+48 22 351 22 70
Local call rates in your country: (09) 2316 5332 Finland 08-559 26 228 Sweden 36 98 77 91 Denmark (02) 8005-7161 Australia (04) 889 2448 New Zealand (22) 548-33-65 Switzerland
OLD TOWN APARTMENTS
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital and also its largest city. Since the times of the Vikings, there has been a settlement with a harbor located on this site. Beginning around the middle of the 12th Century, this settlement grew in importance after being officially founded in 1167. As its importance grew, it began to suffer repeated attacks from Germans of the Hanseatic League.
By the mid-1600s, Copenhagen was fending off a heavy siege by Swedish forces, successfully defending itself, and the year 1801 saw the Battle of Copenhagen, in which the Danish navy battled a British fleet commanded by Admiral Parker. This battle was the occasion for a famous quote, when Lord Nelson "put the telescope to the blind eye" – in other words, purposefully wouldn’t see Parker's cease-fire signal.
This fracas led up to another attack from the British in 1807, during which the city of Copenhagen suffered widespread damages and casualties numbering in the hundreds. The excessive level of devastation was partially due to the city’s reliance upon an old defensive wall which was quite obsolete, and this wall wasn’t to be torn down until the 1850s, so that much-needed new homes could be built around the lakes to the west of the city.
During the World War II era, the entire country was occupied by German forces for over five years. One famous incident occurred in August of 1943, when the Danish government ceased collaborating with the Germans and used the Royal Navy to sink several of their ships in Copenhagen Harbor. In the many years since, Copenhagen has become the center of a much wider metropolitan area, with an efficient public transport system and quick train connections to many other destinations in Europe.
Some of the highlights:
Amalienborg Palace is the winter residence of the Danish royal family. Consisting of four matching Classical façades and a rococo interior, it’s constructed around an octagon-shaped courtyard, the center of which is home to a large equestrian statue of the founder of the palace, King Frederik V. For centuries, kings and their families have lived in these four separate palaces.
The Copenhagen Zoo is among the oldest zoos in all of Europe, having been originally founded in 1859.
Attendees of its grand opening ceremony were treated to the likes of eagles, ducks, owls, foxes, a seal and a turtle. Today, this zoo is the only one not in Australia to hold a Tasmanian Devil. It’s the most-visited zoo in Denmark, and the addition of many new animals and facilities in recent years had made it among Europe’s finest.
The Gefion Fountain is situated at the harbor, and depicts a larger-than-life grouping of animals being driven by the legendary Norse goddess who lent the fountain its name. This is the biggest monument in all of Copenhagen, and was donated to the city on the occasion of the local Carlsberg Brewery’s 50th anniversary on July 14th, 1908. It had a long renovation from 1999 until 2004, and is now once again accepting coins and wishes from international travelers and locals alike.
Express Booking Form
About us
Tell your friends about us
