Thursday, May 17, 2012

A tale of three towers

The coat of arms of Copenhagen was granted on 24 June 1661 by king Frederick III of Denmark in recognition of its citizens' efforts in repelling the Swedish siege and attack on Copenhagen in 1658-1659. The central feature of the full arms are three towers rising above water, a symbol also appearing in the town's seal from 1296. Originally, the left and right towers represented Absalon's castle and the central tower a church building inside the castle. By the 16th century, the central tower was no longer depicted as a church tower, instead it had a gateway with a portcullis. King Frederick III modified the original symbol by adding a knight carrying a raised sword in front of the gateway. This photo is of the mile-marker on the Rådhusplads. -RS

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