Curious Traveler

It's the land of kings, crowns, castles, fairytales, the original amusement park and great Danes. (speaking in a foreign language) Remember when you were a child and all you asked was why, why, why? Well I never quite outgrew that whole quest for knowledge phase. In face I've made a career out of asking who, what, where, why and how as an arts and travel journalist for the past 20 years. So if I have an insatiable curiousity about the exciting, inspiring, beautiful world of art, architecture, and hidden history all around us, I bet you do too. This isn't your typical what to do on a vacation travel show. Oh no, this is your all access pass to a deeper understanding of the world's great art and architecture, people and places, history and how did they do thats. So come along on our educational journey, our field trip for grownups who have never quite grown up and learn on Curious Traveler. It's the home to harbors, herring, Hamlet, and Hans Christian Andersen. Also the home to Vikings, lots of bicycles and one of the oldest monarchies in the world. Copenhagen has so much to be curious about. (speaking in a foreign language) (accordion music) Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark and one of the largest cities in Scandinavia. It is surrounded by the sea with canals running through it, and that water helped to shape it's history from the Vikings to a Renaissance maritime trading powerhouse. So it's fitting that the name Copenhagen means merchant's harbor. -

Sidekick

Ahh. -

Christine

Copenhagen was officially founded in 1167 by Bishop Absalon, sidekick to King Valdemar, no, not Voldemort. Absalon overtook the Wends and demolished their Arkona temple and helped to spread Christianity throughout the region. Then Absalon built a little fortress of his own right here and Copenhagen was born. -

Sidekick

Hurray! -

Christine

His location has a little something to do with the Danish monarchy which we will explore later. Now the history of the Danish monarchy goes back further than ol' Absalon. In fact it is one of the oldest monarchies in the world. It can be traced back to Viking times with Gorm the Old in 958. Valdemar, Arkona, Gorm the Old, anyone else think this sounds like a "Lord of the Rings," trilogy? -

Sidekick

Ha,ha,ha, my precious. -

Christine

Well it gets even better. Gorm the Old's son was Harald Bluetooth and the Jelling stones with Runic inscriptions tell their history. Old Bluetooth was the King of a united Denmark more than a thousand years ago. And yes, legend has it, that that is exactly where we got the name for our Bluetooth technology today. (phone rings) -

Sidekick

Hello? -

Christine

In fact the Bluetooth symbol is made out of Harald's initials from the Runic alphabet, H and B. -

Sidekick

Wow. -

Christine

Now let's fast forward a few centuries to Copenhagen's more modern history and for that we go back to the sea. Copenhagen has a rich maritime history and you can walk through that history here at (speaking in a foreign language) or New Harbor, the oldest of these colorful buildings behind me dates back to 1681 and this used to be where sailors from around the world would come dock and where you have sailors you have alehouses and pubs and a couple of brothels too. But in the more g-rated history of this location, we have the home of beloved Copenhagen fairytale writer, Hans Christian Andersen. And as far as we know, he never wrote about any brothels. (symphony music) So, here's what I'm curious about in Copenhagen. Why are there so many castles in one small city? Why are there four identical, Amalienborg palaces and why is everyone named Christian or Frederick around here? -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Why is Christiansborg Palace here but Kronborg castle here? And what does Shakespeare have to do with it? -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Who are the Rosenborg's and why did they get their own castle? And in this land of fairytales, how do Hans Christian Andersen and Walt Disney fit in? Why, why, why? Well it all starts with the Christian's and the Frederick's. Most of the Danish kings were named either Christian or Frederick. I guess the family wanted to save on those monogram towels. (chuckle) But they didn't skimp on the royal thrones which were used for coronation ceremonies for nearly 200 years and it was up to Frederick the Third to build a throne fit for a king. While he was a big, manly king, he also happened to like unicorns. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Here in the great hall you will see this amazing throne, seemingly made of ivory. Now why is that there? Well it all goes back to the story of King Solomon in the bible because not only was King Solomon a righteous king, he was also a very wealthy king. And he had a throne made of ivory surrounded by twelve lions. So by the time King Frederick the Third came along, well, he wanted a throne of ivory just like King Solomon too but he wanted one made out of unicorn horn, unicorns are a little tough to find sometimes so the one that you see here is actually made out of narwhal tusk. He did get his lions though and you can still see them here protecting the throne today. And those thrones are inside the great hall inside the fairytale-esque Rosenborg Castle or (speaking in a foreign language) as the Danes say. And it was originally built as a country summer house. Nice beach condo, hey? Built in this beautiful Dutch Renaissance style, Rosenborg Castle was built by Frederick the Third's father, Christian the Fourth, one of the most famous kings in Scandinavian history. Told ya there all named Christian or Frederick. Well Christian the Fourth is like the great Renaissance king of Denmark. He build places like, small places like Rosenborg. A little small summer cottage, Yeh. A little tiny place. And he built castles and made great city plans for Copenhagen and other Danish cities. -

