Copenhagen - Slotsholmen and around Travel Guides | Copenhagen | Sub Regions | Copenhagen - Slotsholmen and around

For its small square acreage, no other part of Copenhagen can compare with the island of Slotsholmen and its immediate vicinity in terms of buildings worth seeing, museums worth exploring and parks worth relaxing in. Immediately to the west of the island stands the Nationalmuseet (National Museum) with its incomparable collection of historical and cultural artefacts, while on Slotsholmen itself there is a mystifying complex of historical buildings that will take time to sort out and identify and most of a day to explore. Opening hours are confusingly different and a visit on a Sunday, after mid-morning, is the ideal time to catch most places open. If pressed for time, try at least to fit in time to see the ruins of the original 12th-century castle in Christiansborg Slot (Palace), which are more interesting than the Royal Reception Rooms or the Danish Parliament that are part of the same palace structure. Also worth viewing is the collection of sculptures in the Thorvaldsen, though anyone with an interest in architecture will check out the Black Diamond, the very curious stock exchange building (Børsen) and the neighbouring bank designed by Arne Jacobsen. The placid Kongens Have (Royal Garden) makes an ideal picnic spot and there is always Gammel Strand facing the northern canal with its open-air cafés and restaurants.

Sights

Ny Vestergade 10, T 33693369, http://www.natmus.dk Tue-Sun 1000-1700. Adults 40kr, children free, Wed free. Buses 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 28-30, 32, 33, 550S, 650S.

Denmark’s National Museum lays claim to four floors of world cultural history with more than a modicum of justification. The emphasis is naturally on Denmark but there is an expansive ethnographical collection as well as a floor devoted to Near East and Classical antiquities. Like Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, trying to see everything could prove exhausting and counter-productive but the free day encourages a return visit.

The entrance leads into a large chamber, all lightness of being, with the rooms of Danish prehistory on the right, and a balcony café at the far end of the hall above the shop. The ground floor rooms devoted to early Denmark, from the reindeer-hunting Ice Age to the Vikings, have some astounding artefacts deposited as offerings in bogs some three millennia ago: weapons, shields, swords, sacred drinking vessels, lurs (Bronze Age sacred musical instruments), and horned helmets straight out of a Hollywood version of Viking times. The proper Viking age, AD750-1050, accounts for the treasure hoards of silver ornaments, jewellery, coins and skin cloaks in rooms 20-22, including an awesome display of finds from a bog where battle victors heaped up their enemies’ dead horses and weapons. After hacking the weapons to pieces they were offered to the gods, presumably as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. In room 13 there is a spectacular chariot from first-century BC Jutland and in room 11 an oak coffin, Bronze Age graves of fully-clothed men buried with their swords and personal belongings (comb, razor and spare cap). Room 11 also leads to a room with an exquisite cult chariot driven by horses carrying a miniature sun across the sky. Room 6 has another astonishing display, a single sacrificial gift of over 4,000 amber beads placed in a bog in northern Jutland.

The first and second floors’ ethnographic collections comprise a dizzying quantity of artefacts from around the world, the most unique belonging to the Inuits and including an Eskimo hunter’s anorak made of depilated, waterproof sealskin that beats anything seen in a specialist sports shop. The third floor has some fine Classical-Age antiquities, including a metope from the outer frieze of the Parthenon that was purchased by a Danish naval officer in the 17th century. The black- and red-figure pottery from fifth- century Greece includes some fine work, especially in rooms 306 and 310. Look for the cup of a symposium scene by the Brygos painter, showing a man on a couch vomiting while his servant holds his forehead, and the vase showing Athena escorting Heracles to Olympia in a chariot, accompanied by Apollo, Artemis and wing-footed Hermes.

Christiansborg Slotsplads, T 33926492, http://www.ses.dk Ruins under the palace May-Sep, 0930-1530. Jan-Apr and Oct-Dec, Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun 0930-1530. Adults 20kr, children 5kr. Royal Reception Rooms, May- Sep, guided tours 1300, 1500. Jan-Apr, guided tours, Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun, 1100, 1500. Adults 40kr, children 10kr. Buses 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 28, 29, 31, 32, 37, 550S, 650S.

The ruins of Bishop Absalon’s stone fort built in 1167 were only discovered at the start of the 20th century when the foundations were being excavated for the present-day palace. It may take some discovery work on your part to find the entrance, a door to the right of the main archway as you stand facing the palace with the equestrian statue in Christiansborg Slotsplads behind you. The present underground exhibition is very well presented, with all the information available in English, and manages to bring archaeology alive. In a display room to the side of the excavated walls and wells, there are interesting finds from the archaeological dig of 1907, like axle marks clearly visible in some of the limestone blocks, and informative histories of the palaces telling, for example, that beech trees were felled in their thousands to provide pilings for modernization work in the 1720s.

