Excursion tour in Copenhagen. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

» A legislative body of the Copenhagen Municipality has been located in the city hall since 1905. It's the sixth building since it was first built. The previous ones were either destroyed by fire or fell into decay.
»  The first building dates back to 1479. The modern building is an example of Scandinavian architecture in the style of Nordic modernism. It’s the highest construction in the city – almost 106 metres.
»  There’s a viewpoint which you can get to only after ascending 300 stairs. The building has a clock tower that is 106 metres high. The chimes of bells are broadcast all over the country.
»  The facade is built of red brick. It is crowned with a gilded statue of the founder of Copenhagen.
»  A mercury thermometer is installed in one of the wall niches. When the weather is good, a golden figure of a girl on a bicycle is shown, and when the weather is bad, a girl with an umbrella shows up.
»  Capacious bright halls are decorated with stucco artwork, plaster paintings, and wooden carvings.
»  There’s an astronomical clock in a glass case in a separate room. A mechanic had been working on it for forty years. The clockwork consists of over 15 thousand parts. It has been showing the exact time since December 1955 and is perfectly accurate. Over 300 years, the deviation will be just 0.4 seconds.

» In 1888, the building of the Glyptotek was gifted to the city by its founder who built the museum at his own expense.
»  The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek has over 10,000 sculptures from different eras, – Ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt – paintings by talented artists, jewellery, pendants, numerous statuettes, decorative elements.
»  In 2006, the interior of the building was renovated. There’s a music hall in the Glyptotek. Classical music concerts, literary readings, lectures, and conferences are held here.
»  The facade is made of red brick. It is decorated with columns and sculptures. The entrance is guarded by a lion statue.
»  The first floor is occupied by marble statues from Ancient Egypt, Greece, Near East: a restored lion sculpture from a Greek tomb (6th century BC), fragments of sculptures from Lebanon (5th century), tomb reliefs, and Assyrian palace reliefs.
»  One of the halls is dedicated to Rodin’s artwork (around 30 objects), Degas’ sizeable bronze statues, Danish and Norwegian sculptors’ works.
»  The second floor has a variety of sculptures and paintings by 19-20th-century Impressionists.
»  An observation point on the roof of the museum has a wonderful view of Copenhagen.

» The building is located in the old part of the city, on an island. There used to be a fortified construction.
»  The first stones were laid ten centuries ago. The building changed its appearance several times due to severe damages and reconstruction.
»  The palace is surrounded by 2-kilometre water canals. It’s connected to the city by 8 bridges.
»  There’s a statue of Monarch Christian riding a horse before the entrance.
»  A 106-metre palace tower ending with a spire in the form of several crowns is a part of the building. Nowadays, it functions as an observation deck with a view of the city.
»  The walls of some rooms are draped with red Syrian silk and decorated with metal bas-relief.
»  The Queen’s Reception Room is filled with picturesque paintings and sculptures.
»  The Knight's Hall has lots of tapestries with the scenes of events from the Kingdom of Denmark’s history. They were presented to the Queen of Denmark for her milestone birthday in the 90s.
»  The flag of Denmark is frescoed on the ceiling of the Throne Room.
»  Christiansborg Palace is the current government residence. Several parts of the building are occupied by state institutions (the Legislature, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Prime Minister). The rest is owned by the museum.

» The distinctive features of the Church of Our Savior are its 90-metre-high spire and an external spiral staircase with gilded handrails.
»  400 steps steeply rise up and lead to the bell tower. The rise is very steep with narrow stairs – two people can’t walk side by side.
»  The spiral staircase winds round the tower four times counterclockwise. It was built 80 years after the main building was constructed.
»  The turret ends with a gilded spherical surface. A four-metre monument of Christ the Savior with a religious banner is attached to it.
»  The Dutch Baroque Protestant church was opened at the end of the 17th century.
»  The elements of the interior that are truly impressive are an altar made of marble and wood, an old organ (18th century), and a musical instrument consisting of a set of bells (a 19th century carillon). 48 bells of different size ring every hour.
»  The red and yellow brick walls on a massive granite pedestal were strengthened. A sufficient amount of natural light gets inside through high semicircular windows in the upper part.
»  The church can be accessed through the main entrance. It is located in the eastern part of the building. There are portraits of King Christian, the patron of the church, inside it.

» The State Museum for Art has two wings. The main building was constructed in the style of the Italian Renaissance in the late 19th century.
»  The National Gallery of Denmark overlooks the royal family’s residence. It’s a place where classic pieces of art are stored. There are so many paintings that an additional second building was required here.
»  The new extension was built in 1998. It’s located in the park area. The two buildings are connected by a welded covered gallery made of glass.
»  The two buildings different in style harmoniously complement each other. The new house presents the modern art. The museum is famous for its collection of paintings, installations, 12th-century prints, and modern masterpieces by world-renowned Danes.
»  The works are arranged in chronological order, which makes it easier to trace the periods of modern painting development. There are over 35,000 exhibits.
»  The gallery is one of the largest repositories in the country. Picturesque paintings, etudes, fine art photographs are just a few works of art from the early Renaissance to the 21st century present here.
»  It’s one of the best collections of graphic art in the world. The covered area is divided into several sections.

» The Copenhagen Opera House is owned by the Danish state. It’s a part of the Royal Danish Theatre. It took 3 years to accomplish the project.
»  More than $500 million (USD) were provided by a private economic company. It was opened in the first winter month in 2005.
»  It’s a nine-floor skyscraper of over 41,000 square metres + five floors are hidden underground. There are two stage grounds. Together with a foyer, it takes up 7,000 square metres.
»  The first auditorium of the main stage gathers up to 1,700 spectators at a time. The orchestra pit holds over a hundred musicians, all of whom are skilled performers.
»  The auditorium is divided into parterre and three elevations (balconies). There's a box for royalty on the left side.
»  The main stage is surrounded by five additional acting areas. Several performances take place simultaneously here.
»  The second auditorium has 180 seats. The lounge foyer is so huge that it has a cafe and a restaurant. There are over a thousand back rooms.
»  A marble hall with huge chandeliers can be seen behind a stained glass window. It's finished with white maple, oak, and gold leaf. The area before the opera house is paved with granite.

Location on the map:
Facts: » There’s a dark-red brick building on the central street of Copenhagen. It’s the Church of the Holy Spirit, the oldest one in the city.
»  In 1238, the members of the Order of Saint Augustine built a church that served as a shelter for the afflicted. A medieval Gothic hospital building is a remnant of the old monastery.
»  The chronology of the building: the 15th century – a brick facade was erected; the pillars were built in the 16th century; the ornamented main entrance made of sand was made in the early 17th century.
»  The old building was destroyed during a big fire in 1728. The new building was constructed using the remains of the previous building. The house of God is baroque in style.
»  The inside of the church is decorated with two huge chandeliers; there’s an honorary chair of a bishop, behind which an altarpiece holy face is put. The inlay of a marble baptismal font is truly impressive. It was originally made in Rome, but a century after, it got to Denmark and now belongs to the church.
»  The church is open to parishioners. Organ music can be heard every day at 12 noon sharp.
»  The inner yard of the church has a memorial in honour of the Danish killed at German concentration camps.