The main historical sights are located not on the Jutland peninsula, which was first inhabited, but on the nearby islands. On the island of Zeeland are the modern capital of the country – Copenhagen, and the ancient capital – Roskilde, on the island of Funen the city of Odense is interesting.
Copenhagen is located on the banks of the Øresund Strait. For the first time in history, the city was mentioned in 1167. It is the largest port in Denmark.. In the historical center of the city, which is located on the small island of Slotsvolmen, there are the Christiansborg Palace, the stock exchange with a spire of three coiled snakes, the city hall in the style of national romanticism, the Hypotek (a collection of Danish and world sculpture), the Bertil Thorvaldsen sculpture museum. City Hall stands on the main square of Copenhagen, on its tower there is a clock that can simultaneously show time for 13 different time zones, and next to it on a high pedestal is a monument in the form of two Viking troubadours. Christiansborg Palace now houses the Parliament, government offices, the Royal State Apartments, the Carriage Museum and the Theater History Museum. Check top-medical-schools.org for travel information in Denmark.
The castles of the city are very beautiful – Christiansborg; Rosenborg with the Museum of the Danish Kings; Amalienborg, where the traditional changing of the guard takes place; and Frederiksborg, which stands in the middle of the lake. The visiting card of the city is the bronze Mermaid, sitting on a stone on the shore of the ancient harbor. The Little Mermaid is a character in the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on the island of Funen. Not far from the city hall there is a monument to the writer.
In Copenhagen there is the oldest library in Scandinavia (1673) – the Royal Library, as well as one of the most famous museums in the world – the Louis Tussauds Wax Museum, which features more than 200 wax figures, there are halls of kings, politicians and statesmen of the 20th century, artists, musicians, a gallery of fairy-tale characters and cellars of horrors.
Amusement park “Tivoli” is a favorite vacation spot for local residents, “Tivoli” is the oldest amusement park in the world (opened in 1843). In the main shopping area of the city – Strøget, the most famous shops of the city are concentrated, where you can buy a variety of souvenirs. In the vicinity of the capital there are also many places where not only tourists go, but also city dwellers on vacation. An aquarium is located in Charlottenlund, a little to the north – the Dürenhavs forest park with golf courses and cozy beaches.
30 km west of Copenhagen is the ancient capital of Denmark – Roskilde (the status of the capital passed to Copenhagen only in the 15th century). Most interesting in Roskilde – an ancient cathedral where the remains of crowned persons are buried. The city is also called the “capital of the Vikings”, and in the Navigational Museum you can see ships raised from the bottom of the bay, on which the Vikings set off on their campaigns. In the vicinity of Roskilde, a rock festival takes place every summer.
In the city of Helsingor in the north of the island of Zealand stands the world-famous Kronborg Castle. On its gates there are bas-reliefs depicting women with skulls in their hands, and frightening muzzles of monsters hang over heavy wooden doors. There is an opinion that it was here that the drama described by Shakespeare in his tragedy “Hamlet” once played out. Today, every year in the courtyard of the castle, a festival is held with a staging of this work.
The city of Odense , on the island of Funen, is notable for the fact that Hans Christian Andersen was born here in 1805. Everything in the city reminds of this man – a memorial museum has been opened in the writer’s house, sculptures depicting the heroes of his fairy tales have been installed in parks and squares. In Odense is the Cathedral of St. Knud, built at the end of the 11th century. 30 km from Odense in the vicinity of Kverndrup is the medieval castle of Egeskov, around which there is a vast park with a botanical garden where orchids and plants used by perfumers grow, 6 museums are open in the park, including an automobile museum with more than 300 exhibits.
In the east of the Jutland peninsula is the second largest city in Denmark – Aarhus. This is the birthplace of Vitus Bering. In the city center is the Cathedral of St. Clement – the largest church in Denmark. It is worth visiting the Museum of the Old City, where more than 75 houses from all over the country, whose age exceeds 400 years, are collected in the open air. The summer estate of the Danish queen is located in Aarhus, and in the suburbs of Billund there is Legoland park, in which working models of the most famous corners of Europe are built from 42 million components of the Lego children’s designer.
Viking settlements
The Vikings are a warlike people who lived in Northern Europe in the 9th-12th centuries AD. On the territory of Denmark, the remains of their settlements have survived to this day. They are mainly located in the northern part of Jutland. In Roskildeyou can visit the museum where you will learn the features of the life of the Vikings and see the old ships on which they made their raids on the countries of Western Europe.
The forts of the Viking Age are very interesting. The first fort found was Trelleborg – it was excavated by archaeologists about 60 years ago. Trelleborg consists of a round main fort, which is 134 meters in diameter, and outer fortifications. Fort Furkat was also found in Denmark. It differs from Trelleborg only in size – Fyrkat is somewhat smaller and has no external fortifications.
