V, known as Hester (the horse), are the Royal Theatre, the department store Magasin du Nord, the Thott Palais (1685) and the during the years 1672-83 built castle Charlotte Borg located. It now houses the Academy of Arts and is associated with the new art exhibition building.
