|
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. The Danish name for the city is København, a corruption
of the Danish Købmandshavn, which means Merchants' Harbour. The German name is Kopenhagen, the Faroese name is Keypmannahavn.
Geography
Copenhagen is located on the eastern shore of the island of Zealand
(Sjælland) and partly on the island Amager, facing the strait known as the Øresund, with the Swedish towns of Malmö and Landskrona on the opposite side.
1.8 million people live in Metropolitan Copenhagen, of which 500,000 live in the Municipality of Copenhagen, 90,000 in the
Municipality of Frederiksberg, another 500,000 in the County of Copenhagen, and the rest in nearby municipalities. The
Øresund region, consisting of Eastern Zealand and Western Scania (in Sweden), has a
population of 2.8 million people.
Culture
Copenhagen has consistenly been rated one of the best cities in the world in which to live by international surveys, though it
also has a high cost of living.
Strøget, a pedestrian shopping street in central Copenhagen, is the longest of its kind in the world.
If Denmark is the kingdom of reason, as the saying goes, then Copenhagen is the metropolis of politeness and civility. Its
inhabitants practise the two, both between themselves and towards strangers. They also add a dash of humor now and then. However,
due to the true equality between men and women in Denmark, few of the citizens will hold a door open for a lady.
Eating
1888 German map of Copenhagen
Copenhagen offers a great variety of fine restaurants and modest eateries which are all delicious witnesses to the Danish
passion for good food. The entire city in fact is a gourmet's delight with hundreds of small shops selling everything from
succulent ice cream to unearthly good pastries. The baked goods called Danish pastries outside the country are usually pale and
inferior copies of the marvellous creations available in Copenhagen.
History
Copenhagen was founded around year 1000 by Sweyn I Forkbeard
(Svend Tveskæg ) and his son Canute the Great (Knud den Store ). It was only a fishing village until the middle of the 12th century when it grew in
importance after coming into the possession of Bishop Absalon, who fortified it in
1167. The excellent harbour encouraged
Copenhagen's growth until it became an important centre of commerce (hence its name). It was repeatedly attacked by the Hanseatic League. 1658-59 it withstood a severe siege by the Swedes under Charles X. In 1801 a British fleet under Horatio Nelson fought a major battle, the Battle of Copenhagen, with the Danish navy in Copenhagen harbour. When British naval vessels
bombarded Copenhagen in 1807, to prevent Denmark from surrendering its fleet to Napoleon, the city suffered great damage and hundreds of people were killed. During
World War II Copenhagen was occupied by German troops as the rest of the country from April 1940 until May 1945. The city has grown greatly since the war.
Since the summer 2000, the cities of Copenhagen and Malmö have been connected by a toll
bridge/tunnel (Oresund
Bridge), which allows both rail and road passengers to cross. It was inaugurated in July 2001 by the Crown Princess
Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. As a result, Copenhagen has become the center of a
larger metropolitan area which spans both nations. The construction of the bridge has led to a large number of changes to the
public transportation system and the extensive redevelopment of Amager, south of the main city. However, the bridge has not been
as widely used as was originally hoped, likely due to the high tolls, slowing the planned integration of the region. Another
hindrance to the integration of the region is the lack of a commonly acceptable currency throughout the area. It is still
difficult to pay with either nation's currency in the other country.
See also
Places of note in or near Copenhagen
Danish stock exchange with parliament (Christansborg) in the background
People of note connected with Copenhagen
External Links
|