Amaliekai, Amaliehaven and Amalienborg Slot A stroll from Nyhavn along Amaliekai towards the Royal Palaces and castles of Amalienborg provides an excellent view of Denmark’s Opera House which appears to float upon the water opposite Ameliehaven. If looking in the other di- rection, you’ll get a fantastic view of Danish ar- chitecture that includes the Marble church, Fre- deriksstaden - a district of the city renowned for the important rococo complexes, Amalienborg Palace Square, and harbour beyond. Amalie Garden, is one of the newest parks the city has, opening to the public in 1983. This pret- ty spot was once a busy shipyard and docklands with bustling warehouses and a quay door di- rectly accessing the Royal Family’s residence. The garden was designed by Jean Delogne, a landscape architect, and the four bronze co- lumns and central fountain were created by the Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. The addition of this green space in the urban centre was welcomed by most and a part of the redevelopment of the entire Copenhagen port area from industrial use to residential and re- creational spaces. Amalienborg Slot serves as the home for the Danish Royal Family and is the Queen’s official winter residence. The castle complex is made up of four separate palaces, built around an octagonal square with classical palace faca- des and rococo interiors. Situated in the cen- tre of the square is an equestrian statue of King Frederik V. Originally built for four noble families, the Royal family purchased it and took up resi- dence after their Christiansborg Palace burnt down in 1794. Since that time it has served as the home for all of Denmark’s ruling royals. Given that Frederik VIII’s and Christian IX’s Pa- laces are the residences of the royal family, ac- cess to the public is denied. Despite this, the complex remains a popular tourist destination for the museum located in Christian VIII’s Pala- ce, tours of the private chambers of past mon- archs, and entry each day in July and August to the Royal Representation Rooms, Gala Hall and other state rooms which are still used by today’s royal family. The changing of the Royal Guard also draws visitors daily. The Royal Life Guards stand watch at the Amal- ienborg and other royal castles and palaces day and night. While they change posts every two hours, planning to attend the official change of watch ceremony at Amalienborg each noon is worth your while. 36 Life Guards parade from the Barracks on Gothersgade at 11.27am each morning, marching to Amalienborg by the Round Tower and Kings New Square to music from the Band of the Royal Life Guards and 12 drum-and- fife corps drummers. Shortly before noon, the replacement guards arrive and the watch being relieved stand to attention with rifles and perform a changeover march with the replacement watch before ex- changing the flag. After the change the Band of Royal Life Guards perform a small concert of three to five pieces and accompanies the relie- ved watch back to the Barracks. w Additional Information w Entrance price DKK 105 per adult Opening hours depends highly on date, please check website Marmorkirken This neo-baroque church dominates Copenha- gen’s skyline with its grand green copper dome roof inspired by St Peter’s church in Rome. Known as Frederiks Kirke or more commonly as The Marble Church despite being constructed large- ly from limestone, the church took over 150 ye- ars to complete. The foundation stone was laid in 1749, but the architect Niccolai Eigtved died just five years later and plans had to be revised. After much delay, the building was inaugurated in 1894 and is now one of the most popular pla- ces for weddings in Copenhagen. The domed roof is the largest in Scandinavia, with a span of 31 metres and resting on 12 co- lumns. Each of the dome’s 12 sections is ornate- ly decorated with historical figures, apostles, angels and prophets sculpted in zinc. Admittan- ce to the dome provides a breathtaking view of the city. w Additional Information w General entry is free DKK 35 for guided tours Opening hours Church: Mon – Thu & Sat, 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM Fri & Sun, 12.00 PM to 5.00 PM Tours: please refer to website for details on current guided tour times. Den lille Havfrue Much smaller and less grand than many tourists expect, the statue of the Little Mermaid stands at just 1.25 metres tall and continues to draw in- terest from visitors to Copenhagen. Now over 100 years old, this statue was crea- ted by Edvard Eriksen in bronze and unveiled at Langelinie in 1913. Commission by the brewer Carl Jacobsen, who fell in love with the Hans Christian Andersen character from a ballet per- formance of the fairy-tale in 1909, Edvard Erik- sen arranged for his wife to model for the body of the statue after ballerina Ellen Price refused to sit nude for him. Despite becoming a well-known landmark for the city, the Little Mermaid statue has had nu- merous misadventures and been defaced and damaged many times since the 1960s. In 1964, artists from the Situationist movement decapi- tated her and the head was never recovered. A new head was produced and attached to the body shortly after. In 1984, her right arm was swan off and returned two days later. Another attempt at decapitation took place in 1990, re- sulting in a 17cm deep cut to her neck. 1998 saw one more successful decapitation of the statue, although this time the head was anonymously returned via a television station and reattached. Kastellet incl. Gefion Springvandet A short walk from the Little Mermaid is the Cita- del Park, what was once a fortress constructed in the form of a pentagon. Charming bridges connect the park with the harbour area. When originally constructed in the 1600s, the Kastellet formed a continuous ring of bastioned ramparts encircling Copenhagen. All that remains today are the fortifications in Christianshavn, and it is one of the best preserved fortresses from that time in Northern Europe. The peaceful park is a perfect place for a walk or run and houses a number of pretty and colourful buildings, inclu- ding a church, windmill and barracks. On the opposite side of the Kastellet to the Little Mermaid statue is the remarkable Gefion Foun- tain, one of the largest monuments in the city.At the top and centre of the fountain stands a sta- tue of a woman driving four oxen that pull a plough. The woman depicted is the Norse God- dess Gefion, or Gejfun. The oxen are her sons, transformed by her to plough as much land as possible together with her in a night and a day. King Gylfe of Sweden had promised her an area of land as big as she would be able to plough in this timeframe. Thanks to the immense power of her sons-tur- ned-oxen, she was able to win land the size of Zealand, which the King plucked from Sweden and threw into the sea, thus creating one of the islands that Copenhagen straddles today. Lake Vännern in Sweden, which is approxima- tely the shape of this Danish island give ‘proof’ to the legend. .