Moat

The moat around Copenhagen Citadel (Kastellet) is ideal for pictures with reflections in water. The area has been renovated so it is now very much like the original defenses. Even though the military is still using the Citadel, it's open to the public. Every sunny Sunday you can find joggers, couples with children and elderly people walking their dogs on the ramparts and in the park around it.

Impression

When taken by themselves reflections in water can have an almost impressionistic look. This was taken in Frederiksberg Park in Copenhagen a nice summer day with only a slight ripple on the surface of the lake. I had to cut a bit unwanted shore away and rotate the image to get this effect.

Self portrait

Christmas is long gone, but I'll bring you this photo anyway. It's taken in Tivoli at their traditional Christmas Fair, where the whole park is decorated with anything to do with Christmas. This one is of the decorative balls on a Christmas tree and shows me in different versions, sizes and colors. When looking for reflections you often can't help but being a part of the photo.

Theater in black and white

The photo of Copenhagen's new theater in the harbour was taken on a moody day. I like it for its light and the way the heavy clouds reflects in the dark glass.

Powerplant in class

This is a reflection of Svanemøllen Power Plant in Copenhagen in a glass facade just opposite it. I like it for its broken lines and colors. Even though it's a reflection you're able to recognize it when you have seen the real thing before.

Svanemøllen Power Plant is by the way one of my favorite buildings to photograph. I've taken loads of photos in different light and from different angles so I know it quite well.

Pub in water

This is a classic reflection; building and trees reflected in clear water. I took it on a trip to Birmingham while passing this pub on the canal on a narrow boat. I like this photo for its tranquility. I took a ton of these on the trip and realized the obvious; good reflections in water requires a clear surface. No wind and a small lake or stream gives nice and clear reflections.

Red triangel

My new theme for the coming days (or maybe weeks) is reflections. Reflections is something I have written about before in Danish and it is one of the things I always looks for when I'm photographing. It can add symmetry and sometimes surrealism to the photo. Reflective materials are everywhere; glass, water, steel, ice or any of a number of other materials surrounds us everyday so it's easy to find a worthy object to photograph. I either have both the "real" object and its reflection or just the reflection by itself.

The first one I'm bringing is this one of the bow of a small sailing boat taken in a marina. At first it can be difficult to tell exactly what it is but then more and more details emerge and suddenly you can see the whole picture. The tricky part is to tell where the bow stops and the water begins. I had to take a couple of shots before I got it right but I like the result!

Diskos Thrower

A good place to find statues is Copenhagen's Botanical Garden. One of the many fine statues is this copy of Discobolos by Myron. This is a nice place to take a break in the middle of the city. Here you can always find a quiet bench to read, eat your lunch or just reflect on life in general. Of course you can also take a look at all the plants and trees and with 23,462 living plants there's enough to look at for hours.

This post concludes my theme on statues in Copenhagen at this time but don't worry, I'll be back for more at a later time. With literally hundreds of statues in Copenhagen I won't run out of motives in a hurry:-)

Tomorrow I'll start a new theme; reflections. It'll be reflections of any kind, in water, glass, steel or maybe the kind that goes on inside one's head.

Patriarch

Around Frederik's Church (also called The Marble Church) in Copenhagen's Frederiksstad stands ca. 20 statues of Church Fathers and this is one of them. I'm not quite sure who it is but he strikes a strong and fearsome expression. This isn't a figure to mess with! This Church is one of the largest dome churches in Europe only surpassed by St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London and it took 145 years to complete. When finished in 1894 it was a worthy church for the area that also houses the royal residence Amalienborg Castle (its neighbor) and some of the most exclusive residences in Copenhagen City. Many tourists think that this is a cathedral but it isn't. It's merely a parish church for the area albeit a grand one.

