The Round Tower

 

One of the must-sees for many tourists in Copenhagen is the Round Tower, Rundertårn in Danish. Built by Christian IV in 1632 it is still used as an observatory, though much better ones has replaced it, so it's now mostly for show. The view from the 30m tower is a nice one as most of the buildings in the inner city is lower than the viewing platform.

 

For sale

One of the most recognisable buildings in the inner city of Copenhagen, the Old Stock Exchange, has been put on the market. Built in 1619-1629 by King Christian IV in Dutch renaissance style, it has only been sold two times before. The current owner, Danske Erhverv (Danish Chamber of Commerce), has been using it for conferences and offices, but they've been moving their activities to other locations. It hasn't been used as a stock exchange since 1974. The location can't be better with parliament and the National Bank within sight, but you'll need a big wallet to buy it. Hopefully it won't be sold to a fast food chain...

Old passage with atmosphere

 

The inner city of Copenhagen still has a lot of old buildings like this passage along Regensen, a dormitory from the 17th Century, built by the builder king Christian IV. Unfortunately some people think that this and similar places are perfect for tagging or urinating, so there's certainly an atmosphere, except it's the wrong kind.

Looking out

 

The statue of Tycho Brahe mentioned in yesterday's post has a view that the real man probably wouldn't have liked. Rosenborg Palace was built by the Danish king Christian IV, whom Tycho Brahe had a dispute with so serious that he had to move to Prague to serve the Holy Roman emperor Rudolph II.

Ambiguous legacy

The King's Garden

The oldest and most visited park in central Copenhagen is the Rosenborg Castle Gardens or in Danish Kongens Have (King's garden). This used to be the private gardens of King Christian IV and today plays host to temporary art exhibitions and other events such as concerts throughout the summer.

-RS

Latin quarter

Looking out from the Rundetårn towards the west one can see a large part of the Latin Quarter of Copenhagen.

This area is home to Copenhagen’s university, where Latin used to be the spoken language. One of the oldest areas in the city, it is full of 17th-century buildings that were built by the architect king, Christian IV. Although there have been dwellings here since medieval times, most of them were destroyed in the disastrous fire that spread across Copenhagen in 1728 . Today, the Latin Quarter is a lively and bustling student area brimming with shops and cafés.

-RS

The Citadel

Kastellet, located in the old part of Copenhagen, is one of the best-preserved fortifications in Northern Europe. It was constructed by King Christian IV of Denmark in 1626 with the building of an advanced post, Sankt Annæ Skanse. It was developed over time and today the Citadel is still owned by the Danish Defence Ministry and is an active military area.

The photograph shows the southern gate, known as the King's Gate.

-RS

Rowing

A sure sign of summer is when the local rowing clubs air (or in this case water) their boats on the canals in Copenhagen. In the background of this photo is Christian IV's brewery house to the left and Christianborg's tower in the middle.

The Stock Exchange

The old stock exchange Børsen in Copenhagen is bursting with details. This shot is from above the main entrance and tells about its foundation in 1624 by King Christian IV. The most characteristic feature of it is the dragon spire, unlike any other spire in Copenhagen. Situated right next to Parliament in Christiansborg Palace it was still in use as a stock exchange until 1974. It's now owned by the Danish Chamber of Commerce and is used as a place for meetings and exhibitions.

From Anchor Forge to Holmen's Church

In one of my previous posts I showed you a photo from Holmen's Cemetery. About 5 km's away lies the church it belong to. Placed just opposite the Danish parliament at Christiansborg Castle and next to the canal, and thereby the harbor, this church of the Navy is a beautiful little church. Holmen's Church is the main military church in Denmark and is also used from time to time in Royal ceremonies eg the wedding between Princess (now Queen) Margrethe and Prince Henrik in 1967.

The first church here was consecrated in 1620 by the great builder King Christian IV. He was responsible for building a great number of castles, palaces and other public or royal buildings...and thereby he was responsible for the bankruptcy of Denmark too. This church started out as an anchor forge for the Navy in 1562 but a great influx of people to Copenhagen meant that a new church was needed, and it was decided in 1617 to change it into a church. The church was soon too small, so it was rebuild in it's present cruciform in 1641. The spire was added at this time too.

Some of the greatest Danish naval heroes is buried here, among them Niels Juel and Peder Tordenskjold. It's still in use as a military church but today the church is also an ordinary parish church.

This concludes my theme about churches for now. I might return to it on a later date, but a new theme starts tomorrow. For the next couple of weeks I'll switch to modern buildings mainly in Copenhagen. I hope you have enjoyed this theme as much as I have, and that you'll enjoy the new theme.