- 2 days ago
"Discover the enchanting city of Copenhagen! This 360p video showcases the city's iconic landmarks, vibrant culture, and stunning architecture. From the historic Nyhavn harbor to the majestic Rosenborg Castle, experience the charm and beauty of Denmark's capital city. Get a glimpse into the city's rich history, culinary delights, and welcoming atmosphere."
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LifestyleTranscript
00:01Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.
00:04This time we're tasting, pedaling, and cruising our way
00:07through Scandinavia's most fun-loving capital, Copenhagen.
00:30Visiting Copenhagen, I'm struck by how well this society works,
00:48with an orderliness without rigidity,
00:50with its sleek sense of design, and a general calmness.
00:54It's balanced.
00:55It seems they've got a system that works,
00:57and the good sense to enjoy it.
00:59We'll go local and experience some Danish delights.
01:03Flirt with the mermaid.
01:06Imagine tooting a 3,000-year-old horn.
01:09Check out the dazzling crown of Denmark's larger-than-life king.
01:13Relax in the city's old sailor's quarter.
01:16Get face-to-face with art in the Glyptothek.
01:19Kick back in one of the original alternative communes,
01:22and revel in Europe's queen of amusement parks.
01:27The classic introduction to any Copenhagen visit
01:30is a canal boat ride.
01:31Since the word Copenhagen means merchant's harbor,
01:34it's only natural that many of the city's most impressive buildings,
01:37both new and old, are visible from the water.
01:41Harbor tour boats come and go constantly,
01:44giving visitors a relaxing glide down canals
01:47and along the harbor front.
01:51Colorful merchant's houses and historic bridges
01:53recall an affluence stoked by trade.
01:57Slotsholmen Island, the city's 12th-century birthplace,
02:00is lined with grand 17th-century Renaissance-style buildings.
02:04And this part of the tour reminds us
02:06of Denmark's powerful seafaring past.
02:11While the town preserves its rich heritage,
02:13it's also building for the future.
02:15The harbor front, dotted with new landmarks,
02:17is a showcase for Danish architectural design.
02:21The royal library, nicknamed the Black Diamond,
02:24uses shiny black granite to make its impression.
02:27The striking playhouse, with its copper roof
02:31matching the city's famous spires,
02:33feels integrated into the community,
02:35open, inviting, and bringing the arts to the people.
02:39Just across the harbor,
02:41Copenhagen's opera house is even bigger than it looks.
02:44Much of it is underground.
02:50And as if to proudly show off
02:52the newest part of Copenhagen,
02:54sightseeing boats venture further from the center
02:56for a peek at once-run-down industrial zones
02:59that have taken on new life.
03:02Former industrial buildings are transformed
03:04into high-end offices and condos,
03:06creating a playful new skyline.
03:08Glass seems to be the construction material of choice.
03:12And the harbor's cover girl,
03:14the most photographed citizen of Copenhagen,
03:16is the Little Mermaid.
03:18In the much-loved Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale,
03:21she saves the life of a shipwrecked prince
03:23and sets off on a feudal quest to win his love.
03:28The vibrant square fronting the imposing city hall
03:31is the busy heart of Copenhagen.
03:33It's a crossroads where everything seems to converge.
03:37While central today, this was once the edge of town.
03:44This boulevard marks what was the city walls.
03:47For seven centuries, Copenhagen was contained within these walls.
03:50By the mid-1800s,
03:52over 100,000 people were packed inside.
03:55All this congestion led to hygiene problems.
03:58After a cholera outbreak killed thousands,
04:00it was clear the city walls had to come down,
04:03and they did.
04:05Today, only their echoes remain.
04:07Remnants of moats and ramparts
04:09now form a delightful greenbelt,
04:11a string of tranquil lakes and people-friendly parks.
04:14From the city hall, the Stroyet,
04:17a series of lively streets and inviting squares,
04:19stretches through the old town.