Christine

And he built beautiful buildings like the old Danish Stock Exchange in 1640 and the Round Tower Observatory in 1642. And he had great ambitions. He wanted to be the protector of the true faith of Europe because this was the time of religious wars of the 30 Years war. -

Christine

Yeah, here comes the bad part. Christian led two unsuccessful wars against Sweden and led his country to disaster in the 30 Year's war. He dies a pauper and it's so bad that he actually has to pawn his own crown in Hamburg to pay off his war debts. We still have it though in the treasury below because it was bought back by his son when he was to be crowned because they were kind of hard up for cash so the thing of making a new crown would have been way too expensive. -

Christine

But his legacy is still a happy one. He's a great symbol in Danish identity because it went so badly for him but he took it really well. -

Christine

So a happily ever after fairytale ending for the king. Next if Christian the Fourth was a member of the house of Oldenburg who the heck are the Rosenborg's? And more importantly, why haven't they invited me over for dinner? Actually the story behind the name Rosenborg Castle is a sweet love story. His great love was called Kirsten Munk, he called her the rose. In all his letters, he left us more than 3,000 letters from his own hand and he writes a lot of letters to Kirsten and she's always his wonderful rose. -

Christine

But there's another super secret reason for the name of Rosenborg too. The other thing is that Rosenborg is a sub-rosa, the Latin word for speaking in confidentiality. Oh, Many castles have a room in them called the rose because that's the confidential room. Oh, I never knew that. There's a whole aspect of this being the private retreat. -

Christine

But as fun as it was inside, even a king needs to get outside once in a while too. So the king's garden, or (speaking in a foreign language) was constructed around Rosenborg only for royal use. -

Sidekick

Indeed. -

Christine

It was open to the public in the 1700's and today it's the most popular public park in Copenhagen. It's also where we find our next curiousity, a statue not of a king, but definitely worthy of royal praise. Copenhagen's beloved teller of fairytales, Hans Christian Andersen. Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most treasured literary figures in Danish history. And a Copenhagen native. His most famous works are the beloved fairytales of the "Snow Queen," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Little Match Girl," "The Princess and the Pea," and of course, "The Little Mermaid." While these are all certainly children's classics the message of the stories were not just for children. There's also always a kind of double voice one speaking to the adult, maybe the adult reading aloud, and one addressing the children. -

Christine

The "The Little Mermaid," is now a Copenhagen icon but the fairytale with the happily ever after ending you are probably familiar with isn't even close to the original. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

There was maybe a bit more depth to it? The ending is quite tragic. She does not get her prince and she is dissolved on the surface of the water as she is adopted amongst some daughters of spirits of the air and she might still obtain salvation which was her one goal. There is an element of Christian allegory to, certainly not all of the stories but some of the important ones, like the story of a mother and "The Snow Queen," and "The Little Mermaid." -

Christine

Yes, Hans Christian Andersen had much to say about many topics. He was quite prolific and successful almost suspiciously successful. In fact there's a legend that says that Andersen was secretly an illegitimate member of the Danish royal family. -

Sidekick

Indeed. -

Christine

Why? Well no one could believe that this much divine talent could be bestowed upon the son of a shoemaker and a washer woman. -

Sidekick

Wow. The thing is it's very interesting that Shakespeare kind of came from rather humble beginnings too and some people came up with the idea that Shakespeare couldn't be Shakespeare, simply a simple person like that couldn't write what Shakespeare wrote so some people are just not willing to accept that literary genius can come from anywhere or out of nowhere. It says more about society, Yeah, it does. Right. -

