From the Tourist information Office we walk to the Town Hall Square where we hear
something about the history of Copenhagen and the economy of Denmark as we examine
the symbolism on the Town Hall Building as well as the statues and fountains which
surround it. Entering the Town Hall, we are greeted by the sight of a large and
decorative entrance hall containing busts of famous Danes from the fields of architecture,
sculpture, literature and science. From the statue of Hans Christian Andersen
in the Town Hall Square we walk along the boulevard named for him past the Museum
of Danish Design on our way to the Ny Carlberg Glyptotek, an art museum housed
in a magnificent turn-of-the-century building. We will hear something about the
museum collections and the Golden age of Danish Culture whose painting and sculptures
it contains. After passing the National History Museum located in an 18th-century
prince's palace, we cross the Marble Bridge which brings us over a canal and onto
the Castle Island.
Here we find the magnificent Christiansborg Palace, home to the Parliament of
Denmark, the Prime Minister's Office, the Supreme Court and the Royal Reception
Rooms. We will learn something about the government of Denmark, the Welfare Model,
the tax system which supports it, and the Royal Family. Crossing the Royal Riding
Grounds with the beautiful sandstone Royal Stables and Court Theatre, we walk
over to the garden of the Royal Library where the Provisions House and the Arsenal
Building built around 1600 remind us that this was once King Christian IV's naval
harbor. After learning about Denmark 's colorful Renaissance monarch, called 'The
Builder King' we stroll around the garden pond and over to a statue of the 19th-century
existentialist philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, to learn about his life and works.
Leaving the garden, we arrive at the Old Stock Exchange with its dragon-spire,
built in the Dutch-renaissance style during the reign of King Christian IV. Across
the canal from the Old Stock Exchange is Holmen's Church built by Christian IV
for the sailors who lived and worked nearby. We admire the broad inner-harbor
as we cross Knipples Bridge to Christianshavn, a merchant-area and southern fortification
of Copenhagen built in the renaissance by King Christian IV. Merchant's homes
and charming old warehouses line the streets which bring us to one of the canals
which traverse this part of the city. Our tour ends by Our Savior's Church with
an external spiral-staircase winding around its copper-covered tower. Here we
will learn something about religion in Denmark and the alternative community called
Christiania located only a few blocks away.