04:21Established in 1962,
04:24it was Europe's first major pedestrian boulevard.
04:27A traffic-free street
04:29was an experimental notion at the time.
04:31Though merchants were initially skeptical,
04:34it's a hit now,
04:35and the Stroyet has inspired city planners
04:38throughout the world.
04:40And as shopkeepers on neighboring streets
04:43see the benefits of traffic-free zones,
04:45other downtown streets are also being pedestrianized.
04:49Now, streets like this
04:50add to Copenhagen's thriving cafe and restaurant scene.
04:57As you stroll, realize that the commercial success
05:00of a historic street like the Stroyet
05:02drives up the land value.
05:04This results in the replacement of old storefronts
05:06with new ones and brings in the chains.
05:09Look above the street-level advertising
05:11to discover bits of the 19th-century character
05:14that still survive.
05:16Above the crowds,
05:19attractive pieces of old Copenhagen hide out.
05:29So we'll better understand what we're discovering,
05:31we're joined by my Danish friend and fellow tour guide,
05:34Christian Donatsky.
05:36So this is an old house here?
05:38This is an old house from the 18th century.
05:40Let's step inside.
05:41You can get a really, really feeling
05:43for old Copenhagen here.
05:45If you walk off the main streets
05:46and walk into the backyards,
05:48then you get a completely different impression
05:49of how compared to what you used to look.
05:52This is really how much of Copenhagen looked
05:54in the 18th century.
05:55So people lived within the safety of the ramparts
05:57in the 1700s.
05:58Well, actually, they had to live inside the ramparts,
06:01because outside of the ramparts,
06:02there was a military area,
06:04and they weren't allowed to live there, basically.
06:05That's why you get this congested feeling.
06:07So that's why you get the congested feeling.
06:09And after the fine 1795,
06:11they couldn't build half-timber buildings,
06:13so when you see half-timber buildings,
06:15you'll know they're old.
06:16Ah, so you know when you see this half-timber...
06:18Yeah, it's before 1795, yeah.
06:20Okay.
06:21As you explore,
06:22you're bound to pass windows
06:24lined with enticing open-faced sandwiches.
06:27While these tempting beauties
06:28are less expensive
06:29in takeaway street-corner sandwich shops,
06:31Christian's taking me to a restaurant
06:33to explain this tasty Danish tradition in style.
06:40Here we go.
06:41Okay.
06:42So this is...
06:43So this is...
06:44This is...
06:46You're welcome.
06:47There you are. Enjoy.
06:51So this is really what the Danish cuisine
06:52has to offer our famous lunch.
06:54We have here three courses,
06:56herring, meat, cheese,
06:58always on rye bread.
06:59Always on rye,
07:00and in that order then?
07:01Always on rye bread.
07:02Herring?
07:03Herring, the bros of pork,
07:04and then the cheese.
07:05First of all, smørbrød.
07:06Smørbrød, yeah.
07:07That's the name, smørbrød,
07:09which means actually just butter on bread.
07:11Butter on bread.
07:12Okay.
07:13This is a little more than butter on bread.
07:14Now it's evolved, huh?
07:15Yeah.
07:16So the herring course.
07:17On a piece of rye bread.
07:19Nice.
07:20Look at that.
07:21So with the herring,
07:22you have to have an akobit.
07:24Akobit is perfect for herring.
07:26So...
07:27So this...
07:28It's the Danish schnapps, basically.
07:29This is the Danish schnapps.
07:30That's what we call it, yeah.
07:31Akobit.
07:32What does that mean?
07:33It means the water of life,
07:34and it tastes like that
07:35when it goes with herring.
07:40So this is not how we drink schnapps in Denmark.
07:42You have to empty the whole glass.
07:47Okay, well, this is the learner's dose here,
07:49but I'll give it a go.
07:50Danish style.
07:55Yes.
07:56Yeah.
07:57There you are.