Christine

Did someone say Shakespeare? Well the Baird has some curious ties to Copenhagen too, at our next curious castle, Kronborg Castle. So Rosenborg Castle was built for Christian the Fourth. But his father King Frederick the Second had an even bigger castle, Kronborg Castle. I keep tellin ya, they're all Christian's and Frederick's around here. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Kronborg Castle was built right here because it was the perfect spot to control the entrance to the Baltic Sea. And with Sweden just across the sound, this was a good spot to keep an eye on her, you know, back when those Scandinavian countries were duking it out instead of making smorgasbords together. (laughter) At any rate, from 1574 to 1585, King Frederick the Second built his magnificent Renaissance castle here and he wanted everybody to know about it. King Frederick the Second was known for being very lavish and very extravagant. So when it came time to build his castle his castle had to be very lavish and very extravagant. He used only the most expensive materials, like copper on all the rooftops. This was the first time that these copper roofs were used in such a large scale. And of course he had to build very tall towers so everybody could see from throughout the land. Behind me this is my favorite one, this is called the Trumpeter's Tower. It is at the exact height, that if you turned it on it's side, that is how long the dance hall is underneath the tower. I told you he liked to throw parties. So here is the most amazing part. When the king would make a toast inside the dance hall his trumpeters had to be ready all there along the balconies because their job, when he made a toast, they had to play their trumpets. I like this guy. And that long dance hall is also the reason this castle is the setting for one of the most famous plays in history, although it's real name is never used. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

The ballroom was the spot for big parties, for guests from all over Europe and some of the entertainers included English actors who went back to London and told their friends all about the ways of the Danish court. And that's how Shakespeare heard about Kronborg. -

Sidekick

Tuh duh. -

Christine

And wrote a little play you may have heard of, called "Hamlet." -

Sidekick

Wow! -

Christine

Sure, Shakespeare invented a few names like changing Kronborg Castle to Castle of Elsinore and maybe invented a ghost or two, at least we hope he invented that part. (ghostly laugh) And now, more than 400 years after Shakespeare's death his legacy lives on here at Kronborg Castle. I will have my revenge. (ominous music) -

Christine

And there is even more curiosities to discover here like why is it called Kronborg? Well it has something to do with what is under Kronborg, no, not the ghost, but a giant crown. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

The crown is the remnant of the Fortress of Eric of Pomerania, a Danish king and around here crown is pronounced krone. -

Sidekick

Ahh. -

Christine

And that krone or crown shape is a powerful symbol and can be seen in many other fortresses around the world. The shape provided protection from the bad guys and mostly their cannonballs. And interestingly you can also see that same shape at the base of the Statue of Liberty, because that was built upon another fortress, Fort Wood. -

Sidekick

Wow! -

Christine

Next we visit one more castle on top of a castle and then a castle beside a castle beside a castle beside a castle. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Bear with me here. So back to the Christian's and the Frederick's. The massive and opulent Christiansborg Palace was named after Christian the Sixth in the 1700's. But this stunning, neo-Baroque palace you see today was built in the early 1900's and is the third to stand here because most of the previous two burned down. -

Sidekick

Yikes. -

Christine

It's hard to believe that the original palace was even bigger. Well yeah, the first Christiansborg Palace was even bigger than the third one we're standing in today. It has a whole other section and the whole palace was only for the royal family and all their more than 800 servants. Even the Crown Prince he had a whole palace for himself so this was only for the King, and the Queen and other royal family members. -

Christine

Today Christiansborg is still one of the largest palaces in the world and it's a pretty powerful palace too. One of the few in the world to house all three branches of government, the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of State. All topped off with the highest tower in Copenhagen at nearly 350 feet high. -

Sidekick

Wow! -

Christine

But why was Christiansborg built exactly here on the tiny island of Slotsholmen? -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Because this is the exact spot where Copenhagen was born. -

Sidekick

Ahh. -

Christine

Remember Bishop Absalon? The founder of Copenhagen? Well he liked this spot so much he built his fortress here and the ruins of his castle from the 1100's are still here under the palace, the circular wall protected the castle against those Wend pirates. -

Sidekick

Yar. -

Christine

Well fortunately no threat of pirates inside the palace today where we explore the oval throne room. The Queen's throne is adorned with two golden griffins, Harry Potter fan I guess, and the King's throne with two golden lions. The thrones were rescued from the palace fire of 1884. Yet today's Queen has no idea how comfy her own throne is. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

That's because the thrones are never actually used anymore. Once Denmark's absolute monarchy ended in the 1840's, the thrones became historic relics, treasured but not used anymore as today's Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. -

Sidekick

Ahh. -

Christine

And modern times meet mid evil times in one of the most treasured rooms of the palace, where we will also find Donald Duck. -

