Nyhavn (above 2 pictures).  My favorite place to
grab a cold beer during the warm summer evenings. 
This place never sleeps!

Fredensborg Castle and Frederiksborg Castle.

Rosenborg Castle with its beautiful gardens.  
Inside Rosenborg Castle, you'll find many Royal
treasures on display.  Don't miss it!

Kronborg Castle (Hamlet's Castle).  Less than 5 miles
away from my home town of Espergærde.

Holger Danske as found deep down in the
catacombs of Kronborg Castle.

Vestiges of the Vikings linger in Denmark: Ships retrieved from watery graves, windswept burial sites, circular fortified camps, and mystical runic stones.

Nyhavn is part of the original Copenhagen Harbor all the way back to the founding of Haven, as Copenhagen was then called, in the 12th century.

Today, old sailing vessels and the Harbor Canal Tour boats are the only boats observed, contributing to the unique atmosphere in Nyhavn.

When in Nyhavn, the Danes really get into the typical Danish term "Hygge" - we relax and forget all about the worries of our life. Now it's time to have a good time in the company of friends. That's all that matter.

It's customary to walk up and down the quays once or twice and take in the atmosphere and greet friends that might also be there. It's amazing how many people you know that you meet in Nyhavn when the weather is good - it's the place Danes automatically focus at when the weather is right.

Relaxation is the key concept here. Having a bottle of beer within reaching range is not too bad an idea, either. In Denmark, contrary to e.g. other Nordic countries, it's not only allowed to sit and drink in the street, it's a common practice by all, regardless of social standing or age. It is considered part of the concept of "Hygge" - have fun, relax, enjoy the weather, get into a good mood.

Castles & Manor Houses

Denmark has almost as many fairy tale castles as it does fairy tales, in large measure due to Christian IV, the country's "builder king." Under his long reign, from 1596 to 1648, Copenhagen tripled in size and public buildings and castles were built that have become national treasures.

The king completed Kronborg Castle in Elsinore in North Zealand in 1585, so impressive a structure that Shakespeare set the story of Hamlet there. In the early seventeenth century, he created the spectacular Frederiksborg Castle in nearby Hillerød, as well as the beautiful Rosenborg Palace as his country home. Now centrally located in Copenhagen, it houses the Danish crown jewels and other heirlooms belonging to the royal family, along with an impressive collection of European glass and the largest collection of silver furniture in the world.

Kronborg Castle & Holger Danske

Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet" takes place in the Danish castle of Kronborg, which is located in Elsinore North of Copenhagen, on the place where Denmark is closest to Sweden - only 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) divide the two countries.

Originally built in 1420, its purpose was to help collect the excise and other taxes and fees from foreign ships wanting to sail through Øresund, which were introduced in 1429. Its present size and design replaced the old castle in 1574-85, when the Dutch architects Hans van Paeschen and Antonie van Opbergen built the renaissance style castle we know today.

In order to be effective in the collection of money from the passing ships, not to mention making sure that no invading forces from Sweden suddenly decided to drop in uninvited, Kronborg was equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. In a typical Danish fashion, the taxes required to pass Kronborg were of course raised just after the bigger castle with its stronger weapons were finished.

For centuries, Sweden was the prime enemy of Denmark, which accounts for the strength of Kronborg at the time of construction - it was in its time the most powerful fortress in the Nordic countries, and housed a large garrison.

King Frederik the Second lived at Kronborg after its expansion, which helps illustrate the importance of Kronborg in both military and political terms. From the windows he could look into the courtyard before the final gates into Kronborg and see for himself who were arriving at the castle.

Today, you can go on a tour of the castle, visit the Maritime and Trade Museum on the ground floor or take a tour of the catacombs, which are very extensive.

In the catacombs you find one of the major Danish heroes - Holger Danske. According to the legend, he was a mercenary at the court of the Franco-Roman Emperor Charles, in the 8th century. The legend has it that he never lost a battle in his life. However, he got increasingly homesick, and finally decided to walk from the South of France and Emperor Charles' court, back to Denmark - which he did.

Upon arrival at Kronborg (or what was there before 1420) he sat down and immediately fell asleep, and still sleeps today. According to the legend, if Denmark at some point in time should have its sovereignty threatened, Holger will once more awake and do battle for Denmark! The fact that he sits in what were the stables during the period when the garrison of Kronborg was operative doesn't seem to have bothered neither horses nor Holger Danske. On the lighter side, he's not many meters away from the brewery that supplied the 8 liters (app. 2 gallons) of beer per day, each soldier was entitled to.

On a more somber note, Kronborg has one of the most unpleasant prison cells around. It is wide up front, and narrows and narrows until it's basically not wide or tall enough for a man. Bars were available for a both physical and mental torture - smaller and smaller bars were fitted as time went, shrinking and shrinking the space available until the prisoner could do nothing but stand up at the back of the cell all the time. In addition, the temperature in the cell is a steady 6-7 degrees centigrade all year around. Only one person ever survived that treatment.

The Vikings

It is the year 1000, and Denmark is inhabited by a people who will become immortalized as sailors, adventurers, warriors, and marauders: the Vikings.  Yet most of the men and women who lived during the Viking Age (793 AD to 1042 AD) were gentlefolk who worked as farmers, traders, and artisans.

The Vikings looked much like modern Scandinavians, except they were about four inches shorter. They crafted striking jewelry that rivals the best modern designs (replicas are sold at the National Museum and in jewelry stores in Copenhagen).

They toasted one another with the salute " Skål! " and quaffed a fermented brew called mead from a hollow horn. And they commemorated their dead and important community events on flat runic stones.

These larger-than-life explorers sailed the world in graceful ships propelled by wind and muscle, achieving a standard of navigation unrivalled for centuries. Christopher Columbus may have encountered the New World in 1492, but the Vikings had already been there... 500 years earlier.