07:58On Gammeltorf, the old town square,
08:00the fountain, which is the oldest in Copenhagen,
08:02is named for the figure of charity on top.
08:05It's quite a fountain.
08:06Yeah, but the fountain is really an old well
08:08from the 16th century supplying water
08:10to the Copenhagen days.
08:11Uh-huh.
08:12The statue of the charity was from the 17th century,
08:16but in the 19th century,
08:18middle of the 19th century,
08:19in Victorian age, it was too much.
08:21So they corked the holes.
08:22They corked it.
08:23So before the Victorian age, no problem.
08:25And then it was too risque.
08:26Yeah.
08:27But today, with our open-mindedness,
08:28the water can spring freely once again.
08:30All right.
08:31Progressive Danes, let the fountain flow.
08:32Exactly.
08:33Every site we're featuring on this visit
08:35is within a 15-minute stroll of here,
08:37and Denmark's greatest museum
08:39is just around the corner.
08:43The National Museum traces the story of this land
08:46from its prehistoric beginnings.
08:49Denmark's Bronze Age civilization
08:51dates back to 1,500 years before Christ.
08:56This elderly woman,
08:58whose coffin carved out of an oak tree
09:00was preserved in a peaty bog,
09:02must have believed in an afterlife.
09:04She took her most precious possessions with her.
09:07Still wearing her original wool blouse,
09:09she packed a finely carved horn comb,
09:12bronze jewelry, and a dagger.
09:17Like her Mediterranean contemporaries,
09:19she would have worshiped the sun.
09:22The Chariot of the Sun illustrates
09:24that she believed the sun was dragged across the sky
09:27by a divine horse.
09:30This daily journey of the sun dominated Bronze Age religion.
09:35And these horned helmets were worn about 500 years later,
09:38around 1,000 B.C.
09:40Contrary to popular belief,
09:42these helmets were not worn by the Vikings.
09:45It was their Bronze Age predecessors
09:47who wore them for ceremonial purposes,
09:502,000 years before Eric the Red.
09:53Horned, helmeted priests
09:55would have played these lure horns.
09:58These distinctive Nordic wind instruments
10:00found in bogs all over Denmark
10:02added atmosphere to Bronze Age ritual.
10:06While 3,000 years old,
10:08as old as the Iliad and the Odyssey,
10:10they still play.
10:11Even back then, the Danes had a flair for design.
10:16The ornamental disc is a sun symbol,
10:18perhaps as if these horns played
10:20the magical music of the sun.
10:27Getting around Copenhagen is easy,
10:29especially if you can ride a bike.
10:32Today's city is designed for cyclists.
10:36Many locals find pedaling around town
10:38is more efficient than driving.
10:41Cyclists get respect,
10:42and generous bike lanes give bikes
10:44all the legitimacy of cars.
10:47Like many hotels,
10:48ours rents bikes to guests.
10:55On my bike, I can get most anywhere in town
10:57in 10 to 15 minutes.
11:08Copenhagen has lots of idyllic parks.
11:12Its most royal is the King's Garden,
11:14surrounding the Rosenborg Castle.
11:17We're here in July,
11:19and sun-loving Danes are getting the most
11:21out of the long days of their short summer.
11:24Once upon a time, this was the King's Garden.
11:27That king, Christian IV,
11:29is the most memorable character in Danish history.
11:32Ruling from 1588 until 1648,
11:35he was Denmark's Renaissance king.
11:38Rosenborg Castle was the king's summer residence.
11:42For anyone entering the audience room,
11:44all eyes were on Christian IV.
11:47Check this guy out.
11:49Often depicted as a Roman emperor,
11:51he was a big personality.
11:56Christian IV was dynamism in the flesh.
11:58Earring, fashionable braid,
12:00hard drinker, hard lover, big spender,
12:03energetic statesman, warrior king.
12:06During his reign of over 50 years,
12:08the size of Copenhagen doubled.