Sunday Special

I know, I've already posted today's pic but I couldn't help myself, this being Sunday. Above photo was taken at a cemetery in Copenhagen and was part of a grave stone. Have a nice Sunday:-)

Troll Smelling Christian Blood

This is a photo of one of the most controversial statues in Copenhagen. When created in 1901 by sculptor Niels Hansen Jacobsen it caused quite a stir because it was placed in front of The Church of Jesus in Valby and was called Troll Smelling Christian Blood. That just wouldn't do in the petit bourgeois of Copenhagen. The church was paid for by brewer Carl Jacobsen of Carlsberg who also commissioned the statue and he bowed to the pressure from his equals. The statue was then moved to the garden around Carl Jacobsen's museum Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket where it stands today. A copy was made and placed at its original place in front of the church in 2002 to celebrate it's 100th birthday under similar protests that were largely ignored this time. A second copy is placed in Vejen as part of the Troll Fountain.

Fountain of Neptune

This time I leave Copenhagen proper for a short time. At Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød north of Copenhagen can be found the Fountain of Neptune. This is a small detail of one of the figurines that ring the basin. Neptune himself is on top of the column in the middle of the fountain where he too sprouts water from his feet. I like this picture a lot mainly because of the way the water is captured moving in different directions. With the sun shining through the water you can even see the cobwebs on the figurine if you look closely.

The fountain is originally from 1622 but was taken as booty of war by the Swedish in 1659. It was never returned but a new fountain was cast from the original figures in 1888.

The Frederiksborg Castle is a Renaissance castle build by King Christian IV in 1600 - 1620 and he often used it as his residence. The church was used in the anointing of the Danish kings in the years 1671 - 1840 and it's also the order church for the Order of the Elephant, the highest Danish order, and for the Order of Dannebrog. In the church all the shields of the members of the Order of the Elephant are on display.

On the other side of the lake is a magnificent Baroque Garden that is well worth a visit.

Link to Frederiksborg Castle in English

Dragons

This is a detail from the Dragon Fountain found on the City Hall Square in Copenhagen. The big orange balloon in the background contains CO2 and was a way to raise peoples awareness on

environmental issues.

The Dragon Fountain was inaugurated in it's original form in 1904 without the bull in the middle. The artists were Thorvald Bindesbøll and Joakim Skovgaard. They lost a competition held by the Association for the Beautifying of the Capital in 1889 for a fountain on Højbro Plads but it was later decided to use their design near the City Hall instead. It was ridiculed and compared to a spittoon for many years until the bull was added in 1923. Now it is a favorite hangout for the many pigeons at the square and they don't just spit on it!

Danish link to the fountain's history

Copper lion

Two copper lions flank the entrance from the King's Garden to Rosenborg Castle as a symbol of the Kings power. They are the originals from the time of King Christian IV. They are rarely noticed as people pass by on their way to the crown jewels but they are in my opinion gems themselves.

Link to Rosenborg Castle

The Horse and the Lion

This statue is an old one; it was modeled in 1617 and cast in bronze in 1624 by Peter Husen. Until 1647 it was in Glückstadt and it was then placed in the King's Garden between the two ring rider columns. It's almost an exact copy of an antique statue from Capitolium in Rome.

The King's Garden is a really nice place if you like crowds. Especially in the summertime it's a place for people to relax, get some sun, have a picnic or just enjoy a good book. A playground, a little café and a rose garden give some variety. Here is also Rosenborg Castle which is a pleasure palace build by the King Christian IV, Copenhagens great builder. Nowadays it's mainly a place to keep the crown jewels.

Fight with a snake

In the King's Garden there are statues aplenty. This one is a favorite of mine mainly because of the animation of the characters. It's called Fight with a Snake and was made by Thomas Brock in 1881. Exactly what myth it refers to I've been unable to uncover. If you have a clue then please leave a comment:-)

Other statues in the King's Garden will follow in the next couple of days.

