CITY MUSEUM (KØBENHAVNS MUSEUM)

Dedicated to the history of the Danish capital, this museum, housed in a small 1782 palace on the left side of Vesterbrogade, is the former headquarters of the Royal Shooting Society. A very relevant visit for those who want to understand the evolution of Copenhagen.

In the garden, a model reconstructs the city around 1536 and allows a better interpretation of the topography of the place: in the foreground, the island of Slotsholmen with its castle, then the current historic city stretching between Gammel Strand, the current town hall, Nørreport and Kongens Nytorv. An area of 70 hectares, surrounded by fortifications. Although there are no buildings left from the time when churches and monasteries flourished, the layout of the main streets remains unchanged.

The museum is a small maze presenting the evolution of the city and its inhabitants in an extremely interesting and educational way. Explanatory panels in English effectively help the foreign visitor. With the help of objects, plans, models and various documents, the exhibition highlights certain facts such as the importance of herring for the prosperity of the port. Every era is represented, from the development of the capital during the reign of Christian IV to the absolutist period and the birth of the Danish theatre with Ludvig Heiberg. The Golden Age is symbolised by a few names that you are likely to come across often during your stay! The ballet master August Bournonville, the poet Adam Oehlenschlager, the pastor N. F. S. Grundtvig, and of course H. C. Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard.

The attic. The recent history of the capital is approached from a social (women's movement, trade unions, strikes), political (struggle for democracy, arrival of the social democrats at the town hall, creation of Christiania), urban planning (arrival of the railway, trams, absorption of neighbouring municipalities), or cultural (creation of the Nordisk Film Studio, development of design) perspective.

The walls of the staircase are decorated with curious circular wooden panels. These are painted targets. The must in terms of advertising in the 19th century: offer a target bearing the name of your company to a shooting club, in the manner of the painted signs of traditional pubs in England.

On your way out, take a look in Absalonsgade, the street along the museum garden. An open-air museum displaying disused street furniture can complete your overall discovery of the capital .