12:11His study was small, cozy, easy to heat.
12:15Like any good king, Christian did a lot of corresponding.
12:18Historians know a lot about his rule
12:20because 3,000 of his handwritten letters survive.
12:24He was 8 years old when his father died,
12:26still too young to rule without a regent.
12:29A portrait shows his mother.
12:32And this one shows the king in his prime.
12:40In another room, a case displays
12:41the blood-stained clothing Christian wore
12:43when wounded in battle.
12:45Riddled with shrapnel, he lost an eye.
12:47No problem for Denmark's warrior king.
12:50He fashioned these earrings,
12:52made from the shrapnel
12:53yanked out of his eye and forehead,
12:55and gave them to his mistress.
12:58The king died after half a century on the Danish throne,
13:01leaving a colorful legacy.
13:04Christian lived to be 70 years old.
13:06He had two wives, three mistresses,
13:08fathered roughly 25 children.
13:11After Christian,
13:12three more kings used to this palace.
13:15Here in the Long Hall,
13:16tapestries celebrate glorious Danish military victories
13:19over Sweden, but not the losses.
13:21And the king's throne is surrounded
13:23by symbols of royal power.
13:25The treasury is safely stored in the basement.
13:28Christian IV's coronation crown dates from 1596.
13:32With seven pounds of gold and precious stones,
13:35many consider this
13:36the finest Renaissance crown in Europe.
13:40Its six gables radiate symbolism.
13:43There's justice, the sword and scales,
13:46charity, a woman nursing,
13:48promising that the king will love his people
13:50as a mother loves her child.
13:53And the pelican, which, in legend,
13:55pecks its own flesh to feed its young,
13:57just as the king would make great sacrifices for his people.
14:01The shields of various Danish provinces
14:03lining the inside remind the king
14:05that he's surrounded by his realms.
14:09Cases of treasures dazzle visitors.
14:12Today's royal jewels were made in 1840
14:15of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls
14:17from earlier royal jewelry.
14:19Imagine these on the dance floor.
14:22The crown jewels are still worn by the queen
14:24on special occasions.
14:34Denmark's kings embraced Lutheranism
14:36as the state religion during the Reformation
14:38back in the 16th century.
14:40This memorial celebrates Denmark's break
14:42from the Roman Catholic Church.
14:44Across the street stands
14:45Copenhagen's very Lutheran cathedral.
14:48Rebuilt in the early 1800s,
14:50the facade mimics a Greek temple.
14:52At that time, Golden Age Copenhagen
14:54fancied itself as a Nordic Athens.
14:57John the Baptist stands
14:58where you'd expect to see some Greek god.
15:04He welcomes worshipers
15:05into a world of neoclassical serenity.
15:08Statues of the 12 apostles line the nave,
15:12carved by the great Danish sculptor
15:14Bertolt Torvaldsson.
15:17Inspired by the famous Italian sculptor Canova,
15:20his art complements the relative austerity
15:23and comforting simplicity of Lutheran worship.
15:26The apostles lead to Torvaldsson's masterpiece,
15:29a statue of the risen Christ.
15:31Torvaldsson was a master at showing
15:33both heavenly and human characteristics.
15:36Wearing his burial shroud,
15:38Jesus opens his arms and says,
15:40Come to me.
15:48From the reverent tranquility of the cathedral,
15:51it's just a few steps to Copenhagen's
15:53happy-go-lucky New Harbor, or New Howen.
15:56New Howen, formerly a sleazy sailor's quarter,
15:59is now a colorful scene,
16:01with both locals and tourists
16:03lounging contentedly along its canal.
16:05Old sailboats fill the harbor.
16:07Any traditional all-wood ship
16:09is welcome to moor here,
16:11joining the fleet that makes up
16:12Copenhagen's ever-changing boat show,
16:14a scene of modern-day Vikings gone soft.
16:18The scene here is the best free show in town.
