Denmark has long been one of the Swedes’ favorite travel destinations. Every summer, tourists are attracted to the Danish Riviera with its beautiful sandy beaches, while the capital Copenhagen attracts visitors all year round.
| Capital: | Copenhagen |
| Biggest city: | Copenhagen |
| State: | monarchy within the EU |
| Language: | Danish |
| Religion: | Protestantism |
| Surface: | 43 094 km² |
| Population: | 5.6 million (2013) |
| Population density: | 128 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 78 years |
| Illiteracy: | 1% |
| Currency: | Danish krone (DKK) 1 krone = 1.31 kr |
| GDP per capita: | $ 36,300 (2010) |
| Time difference: | +0 hours |
| Electricity: | 220 V AC, 50Hz |
| National Day: | June 5 (Denmark lacks official national day but celebrates Constitution Day instead) |
| Country area code: | 45 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | DK (See more abbreviations on Abbreviationfinder) |
| Business: | service sector 75%, industry 20%, agriculture 5% |
| Climate: | temperate; cold, humid winters and mild summers |
Geographically, Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland and 1,419 islands spread across the North and Baltic Seas. Of these, 443 are named and 71 inhabited. The largest islands are Zealand, Vendsyssel-Thy, Funen and Lolland, as well as the much further east Bornholm. The two autonomous territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands also belong to Denmark, but are not members of the EU.
The Danish Viking Age, which began in the ninth century, was an expansive period and was for a long time the most powerful empire in Scandinavia. At the end of the 14th century, Norway, Sweden and Iceland were united under the Danish crown. Barely 200 years later, Sweden liberated itself and elected its own king.
One of Denmark’s main tourist attractions is Christiania. A sanctuary founded in 1971 when hippies took over an abandoned military area. In Christiania, the former hashish was sold openly on the so-called Pusher Street. Open hashish sales ceased in 2004, but more discreet sales have occurred even after 2004. Christiania is Copenhagen’s second largest tourist attraction.
Other tourist attractions that attract many tourists to Denmark are Tivoli, Legoland, the little mermaid in Copenhagen and Hans Christian Andersen’s home on Funen. Denmark is also known for its open sandwiches and sausages.
The Alfred Hitchcock film “Topaz” from 1969 was largely shot in Copenhagen. William Shakespeare’s classic work “Hamlet”, written sometime between 1599 and 1602,
WORLD HERITAGE
The following objects in Denmark are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.
- The burial mounds, the rune stones and the church in Jelling (1994)
- Roskilde Cathedral (1995)
- Kronborg Castle (2000)
- Wadden Sea (2009)
- Stevns klint (2014)
ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Electricity and electrical outlets in Denmark
Voltage: 230 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of plug: C, K
Need an adapter: No, you do not need an adapter.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Copenhagen
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| Day °C | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| Night °C | -2 | -3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Rain (mm) | 40 | 20 | 40 | 30 | 40 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 60 | 50 |
| Rainy days | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Soltim / day | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
Copenhagen
According to Countryaah, Copenhagen is the capital and largest city in Denmark. The city is located on the islands of Zealand and Amager, by the Sound. In the 19th century, Copenhagen became the center of the industrialization of Denmark. During the early 19th century, Søren Kierkegaard and HC Andersen worked here at a time when liberalism was making its entrance into the public debate. Dissatisfaction with the royal monarchy led to Denmark’s first constitution being adopted in 1849 in Copenhagen, something that made Denmark a constitutional monarchy ruled by a parliament. The Folketing has since been sitting at Christiansborg. Another major event at this time was that Copenhagen’s city walls, which had existed since the Middle Ages, were demolished and replaced by green spaces and urban buildings. Today, a piece of the old moat in Tivoli’s lakes is included.
During World War II, Copenhagen was occupied in 1940 by influential German troops who landed at Kastrup. The city was not liberated until 1945. The city was relatively well spared apart from a couple of bombings and airstrikes aimed at the German war industry. The city is characterized by wide boulevards, narrow alleys, lush parks and a lively street life.
