History of Copenhagen
History of Copenhagen
The city of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark has a very colorful history. Going back a thousand years ago, Copenhagen is a little trading town. It has a couple of small, low-lying islets that provide shelter for a small trading centre. Copenhagen, in those days is called "Havn", meaning the harbor. It was of little strategic or political importance. Most of the people in "Havn" sold plentiful of herring in the Øresund. In the next couple of centuries fishing and trading turned the small fishing village into a flourishing town. Copenhagen is Scandinavia's largest city. In 1160, the King, Valdemar the Great, chose to give 'Havn or Købehavn' (Merchants' Town) to Bishop Axel Absalon, the Bishop of Roskilde. And in 1343 King Valdemar made Copenhagen the capital of Denmark.Bishop Absalon is extremely esteemed in Denmark. He was one of the most powerful statesmen of the country during its history. His origin was one of reasons of his popularity. The Bishop became the lord and master of Copenhagen and in the years that followed, churches and abbeys were founded. Absalon erected a fortress on Slotsholmen Island, fortifying a small and previously unprotected harbourside village. After the fortress was built, the harbourside village grew in importance and took on the name Kømandshavn (Merchant’s Port), which was later condensed to København. Absalon’s fortress stood until 1369, when it was destroyed in an attack on the town by the powerful Hanseatic states.The town was frequently besieged by the North German group of trading cities, the Hanseatic League. During the same period, the Danish king tried to regain power over Copenhagen from Bishop Absalon. The King finally succeeded in 1416, when King Erik of Pomerania took over the town, marking the beginning of Cop¬enhagen’s role as the capital of Denmark. From then onwards, Copenhagen belonged to the Danish crown.By the time of Christian IV’s coronation in 1596 Copenhagen has become rich and powerful. The King expands Copenhagen by adding two new districts: Nyboder (New Booths) for the large numbers of navy personnel and the merchants’ new district, Christianshavn (Christian’s Harbour), which is modelled on Amsterdam.By the time of Christian IV’s death in 1648 Copenhagen has become Denmark’s principal fortification and naval port, and the town forms a framework for the administration of the realm and a centre of trade in Northern Europe.Conversely, Copenhagen is struck by new catastrophes. Christiansborg burns in 1794, followed by large parts of the rest of the city the year after that. The city is rebuilt in a classicist style.During the Napoleonic Wars the English see the large navy of neutral Denmark as a threat and launch a twofold attack on Copenhagen: the first time in 1801 the Battle of Copenhagen; the next time in 1807, when Copenhagen is subjected to the first terrorist bombing in history against a civilian population. The English carry off the Danish fleet, securing absolute mastery of the high seas in the process.After the war with the English, the Danish economy was so strained that the state was declared bankrupt in 1813. Many Copenhagen neighborhoods had deteriorated into slums.At the same time however, art and culture enjoyed a heyday. Famous and talented celebrities were found in all corners of Copenhagen: the fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, the ballet master August Bournonville, the painter C.W. Eckersberg, the natural scientist H.C. Ørsted, who discovered electromagnetism, and the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who acquired his own museum after many years spent in Rome.During World War II, Denmark, including Copenhagen was occupied by Nazi German troops. Dark times were experienced with the Nazi occupation of the city. The city was seriously affected by sabotage operations and isolated bombings. Nevertheless, in comparison with other European cities and countries, Copenhagen came out of World War II virtually unscathed.Copenhagen flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries, expanding beyond its old city walls and establishing a reputation as a centre for culture, liberal politics and the arts. With the economy back on its feet again, people were free to produce and trade as they liked. Enterprising new capitalists took up the initiative in Copenhagen. The model for the Danish capital was Paris; French architecture inspired the wide boulevards and residential properties. The financier C.F. Tietgen completed the Marble Church, and the brewer Carl Jacobsen decorated the city with new art. Large industrial fairs showcased the latest developments and focused on progress.Since the beginning of the new millennium, Copenhagen has seen the opening of the Sound Bridge, the building of a metro system and the go-ahead for a development called "Ørestad", which will create a new urban district on the island of Amager, closely connected to the southern part of Copenhagen by two bridges. Christian IV's old ambition to transform the Sound Region into northern Europe's leading economic and cultural region is certainly becoming a reality today - but under a more modern guise!