Gefion

Yesterday I wrote about the area near Langelinie. Another statue or fountain in the area is the one of Gefion. In Norse mythology Gefion was a young maid to the goddess Frig. She was promised a morning gift by the Svea King Gylfe; as much land as she could plough in 24 hours. She plowed out the island of Zealand from Swedish soil by transforming her four sons by a giant to oxen, leaving a hole in Sweden that became the lake Mälaren.

This grand fountain was made in 1908 by Anders Bundgaard originally for the City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) but it was decided to place it near the water instead. It has recently been restored with new water supply and lights so it can be enjoyed at nighttime too. In my opinion it's one of the finest fountains in Copenhagen especially in the summer when the water is running.

Wikipedia about Gefion

Angel

One of my favorite statues in Copenhagen is this Angel on Langelinie near The Little Mermaid. In Danish it's called Søfartsmonumentet (literally Shipping Monument) in rememberance af the fallen sailors of World War I. It's part of a park near the marina that also houses a rowing club. The monument was constructed in 1928 by Svend Rathsack and architect Ivar Bentsen. Near by you can find the stone raised to celebrate Mylius Ericsson's Greenland expedition in 1907 where he and three others died and just to the south is The Little Mermaid on her rock. To the north is the quay of Langelinie where the cruise ships berth. This area is a favorite spot for tourists, cruise ship guests and locals to take a stroll and on sunny Sundays there's quite a few people on the promenade.

Nearby you can also find Copenhagen's Citadel with it's surrounding park, the English church, a lot of monuments and statues and a museum about the Danish resistance during the German occupation in 1940 - 1945.

Regarding the Little Mermaid it has been decided Thursday in Copenhagen City Council that she will be loaned to an exhibition in China next year for 8 months. An even smaller copy will replace her during her travels.

Link to Danish brochure about the area around the citadel

BTW i've got a black/white version of this one here.

Cain's Descendants

This statue of Cain's Descendants Jabal, Jubal and Tubalkan can be found in Valby in Copenhagen. It's made by Paul Maximilien Landowski in 1906 and is made of bronze. It was given by the fund Albertina to the City of Copenhagen. I've often walked past it without really noticing it but I decided to photograph it to my series of statues in Copenhagen. It's situated between apartment blocks just by a square called Toftegårds Plads and is a fine example of art in Copenhagen's residential areas. You literally can't walk for 5 minutes without seeing some kind of art in the streets. Really nice but you often don't notice or appreciate some of the gems that are hidden here.

Link to Danish site about the statue

Horse Conqueror

The first series of my new themed photos will be of statues in Copenhagen. And I start with a statue in a workers neighbourhood in Copenhagen. Situated in the South Harbour area this statue seems a little out of place but that is common in Copenhagen. You can find statues and art in the strangest of places. The Horse Conqueror was made by Thomas Vincotte in 1885 and was a gift from brewer Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg.

...and now in English
Link to Danish site about the statue

...and now in English

Can it be more English?

Up until now this blog has been in Danish (that is my main language after all) but now I think is the time to switch to English. I do it mainly to reach a broader audience as I can see that I have some visitors from out of town so to speak. The other change I'll make in this blog is that I will try to publish at least one photo a day. The photos will be both new and old and the dailies will be themed so there will be a period with photos of e.g. art or architecture. I'll continue with larger stories when I've been to interesting places but these stories might only appear weekly or even monthly.

It will take some time for me to transform the whole of the blog to English so bear with me. And bear with my English if it's not up to scratch. Older stories will not be translated.

I hope you readers like the changes:-) You are, as always, most welcome to comment.

Gråt og vådt

For en uge side skrev jeg om forårstegn. I dag må det siges, at forår er der ikke de store tegn på. Det er vådt, gråt og blæsende; den rigtige årstid er nærmere efterår. På trods af vejrgudernes utilfredshed var jeg på gaden med kameraet. Det er ikke tit, jeg tager billeder i så dårligt vejr, men det har også sin charme, når veje og bygninger er våde. Man kan få spejlinger og nogle farver træder tydeligere frem samtidigt med, at man undgår kraftige skygger. Når det er overskyet, er lyset meget mere diffust, så det er nemmere for kameraets autoeksponering at få en ensartet eksponering i hele billedet.

