Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Story of Copenhagen
If you study your map carefully, you can read the history of Copenhagen
in today's street plan. København (literally, “Merchants' Harbor”) was
born on the little island of Slotsholmen—today home of Christiansborg
Palace—in 1167. What was Copenhagen's medieval moat is now a string
of pleasant lakes and parks, including Tivoli Gardens. You can still make
out some of the zigzag pattern of the moats and ramparts in the city's
greenbelt.
Many of these fortifications—and several other landmarks—were built
by Denmark's most memorable king. You need to remember only one
character in Copenhagen's history: Christian IV. Ruling from 1588 to
1648, he was Denmark's Renaissance king and a royal party animal (see
