Castles, Canals, Copenhagen

Danish men and women are usually tall, handsome and well-built. Danes are reserved but helpful if one seeks their assistance. They are patriotic, sincere, dutiful, literate and honest. They do not evade income tax which is 30 per cent or more in most cases. Literacy rate is very high, i.e. 99 per cent, writes Vinay Kumar Malhotra

DENMARK is the world’s oldest kingdom. Queen Margrethe II is its constitutional monarch and head of the state. Denmark is centrally situated, forming a gateway between Europe and Scandinavia. It comprises the peninsula of Jutland, the Islands, of Zealand, Funen and Bornholm and 480 smaller islands. Greenlands, the world’s largest island and the Faeroe Islands also form part of the kingdom of Denmark. No place in Denmark is more than 52 km from the sea. Vikings were the predecessors of Danes. Although the country lies scattered and surrounded by the sea, yet this feature does not pose a handicap in the progress of the country. Hardworking Danes have tamed the sea to their advantage. With a population of 5.3 million, Denmark is one of the smaller countries of Europe. Even though at present Denmark is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries, yet in the past almost the whole of Scandinavia, comprising Norway and Sweden, was under Denmark. It is an affluent, prosperous and industrially developed country. With its contribution to development funds for the Third World in excess of 1 per cent of its GNP, Denmark is close to being a leading donor among industrialised countries.

Denmark is known for ship-building, bridge-building, architecture, electronics, silverware, porcelain and china, glassware and clothing. For example the 18-km four-lane Storebaelt bridge built by Danes recently links Copenhagen to the European continent by a journey of about 10 minutes, less than a fifth of time it takes a sail. Another bridge longer than this one that will link Copenhagen with the Swedish town of Malmo is under construction.

Denmark is a leader in dairy products — milk, curd, cheese, butter etc. A variety of pure milk, curd and cheese is available at reasonable prices. However, one hardly comes across any cow or buffalo on roads in cities and villages. These animals are kept in clean and modern dairies. Quality foodstuff and top-class beer are the other famous products of the modern industrial country that has preserved the atmosphere of a former time that was not "out of joint" (to quote a famous Danish prince).

Denmark’s environment is safe, clean and pollution-free. There is plenty of space and fresh air. The surrounding, the island waters and the lakes are healthy and clean, since the country uses considerable resources to preserve the environment. In environmental preservation Denmark is a pioneer country. The clean environment provides a variety of leisure and holiday activities all the year round: cycling, golf, riding, hiking, swimming, yachting, windsurfing, angling and much more. Parks, lawns and woods are well-maintained. The whole country is chiselled and well-sculptured. Moreover, it is crime-free. One can see young girls and women walking about unescorted even after midnight.

Danish men and women are usually tall, handsome and well-built. Danes are reserved but helpful if one seeks their assistance. They are patriotic, sincere, dutiful, literate and honest. They do not evade income tax which is 30 per cent or more in most cases. Literacy rate is very high i.e. 99 per cent. Most of the citizens are educated upto post-graduate level and are fairly fluent in English despite the fact that their mother-tongue is Danish.

During my nine-week-long visit to Denmark in the summer of 1999, I mostly stayed in the capital city of Copenhagen. I had the time to explore the wonderful city minutely. Founded in 1167, Copenhagen is now a modern fairytale city full of surprises and wonders. Its native name is Kobenhavn. In Danish koben means merchant had havn harbour; thus it is a harbour of merchants. It is a big city with small distances. Unlike other major European capitals, it has neither trams nor underground metro railways. But local buses and rails are very efficient and punctual. As there is no metro, trains run above the ground but to one’s surprise these are usually not visible in the city. Roads are very wide and smooth and have separate pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. One is very surprised to see that cycles are very popular in a rich country like Denmark. Eighteenth century houses of every conceivable colour can be seen side by side with modern architecture. Copenhagen is a superb example of town-planning with symmetrical chains of buildings without any encroachments and projections. It is a captivating, neat and clean city, dotted with parks, palaces, castles, lakes, harbours, canals, beaches, churches, museums, boats, ships, cafes, restaurants and so on.