Ikke mange badegæster endnu. Brrr...

En enlig husbåd med H.C. Ørsteds-
værket i baggrunden. Gråt i gråt

Bryggebroen. Et af de rigtig gode initiativer
i området. Nu mangler vi bare en lignende
til Operaen, men den (eller rettere de)
er efter sigende på vej

Kommende betonslum? Ikke mange
formildende omstændigheder.

Og det ser ikke bedre ud tæt på

Den ombyggede silo er et af de bedre
eksempler...men hvor er farverne?

Eneste farver er græsplænen og et stop-skilt!

Turen gik i dag fra Dybbølsbro, over Bryggebroen til Islands Brygge og indad mod Langebro. Jeg fik også gået et lille smut rundt i det kedelige nybyggede boligkvarter på Islands Brygge. Sådan en grå regnvejrsdag viser med al ønskelig tydelighed, hvorfor det er usmart at bygge alting i glas, stål og grå nuancer i Danmark. Det er ind i mellem svært at se, hvor asfalten og fliserne stopper og bygningen begynder, og med en grå himmel bliver det bare endnu værre. At hele kvarteret så også mildest talt er kønsløst med parkeringspladser og store åbne græsplæner mellem husene, hjælper bestemt heller ikke. Det må være svært at finde hjem en mørk aften, når alt ligner hinanden på denne måde. Trist at man har fået lov til at bygge på den måde herude. Man kan godt frygte, at det om et par år bliver den rene spøgelsesby, når moden skifter, og folk hellere (igen) vil bo i noget, der ikke ligner alle andres.

Prestigebyggeri? Ikke efter min mening

Svaner i formationsflyvning

Islands Brygge. Havn uden skibe

Endelig lidt farver, og så er det ikke autoriseret

Et af anlæggene på Bryggen er resterne af en bygning

Her er rigeligt med beton

Man har bibeholdt en del af de funktionelle
"ting" fra fortiden og lader dem indgå som
en del af anlægget

Langs kajen på Islands Brygge er der heldigvis gjort en del for at bryde monotonien med diverse anlæg, legepladser, kunstværker og svømmebassin. Mange af de gamle bygninger er bevaret og omdannet til boliger, hvilket er en god ide, når det er gjort pænt. Vi er dog ikke sluppet helt, for der er et par rædsler i form af kontorbygninger. Et par cafeer liver også op. Det eneste jeg savner meget er både, skibe, skonnerter, pramme, ja hvad som helst, der kan flyde. En havn uden skibe er ingen havn! Kajen se øde og forladt ud uden det, den er bygget til.

Spejlinger i blå fliser på bænk

Jeg tror, det er en bænk. Gul er den i hvert fald

Anlægget her giver mulighed
for en del alternative vinkler og kig

Et andet kig

Flere fliser...og spejlinger

Kig mod Langebro

Endnu værre ser det ud på Kalvebod Brygge. Her er det rene kontorbygninger og hoteller. Her er om muligt endnu mere dødt. På Islands Brygge er der i det mindste lokale beboere, der bruger området til at gå tur, motionere, lege med børnene, nyde vejret (når det er til det) m.m., men de findes ikke på Kalvebod Brygge. Her er der totalt dødt efter kontortid. Trist. Forladt. Kedeligt. Igen et eksempel på, at de højere magter, der bestemmer, hvordan København ikke helt får tænkt sig om i tide.

Red nu eller under?


Farver!!!

Den Sorte Diamant kan ikke beskyldes for
at være farvestrålende, men bemærk
spejlingerne i den.

Gangtunnel ved Langebro

Der er da farver i grafittien, men er det kønt?!?

