Tony and Tatiana standing under the arch of the entrance gate at Kronborg Castle. Beyond there is a substantial brick retaining wall with a moat hidden in front. Behind this the castle itself can be clearly seen with a large turret or tourelle projecting prominently from the corner of the roof.
Kronborg Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It is referred to as ‘Hamlet’ Castle, because it is believed Shakespeare used the castle as the setting for his play. It is situated on the extreme northeastern tip of the island of Zealand at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound or strait between Denmark and Sweden, although the provinces on the Swedish side were controlled by Denmark when the castle was built.
The castle has its origins in a stronghold built by King Eric VII in the 1420s to control this entrance to the Baltic Sea. From 1574 to 1585, King Frederick II had the medieval fortress radically transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. In 1785 the castle ceased to be a royal residence instead being used as a prison and then army barracks. It was renovated and opened to the public in 1938.
Tony and Tatiana in Kronborg Castle’s central courtyard. Looking from above the castle is square in profile with this large square courtyard contained inside. Behind is a tower projecting from the castle’s walls and rising above roof level. The tower includes a clock face and is topped by a large decorative cupola.Tatiana and Tony in front of Ogier the Dane, a statue of a mythical character who it is said will reawaken in times of trouble to protect Denmark. This concrete statue is located in the castle’s casemates or underground passages. A bronze version of the same statue also exists. Ogier is depicted sitting with a sword and shield.Another view of Ogier the Dane with Tony and Tatiana in front.A row of large cannons mounted on wooden gun carriages and pointing towards the Øresund sound. Tony and Tatiana standing along side.View across the Øresund sound with a pair of large ships visible in the distance. In the foreground the tip of a cannon and grass covered earthworks can be seen.Close-up shot of Tony standing in front of the cannons.Relief decoration on the castle walls, including an Ancient Greek style Medusa head.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark. It is situated on the eastern coast of the island of Zealand and the adjoining island of Amager. The strait of Øresund separates the city from Malmö, Sweden, with a rail and road bridge connecting the two.
Saturday, 18th September 2021
View of Rosenborg Castle with a hedge-lined path leading to an entrance in the foreground. Two of the castle’s towers topped with cupolas are visible above. The castle is Dutch Renaissance in style and was built as a country summerhouse by Danish King Christian IV in 1606. It was expanded several times in the following decades. It was used as a royal residence until around 1710. Since then it has only been used as a royal residence twice during emergencies: most recently the British attack on Copenhagen in 1801.Tony and Tatiana stood in an entrance archway at Rosenborg Castle. The castle can be seen in the background.A large rock crystal chandelier inside one of Rosenborg Castle’s state rooms. The castle has been open to the public since 1838. It exhibits the Royal Collections with a wide variety of artifacts from the late 16th century of Christian IV to the 19th century.A large bejewelled silver sword displayed in a protective case inside the Treasury at Rosenborg Castle. This is Christian III’s Sword of State, made in 1551 by the goldsmith Johann Siebe, and used at Royal coronations until 1648.Tatiana and Tony in front of a bronze statue of Queen Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg in the King’s Garden at Rosenborg Castle. Queen Caroline Amalie (1796-1881) was Queen Consort as the second wife of King Christian VIII between 1839 and 1848.A bronze lion sitting on a stone plinth, one of a pair in the King’s Garden, at Rosenborg Castle. The King’s Garden is Denmark’s oldest royal garden and was embellished in the Renaissance style by Christian IV shortly before the construction of the main castle.A large circular water feature in Kultorvet, a public square on Købmagergade, a busy pedestrian shopping street in Copenhagen city Centre. The water feature is a flat slightly raised platform enabling people to walk over the top. There are lots of small jets of water spraying through grates across its surface. It can also be used as a bandstand for special events.Tony and Tatiana stood at the bottom of the Round Tower (Rundetaarn) on Købmagergade. The tower was built in the 17th-century as an astronomical observatory by King Christian IV. Rather than stairs the tower contains a 7.5 turn spiral ramp enabling a horse and cart to move books and instruments to the library and observatory inside. The platform at the top is 34.8 metres above the ground. Today the tower is open to the public as an observation tower giving excellent views over Copenhagen. It additionally functions as an exhibition and concert venue, and is also still used for astronomical observation.Looking up at the top of the Round Tower from ground level. The tower is built of brick punctuated by lots of windows.Tatiana and Tony at the Stork Fountain on Amagertorv, a pedestrian square, roughly half way along Stroget, the main pedestrian and shopping street of Copenhagen. The fountain was a present to Crown Prince Frederik (later Frederik VIII) and Crown Princess Louise for their silver wedding anniversary in 1894. It depicts three storks about to set off. The central pedestal of the fountain is bronze, with the storks in the middle, a pedestal beneath, and a bowl which holds water at the top. A nine-sided stone basin collects the water from three small cascades at the base. Since 1950, it has been a tradition that newly graduated midwives dance around the fountain.Another view of Stork Fountain with Tony and Tatiana in front.Outside the Dubliner pub on Stroget. The pub is busy with people sitting at outdoor tables.View of City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) at the west end of Stroget. Stroget is the large and long pedestrian shopping street that runs through the heart of Copenhagen and connects City Hall Square and King’s New Square. Copenhagen City Hall (Københavns Rådhus) is almost out of shot to the left of the photo. The current city hall dates from 1905, and includes a 105.6 metre high tower, making it one of the tallest buildings in the city.Tony, Tatiana and Sarah in front of Tivoli Gate. Sarah is Danish and accompanied Tony and Tatiana around Copenhagen for the day. Tivoli or Tivoli Gardens is a large amusement park and pleasure garden in central Copenhagen. The park opened on 15th August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world.Tatiana and Tony in front of Tivoli Gate.An extremely large metallic statue of Hans Christian Andersen in City Hall Square. Tatiana is sitting on the statue’s pedestal in front and Tony is standing on the pedestal and touching the statue along side. The statue is located next to HC Andersen Boulevard, a busy dual carriageway.
