Theme Week Jutland in Denmark

21 December 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

Christmas in Aarhus © flickr.com - EHRENBERG Kommunikation/cc-by-sa-2.0

Christmas in Aarhus © flickr.com – EHRENBERG Kommunikation/cc-by-sa-2.0

Jutland, known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula, is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany. The names are derived from the Jutes and the Cimbri, respectively. As with the rest of Denmark, Jutland’s terrain is flat, with a slightly elevated ridge down the central parts and relatively hilly terrains in the east. West Jutland is characterised by open lands, heaths, plains and peat bogs, while East Jutland is more fertile with lakes and lush forests. Southwest Jutland is characterised by the Wadden Sea, a large unique international coastal region stretching through Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.   read more…

Christiansfeld in Denmark

22 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  13 minutes

Moravian Church © Villy Fink Isaksen/cc-by-sa-4.0

Moravian Church © Villy Fink Isaksen/cc-by-sa-4.0

Christiansfeld, with a population of 3,000, is a town in Kolding Municipality in Southern Jutland in Region of Southern Denmark. The town was founded in 1773 by the Moravian Church and named after the Danish king Christian VII. Since July 2015 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of Christiansfeld was constructed in the years 1773–1800, following a strict city plan. To encourage construction, king Christian VII promised a ten-year tax holiday for the city and paid 10% of the construction costs of new houses. It was one of many towns in Schleswig officially designated a small market town (flække).   read more…

Copenhagen Opera House

8 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Julian Herzog/cc-by-4.0

© Julian Herzog/cc-by-4.0

The Copenhagen Opera House is the national opera house of Denmark, and among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built with construction costs well over US$500 million. It is located on the island of Holmen in central Copenhagen. The foundation A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal donated the Opera House to the Danish state in August 2000. Arnold Peter Møller (1876–1965) was a co-founder of the company now known as Mærsk. Some politicians were offended by the private donation, in part because the full cost of the project would be tax deductible, thus virtually forcing the government to buy the building; but the Folketing and the government accepted it in the autumn of 2000.   read more…

City Hall Square in Copenhagen

27 April 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  13 minutes

City Hall Square © Bill Ebbesen

City Hall Square © Bill Ebbesen

City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) is a public square in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark, located in front of the Copenhagen City Hall. Its large size, its central location and its affiliation with the city hall make it a popular venue for a variety of events, celebrations and demonstrations. It is often used as a central point for measuring distances from Copenhagen.   read more…

Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen

13 December 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Bluedog423

© Bluedog423

Rosenborg Castle (Danish: Rosenborg Slot) is a renaissance castle located in Copenhagen. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV‘s many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period, and has been expanded several times, finally evolving into its present condition by the year 1624. Architects Bertel Lange and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger are associated with the structural planning of the castle. The castle was used by Danish regents as a royal residence until around 1710. After the reign of Frederik IV, Rosenborg was used as a royal residence only twice, and both these times were during emergencies. The first time was after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794, and the second time was during the British attack on Copenhagen in 1801.   read more…

Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen

15 November 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  18 minutes

Amalienborg Palace and Opera House Copenhagen in the background © flickr.com - Rob Deutscher/cc-by-2.0

Amalienborg Palace and Opera House Copenhagen in the background © flickr.com – Rob Deutscher/cc-by-2.0

Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg’s founder, King Frederick V. Amalienborg 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. The Amalie Garden (Danish: Amaliehaven) is located between the waterfront and Amalienborg Slotsplads. Established in 1983, it was a gift from the A.P. Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation to the citizens of Copenhagen. The two-level garden was designed by Belgian architect Jean Delogne. It features marble sculptures and a central fountain designed by Italian Arnaldo Pomodoro. It is owned jointly by the Danish state and the municipality of Copenhagen, and maintained by the Palaces and Properties Agency. The short axis on which Amalienborg lies, Frederiksgade (English: Frederik’s Street) has been much discussed due to construction the building of the Copenhagen Opera House in 2001–04. Aligned on the short axis is the Frederik’s Church (Danish: Frederikskirke), commonly known as The Marble Church (Danish: Marmorkirken). The equestrian statue of King Frederik V was commissioned by Moltke, as Director for the Danish Asiatic Company, and it was made by French sculptor Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly. Work began in 1753, and the foundation stone was laid in place in 1760 at the 100-year celebration of political absolutism in Denmark. The statue was finally unveiled in 1771, five years after King Frederik V’s death in 1766.   read more…

Aarhus, European Capital of Culture 2017

18 August 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, European Capital of Culture Reading Time:  11 minutes

Aarhus Theatre © Martin Steggman/cc-by-sa-4.0

Aarhus Theatre © Martin Steggman/cc-by-sa-4.0

Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality. It is located on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula, in the geographical centre of Denmark, 187 kilometres (116 mi) northwest of Copenhagen and 289 kilometres (180 mi) north of Hamburg, Germany. The inner urban area contains 269,000 inhabitants and the municipal population is 336,000. Aarhus is the central city in the East Jutland metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1.4 million. In 2017, Aarhus has been selected as European Capital of Culture along with Paphos in Cyprus.   read more…

Portrait: Cnut the Great

22 March 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  12 minutes

Winchester Cathedral - Burial chest of Cnut the Great © Ealdgyth

Winchester Cathedral – Burial chest of Cnut the Great © Ealdgyth

King Cnut the Great, also known as Canute, was King of Denmark, England, and Norway, together often referred to as the Anglo-Scandinavian or North Sea Empire. The North Sea Empire was one of several forerunners of the European Union and the Eurozone. After his death, the deaths of his heirs within a decade, and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was mostly forgotten. The medieval historian Norman Cantor stated that he was “the most effective king in Anglo-Saxon history”, although Cnut himself was Danish and not a Briton or Anglo-Saxon. Cnut is popularly invoked in the context of the legend of King Canute and the waves, but usually misrepresents Cnut as a deluded monarch believing he has supernatural powers, when the original legend in fact states the opposite and portrays a wise king.   read more…

Christiansø in the Baltic Sea

5 November 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Christiansø Harbour © Arne Møller Jensen/cc-by-sa-2.0

Christiansø Harbour © Arne Møller Jensen/cc-by-sa-2.0

Ertholmene, generally called Christiansø, is a small archipelago situated approximately 18 km northeast of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Its permanent population is at around 100 and its area is 39 hectares (0.39 km2). Ertholmene belongs to Denmark and has the country’s easternmost point.   read more…

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