To find the way to the Royal Reception Rooms, walk through the archway from Christiansborg Slotsplads and look for the entrance door on your right. The rooms, still used by Danish royalty for official receptions, are described in the guided tours and worth noting are the modern wall tapestries and the frieze by Thorvaldsen, the Danish sculptor. If you like this example of his work, be sure to visit Thorvaldsen’s Museum (see below).

Christiansborg Slot, Christiansborg Slotsplads, T 33375500, http://www.folketing.dk Free to public gallery during parliamentary sessions. Free guided tours, 3 Jul-24 Sep, 1400, and on Sun throughout the year at 1400. Buses 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 28, 29, 31, 32, 37, 550S, 650S.

Standing back outside the main archway in Christiansborg Slot- splads with the equestrian statue behind you, turn left and walk around the building to find Folketinget on your right side. A visit during a parliamentary session offers a tremendous contrast with the formalities of the British House of Commons, but to learn more it is worth joining one of the English-language tours. The political geography of the seating arrangements is explained and there is an opportunity to find out who’s who in the collection of political paintings on display.

Christiansborg Ridebane, T 33401010, http://www.kongehuset.dk May-Sep, Fri-Sun 1400-1600. Oct-Apr, Sat-Sun 1400-1600. Adults 20kr, children 10kr.

The moderately interesting Royal Transport Museum, composed of a car, coaches and accoutrements, is less engaging than the stables themselves, which are extravagantly flamboyant in style and must have made the 200 resident horses feel mighty privileged.

Teatermuseet (Theatre Museum), Sun 1200-1800, Wed 1400- 1600, Sat 1200-1600, adults 30kr, children 5kr, is above the Royal Stables and Coaches and occupies the site of an 18th-century court theatre inaugurated by Frederick V. It remained in use until 1881 and opened as a theatre museum some 40 years later. The theatrical exhibits are none too enticing but the actual auditorium is a grand affair, adorned with a luxuriously painted ceiling.

Tøjhusmuseet (Royal Arsenal Museum), Tue-Sun 1200-1600, adults 40kr, children free, is to the south of the Royal Stables and Coaches on the other side of the road. The long vaulted room is the longest of its kind at 163 m and it needs to be to house the staggeringly large collection of guns, cannon, artillery and tanks on display. You think you’ve seen the lot, and then upstairs there is another vast accumulation of assorted weapons that will leave you exhausted just contemplating the collection. Anyone with an interest in arms and armour should consider planning their visit in isolation from the other museums in Slotsholmen and give the Royal Arsenal the undivided attention it demands.

If entering Slotsholmen from the west side, from the National Museum along Ny Vestergade and across a small bridge, don’t mistake this square with the large courtyard that you find yourself in. Here there is also an equestrian statue (Christian IX), with stables and carriage buildings either side, and you need to walk straight across the courtyard and out the other side to reach Christiansborg Palace Square.

The Christiansborg Slot you see today was built at the start of the 20th century to house the royal family and the parliament. It replaced an earlier palace that was completed in the 1820s only to burn to the ground some 60 years later. The palace of the 1820s was itself a replacement for an earlier palace built in the 1730s under the direction of king Christian VI and it was from his name that the title of Christiansborg came. All three of these palaces occupy the site of the original stone fort built by Bishop Absalon in the 12th century, and this original castle was itself replaced with a new castle that was built in the early 15th century. Various additions were made to this second castle over the following two centuries until the newly crowned Christian VI came along and chose to make a name for himself by not just throwing out the chintz but demolishing the entire castle and building a new palace. So the copper-spired Christiansborg Slot that graces contemporary Copenhagen is the fifth grand building on the same site.

Porthusgade 2, T 33321532, http://www.thorvaldsenmuseum.dk Tue-Sun 1000-1500. Adults 20kr, children free, Wed free. Buses 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 28, 29, 31, 32, 37, 550S, 650S.

Wander through this museum at leisure and the chances are you will encounter a figure of someone or other you admire because the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen was a workaholic capable of putting a factory production line to shame. Born in 1768, he lived in Rome for 40 years before returning to his home city of Copenhagen to spearhead a cultural and artistic nationalism. His long sojourn in Italy helps account for the preponderance of classical subjects; Jason and Venus crop up more often than you might want and Ganymedes are everywhere. A catalogue would  need to be purchased to identify the subject matter of the many small friezes, and there are countless busts on pillars of forgotten celebrities of their day. The huge Hercules on the stairs, very well-executed but with a hint of that blandness that characterizes Roman copies of Greek originals, suggests a drawback to Thorvaldsen’s prodigious output, but there is no denying the power of his monumental style, and his portraits of the Twelve Apostles and Christ have an iconic status that can still impress. Outside the museum, a new reflective geometric pool invites speculation. Designed to suggest ‘movement with movement with movement’, judge for yourself whether it succeeds.

