Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark. It is situated on the Zealand and Amager Islands and is separated from Malmö, Sweden by the strait of Øresund.

In 2008, the magazine Monocle listed Copenhagen first in their Top 25 Most Livable Cities list, and gave the city the special award as "Best Design City". In addition, it has also been classified as a GaWC Cultural World City, while it is 3rd in Western Europe in terms of attracting regional headquarters and distribution centers, only surpassed by London and Paris.

Copenhagen is the modern and charming city that still remembers its history. It's a "people-friendly" city where your senses can roam and where there's always something interesting around the next corner. A tour of the inner city is easily managed on foot and its old, cobbled streets provide an evocative backdrop to a thriving cultural scene, with art galleries, museums, music and theatres. Europe’s longest city pedestrian street, Strøget, winds its way through the inner city, with shops full of world-class Danish design, fashions and much more.

Population

The population of Copenhagen (København) is 1,2 million. It’s the area of Denmark with the highest density. The density of the population is highest in Frederiksberg where there are 10.500 people per square kilometre. The average of the whole country is 124 people per square kilometre.

People from other parts of the country consider all citizens in Copenhagen County as Copenhageners, however this is just a misconception. People from Vesterbro, Ballerup and Amager are just as different as people from Hanstholm and Aarhus. Even the newcomers from other parts of the country quickly defines themselves as Christianshavner (someone from Christianshavn) ,or a Herlever (someone from Herlev), and people from Søllerød or Glostrup will not give you a friendly look if you call them Copenhageners. The people born and raised in inner Copenhagen and the neighbourhoods Østerbro, Vesterbro and Nørrebro are the real Copenhageners. Some people from Amager, Christianshavn and Islands Brygge also consider themselves as Copenhageners.

A Thybo (Person born and raised in the town Thy in northern Jotland) will recognise another Thybo no matter where in the world they meet them, just as a real Copenhagener can easily recognise another Copenhagener based on the dialect alone.

From 1960 to 1980 many families with kids moved away from the inner city to the suburbs. A newly comprehensive renovation of the residential areas in inner Copenhagen makes it attractive for the families to move back again.

History

During the Viking time and the Middle Ages a huge trading area on the small islands between Zealand and Amager was developed. Absalon built a castle between 1167-71 on the island today called Slotsholmen. Later in time the trading areas changed name to Køpmannæhafn meaning The Harbour of the grocers, because ships from all over came here to buy and sell. Some towns nearby considered this “new town” as a huge threat against their own trading, and therefore they burned it down in 1249. Copenhagen’s wealth in the Middle Age was mainly based on the herring fishing in Oresund. In 1375 the population in Copenhagen, there were already 4000 people. The University was built in 1479 and in 1661 Copenhagen became a Royal residence town.

Several catastrophes stroke Copenhagen during the 17th century. The plague killed 1/3 of the population in 1711. Huge fires burned down most of Copenhagen in 1728 and again in 1795. The English bombed Copenhagen in 1807 and destroyed most of buildings from the Middel Age.

In 1521 farmer families from the Netherlands got invited by King Christian the 2nd to move to Denmark and live on Amager. The Dutch build a colony in the town Store Magleby where they started growing vegetables.
At that time Dragør was the centre of the herring fishing adventures, but the town quickly developed into an important harbour in Denmark.

The heavy development in Copenhagen around the 19th century created a need for city planning. Copenhagen had to wait until after the 2nd World War before the city planning could be executed. The plan was called “The five fingers” (De fem fingre). From the centre of Copenhagen the five fingers with highways and trains pointed toward Køge, Roskilde, Frederikssund, Hillerød and Helsingør.

Places of Interest

Copenhagen can be divided into eight primary areas of interest.

The busiest and best known section of Copenhagen (København) is certainly the inner city. The majority of the Copenhagen’s best known tourist attractions are located in Central Copenhagen. Central Copenhagen is a great place to visit, and it is the heart and soul of this world famous city.

Near the central railway station there is a tourist office which can provide you with valuable information about the city. You can also buy a ‘Copenhagen Card’ which is a special card for tourists. The card provides you with unlimited use of all public transportation systems, as well as free access to a number of Museums, and other tourist attractions in downtown Copenhagen for a period of 1-3 days.

Some notable places of interest in Copenhagen include, Christiansborg Palace, the Danish National Gallery, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, the Marble Church, and Kronborg Castle. Aside from the great museums, churches, old buildings, and castles that dot the cityscape of Copenhagen, there are also treats that families with kids will surely enjoy. For example the Tivoli Gardens amusement park has been around since the 1840’s. Two popular rides for big kids are the roller coasters named Daemonen and Mountain Track. There is also the world’s tallest carousel, dragon boat rides at the lake, and theater shows for the whole family.

Copenhagen has one of the best developed transport networks in Europe. You can tour Copenhagen on foot, by bicycle, via rented car, or in any of its convenient public transportation. Copenhagen has the S-train which spans the whole of the city, as well as buses and the Metro, which also cater to commuters from adjacent cities.

Population: (København & Frederiksberg): 593,013
Population: (Greater Copenhagen): 1,167,569
Area: (København & Frederiksberg): 97 sq. km
Population density: (København): 5.680 per sq km

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