16:21Take some time to enjoy it.
16:23For young and old, rich and poor,
16:27beer's the beverage of choice,
16:29with the comfortable crowd looking on from cafes
16:31while the younger crowd roughs it on the dock.
16:35So this is a budget tip, really.
16:38If you want to drink a beer in Denmark
16:39without going broke, sit on the curb.
16:41Then you go to a kiosk.
16:42You said, go to a kiosk,
16:43you buy a beer there,
16:44it costs a third of the price
16:45that the cost of buying restaurants.
16:47Because a lot of Americans,
16:48they see all the young people drinking beer outside
16:50and they think, oh, beer's everywhere,
16:51but really it's just
16:53the kids are not in the pubs drinking
16:55because it's too expensive.
16:56Yeah.
16:57Young people are drinking beer on the curb.
16:58It's a matter of saving money, really.
17:00Now you was the best
17:05was a surprise
17:08so why not take hold of me?
17:14Oh, yeah.
17:16Copenhagen's New Carlsberg Glyptotech,
17:25named for Denmark's leading brewery,
17:27is one of Scandinavia's top art galleries.
17:31This is a great example of corporate money,
17:33in this case all that beer money,
17:35put to good use.
17:37In about 1900,
17:38the family behind the Carlsberg Brewery
17:40donated its extensive collection of art
17:42and a fine building to house it to Copenhagen.
17:45Now, over a century later,
17:47the creative vision of that wealthy brewer
17:49still brings lots of people lots of joy.
17:52To lure garden-loving Danes,
17:54the museum sets sculpture among Mediterranean plants
17:57in its famous winter garden.
17:59The classical statues and lush trees
18:01transport visitors into a scene
18:03straight out of some exotic Roman myth.
18:06From this delightful hub,
18:08you can explore the museum's fortes,
18:10ancient Mediterranean art,
18:12and 19th and 20th century French and Danish art.
18:15The ancient collection is artfully lit and displayed.
18:19Each hall was designed for the art it would showcase,
18:22all done with that special Danish knack for design.
18:25A chorus of ancient Roman busts,
18:29thoughtfully placed at eye level,
18:31welcomes you into their world.
18:36And with this small but fine Egyptian collection,
18:39the power of the pharaoh reaches all the way to Denmark.
18:44The early 19th century was the Danish golden age,
18:47when painters, writers, and Danes in general
18:50were celebrating the roots and values of their Danishness.
18:54Here, the leading Danish painter, Kopka,
18:56paints a scene at the ramparts of Copenhagen
18:58as if we were there,
19:00with a romantic yet realistic flair.
19:03The museum's founder was both a friend
19:05and a major patron of the French artist, Rodin,
19:08Europe's greatest sculptor since Michelangelo.
19:11Here, where sunlight is so plentiful in the summer
19:13and so rare in the winter,
19:15the light reveals the art in a loving way.
19:18Enjoying Rodin's famous kiss,
19:21you sense the artist himself
19:22would appreciate the play of the light.
19:28Copenhagen is a thriving commercial center,
19:30and the economy is greased
19:32by a fine public transit system.
19:34Their metro is state-of-the-art,
19:36tunneling underwater to connect major neighborhoods.
19:39The Danes vote for high taxes with high expectations,
19:42including a transportation system that works.
19:46We emerge in the charming district of Christianshauen,
19:49once Copenhagen's port.
19:51Back in the 17th and 18th centuries,
19:53these buildings were warehouses.
19:55This remained Copenhagen's commercial center
19:58until the 1920s,
19:59when a modern harbor was built further out.
20:01As the port's economy collapsed,
20:03the place became a slum.
20:05Cheap prices attracted artsy types.
20:07It became trendy,
20:08and now those old warehouses are upmarket condos.
20:12The centerpiece of Christianshauen
20:14is Our Savior's Church,
20:16with its beloved steeple,
20:17a landmark that can be seen from all over town.