Sidekick

Huh? This is the great hall and it tells 1,000 years of Danish history from the Viking ages all the way through the very first female monarch since Renaissance times who happens to be the current one named Queen Margrethe the Second. In each of these tapestries here they look a little modern? Well that's because they are. In the year 2000 these new tapestries replaced all the old ones and each one tells an entire century of Danish history. Except this one. This one talks about world history and it's also the reason why you will find Donald Duck, Groucho Marx and the Beatles here inside Christiansborg Palace. Don't believe me? Take a look. (symphony music) But the real legacy of the Danish monarchy isn't found on the thrones or the paintings or in the oh-so-opulent furnishings. But instead in it's family tree. -

Sidekick

Huh? Throughout history there's this wonderful little nickname the Danish royal family known as Europe's in-laws. Well goes back to Christian the Ninth which nickname was actually "The Father-in-Law of Europe," and that's because his six children, he managed to marry them out in different royal family houses around in Europe so today it's only the Netherlands and Sweden's royal families that's not related to this Christian the Ninth. All of the rest of the European royal family houses are all related back to Christian the Ninth. -

Christine

Wow. -

Katrine

So one big family. -

Christine

The kids probably did not have much of a choice. Probably not, no, exactly. Next speaking of in-laws, while the Danish royal family may work in Christiansborg Palace, they live at Amalienborg Palace or should I say Amalienborg Palaces. The beautiful Amalienborg palace was built in the 1700's and is considered one of the finest examples of Danish Rococo architecture. But there's beautiful palaces all over Europe so what makes this one so special? Well here's a hint, there's not just one. That's right, if you stand at the center of the square next to a statue of a King Frederick, of course, look around you and you'll see not just one, two, or even three but four, identical Amaleinborg Palaces. -

Sidekick

Huh? -

Christine

Why four palaces instead of one? Well this complex was originally built for members of the nobility. But now as the Royal family's residence, sections of the family each have their own wing or as I like to call it, keeping the in-laws just far enough away. (marching on cobblestone) Next from fairytale castles to the happiest place on earth, we visit one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. In 1843, the beautiful and now historic Tivoli gardens first opened to the public. About a century later, an American park designer came here and walked these very grounds to find further inspiration for his park, that designer's name was Walt Disney. Hmm, this place does look a little familiar. What is Disneyworld doing here in Copenhagen? -

Sidekick

Huh? I feel like a secret has been revealed. In the 1950's, when Walt Disney was building Disneyland in Anaheim, he came here several times, he fell in love with the ambience if Tivoli and he wanted to see if he could take some of that and put it into his Disneyland. -

Christine

Incredible but even before Disney's magical visit Tivoli has it's own incredible history. Tivoli Gardens was founded in 1843. It's six years prior to the first Danish Constitution. Oh wow. So we do have some history. -

Christine

And it's all thanks to park director, Georg Carstensen who created Tivoli for King Christian the Eighth. The King gave him about 15 acres of land and Tivoli was a success from the start with, of course, rides, rides and more rides, like the legendary wooden roller-coaster. It's from 1914. Wow. So it's a hundred and two years old, and it's one of the world's oldest wooden roller-coasters still running and one of only seven worldwide with a brake man on board so there's a guy or girl actually controlling the speed on every ride. -

Christine

So yeah, it would be wise to not annoy the brakeman. At the opening in 1843, there was a great supporter of Tivoli, our buddy in all things fairytales, Mr. Hans Christian Andersen. They were friends and it says in his diary, went to Tivoli, Carstensen's night began my Chinese fairytale. Oh. Now the "Chinese Fairytale," is the story of the nightingale and Andersen was inspired by looking at Tivoli gardens. Oh, I didn't know that, that's fantastic. Ah a fairytale amusement park built for a king with a connection to the kings of fairytales, both Disney and Andersen. Don't you love it when it all ties together. From Rosenborg to Kronborg to Christiansborg to Amalienborgs, lot's of Borgs and Christians and Fredericks full of spared unicorns, silver lions, roses with double meanings, Shakespeare and castles on top of castles. Palaces beside palaces and royal in-laws just far enough away. To the Great Danes, Gorm the Old, Valdemar, Bluetooth, -

Sidekick

Hello. -

Christine

Bishops, kings, queens, princes and fairytale princesses, fairytale writers and fairytale parks. Copenhagen has so much to be curious about. Thank you for joining us on our educational journey and hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why and how of Copenhagen. As they say here in Denmark, (speaking in a foreign language.) -

Christine

Still curious, go to Curioustravelertd.com and follow us on FaceBook at curioustravelerTV, on Twitter @CuriousTravTV and on Instagram at @CuriousTravelerTV.