The symbol of Copenhagen is the only 125 cm large statue The Little Mermaid, which was inaugurated in 1913. The statue was created by the sculptor Edvard Eriksen (1876 – 1959) on behalf of the brewer Carl Jacobsen and represents the main character in Hans Christian Andersen’s saga The Little Mermaid.
Opposite Central Station is Tivoli, which is one of the world’s oldest amusement parks (the world’s oldest, Dyrehavsbakken, is located north of the city). Tivoli is open for large parts of the year. Along the park is the street HC Andersen Boulevard with Copenhagen City Hall on the other side. The house is decorated with many sculptures that were created between 1892 and 1905 according to the Renaissance style. The town hall tower is with 113 m Denmark’s tallest tower.
Nyhavn is a small port in central Copenhagen located right next to Kongens Nytorv. In the summer, there are a number of outdoor cafes here, and Copenhagen’s sightseeing boats start from here. Copenhagen is also home to the so-called Christiania sanctuary, which was established as a place for people with alternative lifestyles in 1971.
Roskilde
Roskilde is a city on Zealand in Denmark with about 46,000 residents. The city is located by the Roskildefjord, 30 km west of Copenhagen. Roskilde has been the royal and bishop’s residence since the 10th century (the diocese included Zealand, Mön and the island of Rügen since 1168) and throughout the Middle Ages it was a significant city with twelve parish churches and five monasteries.
In Roskilde, in 1568, a peace that was very unfavorable for Sweden was agreed with Denmark, which, however, was rejected in 1569 by both Johan III and the estates. 90 years later, in 1658, the notorious peace was concluded in Roskilde, whereby Denmark ceded to Sweden Scania, Halland, Blekinge, Bohuslän, Trondheim counties and the islands of Ven and Bornholm and undertook to jointly exclude foreign fleets from the Baltic Sea with Sweden. In the years 1835-48, the provincial estates of the island dioceses met in Roskilde.
In Roskilde Cathedral, erected members of the royal family were buried. The church is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and was until the 20th century Zealand’s only cathedral. At the harbor there is a museum of Viking ships, the Viking Ship Museum. The museum was created after a number of sunken Viking ships were found and salvaged in the Roskildefjord. For many Swedes, Roskilde is perhaps best known for the annual rock festival, Roskildefestivalen, which has been held since 1971.
Skagen
Skagen is Denmark’s northernmost city and also the name of the surrounding area, Jutland’s northern tip. North of Skagen is Denmark’s northernmost headland, Grenen, where the Kattegat meets the Skagerrak. This creates dangerous currents and bathing bans prevail. The cape consists of dunes. Skagen is a popular tourist destination, and in the 1870s and 80s it was a gathering place for many Scandinavian artists, the Skagen painters who were attracted there by the special light.
The cape is also popular with bird watchers as many migratory birds come flying along the coast of Jutland before they gather and continue the 65 kilometers over the sea to Sweden. The community has a fishing port, a shipyard and a well-frequented guest harbor.
Aarhus
Aarhus is Denmark’s second largest city and is located on the east coast of central Jutland, by the Gulf of Aarhus by the Kattegat. Aarhus is also Denmark’s second oldest city and was founded in the 8th century. Excavations in central Aarhus have shown that people have lived here at least since around 770.
According to legend, the first church was built by the Danish fairytale king Frode. King Harald Bluetooth made Århus a bishopric in 948. According to legend, Sven Estridsson and Magnus the Good met in a naval battle outside Århus in 1043. During King Hardeknut’s time, coins were minted in Århus.
During the 0’s, the city was occupied several times by Germans and Swedes. However, the city was able to recover thanks to the export of barley to Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and England. Aarhus’ biggest attraction is the Old Town where there are about seventy older buildings that make the visitor feel placed in a small Danish town 100 years ago. Here is the medieval cathedral in brick Gothic as well as the former cathedral Vor Frue Kirke.
Just outside the city is Marselisborg Castle, the queen’s summer residence, which was completed in 1902. The castle itself is not open to the public, but the park is accessible when the royal family does not visit the castle.