Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, set on the eastern coast of Zealand and the smaller island of Amager, facing the Øresund strait with Malmö across the bridge (opened in 2000). The centre is built around the harbour, the canals of Christianshavn, and the royal quarter at Amalienborg, with cycling lanes that work as a second road network.

Nyhavn

The branch canal at Nyhavn was dug in 1673 to connect Kongens Nytorv to the port. It never grew into a major harbour, but enough merchants settled along it that the gabled townhouses on either side, mostly 18th and 19th century, became one of the defining views of the city.

We were lucky on accommodation, our place sat next to the promenade, so the colourful facades were on the daily route at every hour. The photo above is a typical warm summer evening, restaurants and pubs filling the quay. A cold Carlsberg in front of the postcard view, and the last light does the work.

Copenhagen Opera House

The Copenhagen Opera House sits across the harbour from Amalienborg, home of the Danish royal family. Completed in 2004, designed by Henning Larsen, it is among the most expensive opera houses ever built, with a final cost around 500 million euro. The brief was that nothing in function or appearance should age out.

At night the building reads as if it were on its own island. The harbour water sits dark right up to the foundation, and warm interior light from the foyer reflects across the surface. From the Amalienborg side at blue hour, building, water, and reflection compress into one horizontal frame.

Grundtvig’s Church

Grundtvig’s Church in Bispebjerg is a rare example of expressionist church architecture, built between 1921 and 1940 to a design by P. V. Jensen-Klint. The exterior takes its cue from traditional Danish village churches and the stepped gables of the region, scaled up in pale yellow brick.

The interior is the reason to make the trip. We took a city bike out (Copenhagen has a working network of bike highways) and found the nave nearly empty. The space is built in a gothic vocabulary but stripped of ornament, with around five million yellow bricks doing all the visual work. Light fills the vault and bounces back from the brick.

Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen

Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen, is the seat of the Danish Parliament, Prime Minister’s Office, and Supreme Court. Parts are still used by the monarch for official functions. Since 2014 the central tower has been open to the public, free of charge, and it is the cleanest viewpoint in the centre.

We climbed it as the sun was setting. From up there the city reads as a low skyline of green copper roofs, spires, and harbour, with the Marble Church and Christianshavn on the horizon. A bird’s eye perspective of a flat city like this one is rarer than it sounds.

Gefion Fountain

The Gefion Fountain, by Anders Bundgaard, was unveiled in 1908 near the Kastellet citadel, a short walk from the Little Mermaid. It is officially the largest monument in Copenhagen. The sculpture shows the Norse goddess Gefion driving a plough pulled by her sons, turned into bulls, cutting Zealand free from Sweden in the founding myth.

The frame here was not planned. We had walked over to see the Little Mermaid, which was already crowded, and kept moving. The fountain caught the last warm light of the setting sun on the bulls and the spray, no other photographers around. The sort of frame that justifies carrying the camera on a day off.

Christianshavn

Christianshavn is the canal district built on reclaimed land in the early 17th century under Christian IV, modelled in part on Amsterdam. The main canal runs east from the inner harbour, with houseboats, brick warehouses, and cafes along the quays. The spiral staircase of Vor Frelsers Kirke gives a different angle on the harbour.

Christiania, the self-proclaimed Freetown founded in 1971 on a former military site, sits inside the district. It has its own photography rules (Pusher Street is signed as no-camera).

Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843 just outside the old city walls, on land granted by King Christian VIII. It is among the oldest operating amusement parks in the world and sits next to Copenhagen Central Station. Walt Disney is reported to have visited before designing Disneyland.

In the evening the gardens light up with thousands of bulbs strung through the trees and the wooden pavilions, tower rides moving behind. The scale stays human and the light is warm enough that handheld slow shutter frames tend to hold. The Christmas season, mid-November to early January, is when the lighting peaks.

When to Visit Copenhagen

Late spring through early autumn (May to September) gives the longest days, with mild temperatures and harbour life at full volume. July and August are warmest and busiest. Winter is cold and grey, but the Tivoli Christmas lights and the harbour at blue hour are the trade. For Nyhavn, a clear summer evening at golden hour is the standard frame.

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