Copenhagen blends fairytale charm with cutting-edge design like no other city on Earth. The Danish capital consistently ranks as one of the happiest places in the world. Furthermore, it sets the global standard for sustainability and bicycle culture. Consequently, travelers fall in love with its cozy atmosphere and innovative spirit immediately. Explore these fascinating details about the City of Spires.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen consistently ranks as one of the happiest cities in the world. Specifically, locals credit this to “hygge,” a cultural concept that focuses on coziness and well-being.
Bicycles actually outnumber cars in the city center. Therefore, the government installed special trash cans tilted at an angle so cyclists can toss garbage without stopping.
Tivoli Gardens directly inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland. He visited the park in 1951 and took detailed notes on its atmosphere and layout.
Vandals frequently target the famous Little Mermaid statue. Sadly, criminals have beheaded the poor sculpture twice and even blew her off her rock with explosives once.
You can ski down the roof of a waste-to-energy power plant. Incredibly, the CopenHill facility features a year-round artificial ski slope and the tallest climbing wall in the world.
The harbor water is clean enough for swimming. Unlike most major capitals, city officials cleaned the canals so thoroughly that locals swim there all summer long.
A group of squatters established a self-governing “freetown” called Christiania in 1971. Notably, this neighborhood operates with its own set of rules and famously bans private cars.
The Round Tower does not possess a single stair in its main corridor. Instead, a unique spiral ramp winds to the top, which allowed horses to haul heavy equipment to the observatory.
Strøget stands as one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe. Consequently, shoppers can walk for nearly a mile without dodging a single automobile.
Denmark holds the record for the oldest continuously used national flag. Legend says the “Dannebrog” fell from the sky during a battle in Estonia in the year 1219.
Hans Christian Andersen lived in the colorful houses of Nyhavn. Fittingly, he wrote some of his most famous fairy tales while he rented rooms at numbers 18, 20, and 67.
The founder of Carlsberg beer commissioned the Little Mermaid statue. However, the sculptor used his wife as the model for the body because the original ballerina refused to pose nude.
Locals eat traditional open-faced sandwiches known as smørrebrød. They artfully stack meats, fish, and garnishes on dense rye bread so you must eat them with a knife and fork.
The city built a bridge specifically for bicycles called the “Bicycle Snake.” Uniquely, this orange elevated ramp winds over the harbor to keep cyclists separate from pedestrians.
Finally, Tsar Peter the Great once rode a horse up the Round Tower. Reportedly, he trotted all the way to the top while his wife followed him in a carriage.