Take a coffee break in the hall off the reception/shop area of Thorvaldsen’s Museum and relax – if you can – under a truly colossal statue of Maximilian I with a giant Gutenberg alongside him.

Christiansborg Slotsplads, T 33926451. Jul 1200-1600. Jan-Jun and Aug-Dec, Sun 1200-1600. Free. Buses 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 28, 29, 31, 32, 37, 550S, 650S.

Next door to Thorvaldsen’s Museum, the worshipper-free Christiansborgs Slotskirke was built in the neoclassical style in the 1820s and managed to survive the 1884 fire that destroyed the second Christiansborg Slot only to succumb to another fire in 1992 that brought the roof down when a firework from festivities landed on it. Meticulously restored to its pristine state, the glossy interior makes it clear that the architect, HC Hansen, had little interest in matters spiritual but really knew how to imitate classical models and motifs. If nothing else, a visit here affords a splendid opportunity to appreciate the Corinthian style of Greek column at close quarters.

Exploring Slotsholmen can prove exhausting and there are two escape routes: northwards across the canal to Gammel Strand and its restaurants , or southwards to the Bibliotekshaven (Royal Library Garden) for a rest and possible picnic.

Gammel Strand, free of traffic and offering the best view of Slotsholmen, was the commercial heart of Copenhagen in medieval times. Fresh fish were landed here and sold by the fishermen’s wives, hence the statue of one of them near the bridge that connects Slotsholmen with Højbro Plads . Another link with Gammel Strand’s past is evident in the cafés and restaurants specializing in fish dishes but modernity makes a welcome intrusion in the form of Kunstforegningen at No 48, Tue-Sun 1100-1700, 30kr. It is an important exhibition space for art and photography and nearly always worth a visit.

If you are tired of walking the DFDS Canal Tours depart from Gammel Strand.

Rigdagsgården. 0600-2200. Free. Buses 1, 2, 6, 8, 10, 37, 550S, 650S.

Bibliotekshaven, secreted behind an ivy-clad wall that was once the entrance to the old royal library, is a haven of quietness, especially at weekends when at times you may have the grounds to yourself. It’s hard to believe you are standing in what was once a dockyard, but a mooring ring for ships has been built into the north wall as a reminder of the past. The park has a pond with a little duck house, and a water sculpture that spouts water every hour on the hour, and looking out across it – to where his fiancée Regine Olsen is said to have lived – stands a statue of a melancholy Søren Kierkegaard with a quill in his hand. Benches are spaced out around the margins of the park, the perfect spot for a rest and a chapter or two of Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow .

Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, T 33474747. Library Mon-Fri 1000- 1900, Sat 1000-1400. Building 0800-2300 (closed on public holidays, Jun 5 and the Sat before Easter). Bus 8. Harbour Buses 901, 902.

The Black Diamond, now the semi-official name for the seven- storey extension to the Royal Library, is situated on the waterfront across from the old library building and connected to it by a walkway. The red-brick library of 1906 and its venerable clothing of ivy is dwarfed by a bold 1999 black-granite and smoked-glass edifice that tilts severely towards the water’s edge. Inside, from a sandstone floor and amidst silk-like concrete pillars a sleek escalator glides visitors up to the library of 200,000 books itself, but be sure to also use the walkway to view the reading room of the old library across the road. Back downstairs, there is a bookshop, a café named after the publication that brought Kierkegaard into print, and the Søren K restaurant named after the philosopher. The basement houses the National Photography Museum which mounts changing exhibitions based on its collections; free admission. The Black Diamond is a superb example of modern Danish design, looking like a piece of black flint on a rainy day while at night it takes on the appearance of a finely cut gemstone cushioned in the black fabric of night.

Børsgade. Not open to the public.

Copenhagen’s old stock exchange, despite not being open to the public, is well worth a walk just to stand in the vicinity and admire the curious, almost waggish, design of the building. It took over 20 years to finish the building, under the patronage of Christian IV in the first half of the 17th century, and ranks as Europe’s oldest stock exchange. It was built near the water to facilitate the unloading of cargo – the ‘stock’ for exchange – which was brought into the public hall that constituted the building’s ground floor. What is so striking, though, is the imaginative aesthetic that shaped the exterior design and the excess of decoration so at odds with its mercantile function. The most delightful and eye-catching feature is the green copper roof and its whimsical spire composed of four plaited dragons’ tails. The crowns on the summit represent Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the three trading nations whose products were sold in the hall below.

Holmens Kanal, T 33136178. Mon-Fri 0900-1400, Sat 0900-1200. Free.

Across the canal from Børsen, Holmens Kirke was converted from a naval forge to a church for the navy around the time that construction work began on the stock exchange. The exterior is prosaic enough, but there are some choice sarcophagi and a carved oak altarpiece worth appreciating. And to complete an architectural tour, note the resolute dark bank building next door; the Nationalbanken (National Bank) designed by the famous Arne Jacobsen .

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