20:21Its unique exterior spiral staircase
20:24rewards those who climb it
20:25with commanding views of the city.
20:28Just down the street is the famous commune Christiania.
20:36In 1971, several hundred squatters
20:38took over and abandoned military barracks
20:40and attempted to create their own utopia.
20:43Two generations later,
20:45those idealists are still here,
20:47defending their right to enjoy life on their terms.
20:51Back then, city officials allowed the squatters take over
20:54because no one cared about the land.
20:57Now this area is becoming
20:58some of the priciest real estate in town.
21:01Developers have their sights set on this land,
21:03and the very existence of the Christiania community
21:06is threatened.
21:08Depending on your perspective,
21:10this is either a shantytown of scruffy buildings,
21:13soft drugs, and dazed people,
21:15or a do-your-own-thing haven
21:17of creativity, peace, and freedom.
21:19While the main drag, nicknamed Pusher Street
21:21for its marijuana stalls,
21:23maybe a bit off-putting,
21:25wander deeper into the community,
21:26and you find the real soul of Christiania.
21:31This family has been content
21:33to live on this idyllic spot for 30 years.
21:36Their daughter was born and raised right here.
21:39Many families share this building,
21:41and there is always someone to play with
21:43just outside the front door.
21:46How long have you lived in Christiania?
21:48I lived in Christiania 15 years.
21:50It is.
21:51Now, you could live in a fancy condominium,
21:53but you choose to live here.
21:54Why do you live here?
21:56Because I have an enormous freedom.
21:58It's all about freedom?
21:59Yes, it is.
22:00So we look at here,
22:01we have 800 people living here,
22:02making some compromises,
22:04but still being free.
22:06Yes, exactly.
22:07It's a complicated challenge.
22:08It is.
22:09And we have our bad experience
22:12and good experience, so...
22:14but the good thing about it is that we learn.
22:19After four decades,
22:20the Christiania community has evolved,
22:22but it's still anchored in its original concept
22:25of personal freedom.
22:27And there is something else
22:28I think is very important.
22:29We don't have a commercial in here.
22:31No commercials?
22:32Have you seen?
22:33It's no signs or no one buy this, buy that.
22:36No... I wondered why...
22:37It's illegal in here.
22:39Even in this informal community,
22:41there still are rules.
22:43While marijuana is tolerated,
22:44no hard drugs or weapons are allowed.
22:47It's so important for a playground,
22:50also for grown-ups.
22:57Copenhagen offers playgrounds for every taste.
23:00Tivoli is Europe's most famous amusement park.
23:03Throughout the summer, Tivoli Gardens
23:05offers a festival of entertainment.
23:0720 acres, 100,000 lanterns,
23:10and countless calories of fun.
23:15It's a joy to get lost in this wonderland
23:17of rides, restaurants, and games.
23:21Upon arrival, sort through the schedule of free events.
23:24There's something for everyone all day long.
23:27Tonight, it's Rock Out Friday,
23:29a chance to check out some rising Danish talent.
23:33This granddaddy of amusement parks recently celebrated its 150th birthday.
23:56I find it worth the admission just to see Danes,
23:59young and old, at play.
24:01Tivoli, so comfortable with its identity,
24:03is happily Danish and wonderfully Copenhagen.
24:09Thanks for joining us.
24:10I hope you've enjoyed our look at Copenhagen,
24:12a city with a knack for enjoying life that's distinctly Danish,
24:15and where harmony is integral to the culture.
24:18I'm Rick Steves.
24:19Until next time, keep on traveling.
24:22Do you want a cold Danish beer?
24:27Whoa.
24:29It's a drink.
24:31You try to drink snacks like a woman.
24:33And those Danes, man, they just love their royal family.
24:37What about the kid at her leg who isn't getting any?
24:47What does that mean?
24:48That's the Sweden.
24:49That's the Sweden.
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