Copenhagen is rich in history and culture. As well as special events like the Jazz Festival there are various other activities for the visitor to enjoy. They range from guided walks to castles and art galleries. Here are a few ideas:
Copenhagen Jazz Festival
The Jazz Festival, an annual event for 31 years, is one of the most famous festivals in Europe and runs until 11 July. There are 100 concerts daily taking place all over the city in venues ranging from parks to boats. There are some major jazz artists taking part including Curtis Stigers.
Warhol After Munch Exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The exhibition runs until 12 September and includes 4 of Edvard Munch’s major works - The Scream, Madonna, Self Portrait and the Brooch in various versions and 30 of Andy Warhol’s large colourful versions of them. Warhol’s Munch pictures are rarely shows and the 2 artists exhibited together is unique.
The building itself is a 19th century villa with a series of galleries showing works by Picasso and Rothko. They are surrounded by a large garden full of statues overlooking the sea. The weather and the sea both play their part in how the visitor experiences the exhibits.
Guides take tourists for guided walks all over the city. The walks have various themes ranging from ghosts to history. There is also a Hans Christian Andersen walk where the guide is dressed up as the writer. He takes people from the City Hall to the harbour passing major landmarks such as the Cathedral and down alleyways and back streets. He will tell you the history of the area with anecdotes from Andersen‘s life and show you a statue of him.
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)
He was born in Odense in Denmark but had an unhappy childhood and left as soon as he could and moved to Copenhagen where he wrote The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Ducking and other fairy tales. He lived at various locations and there are several statues of him in the city. He lived for 20 years in Nyhavn, a street with many vibrant cafes and a canal running down the middle. He is buried in Assistens Kirkegard in Copenhagen.
There is a statue of The Little Mermaid on the harbour at Langelini and is the city’s most famous and popular tourist attraction. However, it has been moved temporarily and is currently on display at the WorldExpo 2010 in Shanghai, China. A copy of it is in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens.
A Day Out from Copenhagen
If you want a day out of the city go to the coastal town of Helsingor. Here you will find Kronborg Slot, a huge castle built on a promontary of land with a distant view of Sweden across the sea. It became a castle in 1574 when King Frederick II saw it and liked it. It has been burnt down and rebuilt and in 1922 it was restored. It is the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the highlight is the Danish Maritime Museum with a large exhibition of ships.
Copenhagen has many more cyclists than drivers. If you’re exploring the city on foot, watch out for the bikes when crossing the road.
Visitors can buy the Copenhagen Card. A 24 hour card costs 31 euros and a 72 hour card costs 62 euros. They give you free public transport on trains, buses and the Metro, as well as discounts in shops, museums and other attractions.
Catherine Hodson - Catherine Hodson writes articles about arts and historical subjects and has had several published in an anthology. She has also edited a ...
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