Copenhagen Alleys, Kirken and a Palace

The pretty copper dome of The Church of the Holy Ghost (Helligaandskirken) in Copenhagen

An Architectural Stroll in the Danish Capital

Copenhagen is a bicycle town. Walkers, like me, will have little trouble, but it is clear that bikes reign supreme. For every bike on the move, there are a hundred parked. Everywhere. More on that in a later post.

This attractive city brims with interesting architecture spanning 800+ years. This is by far the prettiest city I visited in Scandinavia, particularly when compared to Oslo. But I have to say that I felt the best in Norway. The city-Danes I met were very urbane. Perhaps Norwegians remind me of people in the rural area where I live.

Tunnel and alley in wood, plaster, cobbles, and iron - Indre By neighorhood

Copenhagen is actually full of people! They are rarely present in these images, which focus on the buildings. There is no shortage of churches in every style imaginable, harkening from time when every little neighborhood had its own house of worship close by. Boring streets are hard to come by in the city center. It was great fun discovering how they built then and just as enjoyable how they design today.

Saint Peter's Church (Sankt Petri Kirke) rises from surrounding modern Danish buildings and modern Danes doing their shopping

A strange but pleasing blend of concrete, steel, brick, and stone columns near the National Museum

The only tidy bike parking I saw in Copenhagen - Ny Vestergade. The orange house on the right dates from before 1770

The canal bridge leading to the Christiansborg Palace riding ground. The small island has been home to castles or palaces since 1167

Boats on the Frederiksholm Canal

I was pleased to see boats moored in the canal, just across from the grand palace with its vast equestrian courtyard. I wondered if someone lived in the big canal boat and imagined the smell of eggs and sausage wafting across to riding royals. While viewing Google Maps satellite images to remind myself of the layout of the area, I noticed the same exact boats were in the same exact positions in the canal. Momentarily suspicious of some Danish Disneyfication, I decided to believe. How much has my yard changed since the last Google spy mission over my house? The quaint scene remains, for me, a tangible proof of democracy in the constitutional monarchy of Denmark.

The current Christiansborg Palace was completed in 1928 and houses the Royal Reception Rooms, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Office of the Prime Minister

The equestrian statue of King Christian IX by Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen took 21 years to complete. The Danes were progressive enough in 1907 to choose a female sculptor

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Did you see my other recent Scandinavian travel posts?

Denmark

• Rundestaarn - The Round Tower of Copenhagen

Sweden

• Helsingborg - Swedish Port on the Øresund
• Swedish Ceramics Center and Food Hall
• Cattle on the Kulla and Hogs Downtown - Sweden
• Swedish Architecture
• Sailing in Southern Sweden
• Mölle Swedish Gem by the Sea
• Floating Maritime Museum in Gothenburg
• The Streets and Roofs of Gothenburg
• Viking Loot - Museum of Gothenburg
• Sweden's Second City with a Second Name

Norway & Svalbard

• A Fountain and Many Buildings in Oslo
• Oslo Photo Gallery Part 2
• Oslo Photo Gallery Part 1
• Risen Ships of the Norse - Oslo
• Winning the South Pole – Oslo
• Urban Iceberg - Oslo
• Svalbard - A Short Visit to Longyear Town

All of the content in my posts is original and the photos are Copyright © Nick Kraft.

I was traveling light. These images were taken with a small Samsung point-and-shoot camera or a smartphone!

Thank you!

Nick