Copenhagen – The capital and most populous city of Denmark
Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is located on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. It is connected to Malmo in southern Sweden via the Öresund Bridge.
Indre By, the city’s historic center, is home to Frederiksstaden, an 18th-century rococo quarter, home to the Amalienborg Palace, residence of the royal family.
Nearby are Christiansborg Palace and the Renaissance Rosenborg Castle, surrounded by gardens and home to the crown jewels.
Originally a Viking fishing village established in the 10th century in the vicinity of what is now Gammel Strand, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century.
Beginning in the 17th century, it consolidated its position as a regional centre of power with its institutions, defences, and armed forces.
During the Renaissance the city served as the de facto capital of the Kalmar Union, being the seat of monarchy, governing the majority of the present day Nordic region in a personal union with Sweden and Norway ruled by the Danish monarch serving as the head of state.
The city flourished as the cultural and economic centre of Scandinavia under the union for well over 120 years, starting in the 15th century up until the beginning of the 16th century when the union was dissolved with Sweden leaving the union through a rebellion.
After a plague outbreak and fire in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of redevelopment.
This included construction of the prestigious district of Frederiksstaden and founding of such cultural institutions as the Royal Theatre and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
After further disasters in the early 19th century when Horatio Nelson attacked the Dano-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a Neoclassical look to Copenhagen’s architecture.
Later, following the Second World War, the Finger Plan fostered the development of housing and businesses along the five urban railway routes stretching out from the city centre.