The Queen and her family normally reside at Amalienborg Palace in the heart of the capital. When the Queen is in residence, her life guards march through the city every day with the band playing, down to the square outside the palace, where the changing of the guard takes place at noon. One can walk through the new Amalie Garden with its fountains and flowers, next to Amalienborg Palace. Straight ahead is Nyhavn. In the old days this was a sailors’ quarter, but it now forms a charming promenade along a canal lined with attractive old houses and small restaurants. On sunny days, people-old and young, men and women throng to Nyhavn to enjoy beer on the banks of the canal.

Castle Island (Slotsholmen) from where Denmark has been ruled for more than 500 years is within the city. Christianborg Castle with the Danish Parliament (Folketing) and the glamorous royal reception rooms are open to tourists. Opposite the entrance to the Parliament is the entrance to the attractive garden of the Royal Library, and next to it the old Court Theatre. In the same part of the castle one finds royal stables with old royal coaches. From the main gates of Chirstianborg Castle a few steps along the canal lead to the National Museum where, with the help of a small folder, one can take an interesting walk through the history of Denmark. The exquisite renaissance castle of Rosenborg houses the crown jewels of Denmark and two silver lions from Denmark’s coat of arms. This castle is situated in the enchanting King’s Garden that is full of beautiful flowers, lush green grass, pruned trees and trimmed hedges. Opposite Rosenborg are the equally beautiful Botanical Gardens with exquisite green-houses.

The symbol of Copenhagen is the Little Mermaid. She was born in a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and has a special meaning for the residents of Copenhagen and an important place on their favourite promenade. The Little Mermaid is a small statue on a monolithic stone in the sea where, throughout the day, visitors from all over the world line up to take pictures.

The Round Tower (Rundertarn) is an exceptional observatory building. In 1637, the foundation stone was laid for this extraordinary tower — not a church tower, but a utility tower attached to a church and a university library. It towers over the buildings in the old latin quarter. One can go to top of the tower through a sloppy ramp and see the whole city from there.

One place not to be missed during summer in Copenhagen is Tivoli (spelled backwards it says "I love it"). It is a beautiful amusement park founded in 1843, and has thousands of flowers, a number of fountains, ferris-wheels and roller-coasters. It is a place with many restaurants suiting all pockets. There is music in the park and in the elegant modern concert hall. At night when it is illuminated it becomes more charming and attractive. Adjacent to it is the famous Tussaud’s Wax Museum.

Without a "canal tour", a visit to the city is incomplete, because many of the city’s picturesque houses can be seen on these tours. For example, in the part of the city called Christianshavn one can see the beautiful Church of Our Saviour, the spire of which has a spiral staircase from where one can see the magnificent spectacle of Copenhagen and its harbour.

Copenhagen, in keeping with other large cities, built its first pedestrian street, Strget, in 1962. This soon became very popular, particularly in the tourist season and since then a number of other streets in the city centre have been converted into pedestrian streets. From King’s Square (Kongens Nytorv) to the City Hall Square (Radhuspladsen) is a 2-km-long stretch-a true shopper’s paradise.

All Scandinavian countries, including Denmark, are very peace-loving countries. A century that witnessed two world wars, a long-drawn-out cold war and several local wars, these countries promoted peace. During the peak of the cold war, these countries pleaded for peace through peace research institutes.

There are so many other palaces, castles, museums, churches, and beaches in and around Copenhagen e.g. Carlsberg Museum, Denmark’s Aquarium, Geological Museum, Zoological Museum, Marble Church, Frederiksborg Castle, Fredensborg Palace, Kronborg Castle (it was the setting of Shakespeare’s drama ‘Hamlet’), Louisiana Modern Art Museum, the Viking Museum etc.

Denmark was the first country to liberate pornography in 1968-69. Pornography and study of the love life is legal here. Legal marriage between persons of the same sex has been permitted in 1989. In the very heart of Copenhagen there is a museum dedicated to sex, Erotica. This museum includes erotic paintings, postcards, photos, blue films, magazines, sculptures, and much, much more.

After visiting this city one falls in love with Copenhagen.