ASIANOVERLAND.NET RUSSIA SCANDINAVIA DAY 4/228 1981 – COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

Copenhagen was a Viking fishing village established in the 10th century, and became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century.

In the 17th century, Copenhagen consolidated its position as a regional centre of power with its institutions, defences, and armed forces.

During the Renaissance the city served as the capital of the Kalmar Union, governing the entire present day Nordic region in a union with Sweden and Norway ruled by the Danish monarch serving as the head of state.

The city flourished as the cultural and economic center of Scandinavia under the union for well over 120 years, starting in the 15th century up until the beginning of the 16th century when the union was dissolved with Sweden leaving the union through a rebellion.

After a plague and fire in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of redevelopment. This included construction of the prestigious district of Frederiksstaden and founding of such cultural institutions as the Royal Theatre and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

After further disasters in the early 19th century when Horatio Nelson attacked the Dano-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a Neoclassical look to Copenhagen's architecture.

The oldest section of Copenhagen's inner city is often referred to as the medieval city.

Frederiksstaden has the Amalienborg Palace at its centre and is dominated by the dome of Frederik's Church (or the Marble Church) and several elegant 18th-century Rococo mansions.

The inner city includes Slotsholmen, a little island on which Christiansborg Palace stands and Christianshavn with its canals are prominent examples of the Dutch Renaissance style in Copenhagen.

Around the historical city centre are congenial residential boroughs dating mainly from late 19th century outside the old ramparts when the city was finally allowed to expand beyond its fortifications

The Tivoli Gardens is the city's top tourist attraction with its fairground atmosphere, its Pantomime Theatre, its Concert Hall and its many rides and restaurants.

The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world

The Carlsberg neighbourhood has some interesting vestiges of the old brewery of the same name including the Elephant Gate and the Carlsberg Brewhouse, but is most famous on Top Deck tours for its brewery, a compulsory stop for thirsty Top Deckers.

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