Nå, nok snak om den sørgelige tilstand for Københavns arkitektur. Som det ses fik jeg benyttet mig af lejligheden til at være lidt kreativ i valg af motiv. Når himlen er trist, så må man lade være med at tage den med og i stedet gå helt tæt på. Og på en gråvejrsdag jagter jeg farver...og jeg fandt dem!

PS: Jeg var lige et smut inde på en af mine favoritblogger, RomePhotoBlog. Det er der, foråret befinder sig! Jeg er slet ikke misundelig...

Husker du Scala?

Helt symbolsk hænger Scala-skiltet skævt

Da jeg gik i gymnasiet, var stedet, hvor man kom, Scala i København. Her var der diskotek i kælderen og biograf under taget, og mellemrummet var fyldt op med trendy butikker, cafeer, barer, restauranter og Professor Olsens Spilleland. Et center i centrum af København, hvor de unge mødtes, festede og "hang ud".

Scala ligner udefra sig selv...

...men studér lige plakaterne.
Det er et stykke tid siden,
disse film blev vist i biografen!
Noget er galt...

Rotunden ser da helt tilforladelig
ud, men skindet bedrager

Lukkede butikker...og ikke
kun fordi det er tidligt lørdag.

Hvad er der sket siden da? Tjah, Scala har skiftet hænder flere gange, er gået konkurs flere gange, butikkerne er lukket, og det, der er tilbage, er nærmest en spøgelsesby. Alt hvad der er tilbage er et par cafeer, en juicebar, en spillecafe og øverst en Bollywood-biograf! Resten er øde, forfaldent, efterladt og "under renovation". Rulletrapperne står stille, elevatoren er sat fast med en stol på øverste etage...og der er tomt! En enlig rengøringskone, en enkelt håndværker og et par forvildede folk er de eneste man en lørdag formiddag risikerer at løbe ind i. Her kradser krisen virkelig, og det har den tydeligvis gjort i en del år.

Der er ikke ligefrem klar til kunderne her

Første salen er tom, tom, tom

Trappen er spærret fra denne side,
men gå op ad rulletrappen, så kan
du komme om på den anden side.

Du kommer til at vente længe
på at få et måltid mad her

Den kinesiske er lukket

Det samme er Chicos

Og Viking Steakhouse

Der er altså rige muligheder for at fotografere på livet løs. Butikkerne (nå ja, de fleste af dem) er spærret af med gitre og restauranterne er aflåste, der er afspærringer rundt om, men i det store og hele kan man bevæge sig rimeligt frit rundt på alle etager. Det kan vel få de fleste lidt nysgerrige mennesker til at lege urban explorer.

Dette forestillede engang en stjernehimmel,
men der er ikke mange stjerner tilbage.
Måske hver stjerne repræsenterer en butik i Scala?

Under renovation...måske

Måske jeg skal prøve en hverdag. Det kan
være, der faktisk er håndværkere igang her...not!

Italian Corner er tydeligvis flyttet til bedre lokation

Rundt omkring er der andre lignende muligheder, men de fleste kræver trods alt, at man har lidt mere frækhed end undertegnede, for der kan man være nødt til at kravle over hegn, ignorere forbudsskilte og "tiltvinge sig adgang". Forfaldet finder jeg alligevel fascinerende, så måske jeg skulle tage chancen? Kender du en oplagt bygning (nedlagt fabrik, boligblok e.l.), der er øde, åben og i forfald, så kom gerne med et tip:-)

Café Scala øverst oppe ser ud til at fungere,
når der er forestillinger i biografen.
Ikke alt er helt forfaldent

Når man ser på biografen, ser alt normalt ud...

...bortset fra filmplakaterne.
Det er ren Bollywood.
Det må bare prøves en dag.
Prøv at se lidt om Billu her eller her


Noget mindre forfaldent er til gengæld
Københavns Hovedbibliotek efter renoveringen

Flere billeder kan ses på Picasaweb