Sunday, 19th September 2021
Our Fallen statue, a memorial to members of Denmark’s military who died during World War II, located in the grounds of Kastellet fort. The statue depicts a soldier in uniform with his head bowed and holding a rifle in a horizontal position across his body. The soldier stands upon a limestone pedestal. This memorial was designed by artist Svend Lindhart and was erected in 1957.Outside St Albans Church, often referred to locally as the English Church, an Anglican church which was built from 1885 to 1887 to serve the growing Anglican congregation in Copenhagen. It was designed by Arthur Blomfield as a traditional English parish church in the Gothic Revival style. It is located north of the city centre next to the Kastellet citadel and the Gefion fountain. It is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first recorded Christian martyr of Great Britain.The Gefion fountain (Gefionspringvandet) located on the harbour front next to the Kastellet citadel. This large fountain and water feature contains a sculpture of a group of oxen pulling a plough and being driven by the Norse Goddess, Gefjon. The sculpture is surrounded by a substantial pool containing rocks and boulders. Water from this top pool flows down to three smaller pools beneath. The fountain was designed by Danish artist Anders Bundgaard and it was completed in 1908.Water flowing over boulders within the Gefion fountain.Tony in front of the Gefion fountain. The sculpture of Norse Goddess Gefjon driving a group of plough pulling oxen can be seen behind. This depicts the mythical story of the creation of the island of Zealand. It is said the Swedish King Gylfi promised Gefjun the territory she could plough in a night. She turned her four sons into oxen and the territory they ploughed out of the earth was then thrown into the Danish sea between Scania and the island of Fyn.Tatiana and Tony in front of the Gefion fountain. St Albans Church, including its tower and spire, can also be seen in the background.Tony and Tatiana in front of the Little Mermaid (Den lille Havfrue). This bronze sculpture was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous 1837 fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land. It is located on a rock in the harbour next to the Langelinie Promenade. The mermaid is 1.25 metres (4.1 foot) tall and weighs 175 kilograms (385 lb). It was designed by Edvard Eriksen and unveiled in 1913. This small and unimposing statue has become an icon of Copenhagen and a major tourist attraction. It has been beheaded on several occasions and even blown up once!Again Tony and Tatiana in front of the Little Mermaid sculpture. Behind a view of the harbour with docks away on the far side.Tatiana and Tony in front of the base of a sculpture called I Am Queen Mary. The sculpture itself, which is out of view, depicts a seated barefoot woman staring straight ahead. In one hand she holds a torch and in the other a tool used to cut sugar cane. It is inspired by Mary Thomas, a plantation worker on the island of St. Croix in the Danish West Indies, who was one of the leaders of an 1878 uprising, called the “Fireburn” riot, against the harsh slavery-like conditions for plantation workers at that time. The artwork is the first monument to a black woman in Denmark.Statue of King Frederik V on horseback in the courtyard of the Amalienborg Palace. Frederik V (1723-1766) was king of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1746 until his death.View of the Amalienborg Palace courtyard, an octagonal square, with identical classical mansions on four sides and roads entering on the adjoining sides. The Amalienborg Palace is the residence of the Danish royal family.The interior of Frederik’s Church (Frederiks Kirk), commonly known as Marble Church (Marmorkirken), for its rococo architecture. It is part of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Denmark. The church is a focal point of the Frederiksstaden district close to the Amalienborg Palace. The photo shows the central aisle with a large metal cross on the altar at the far end. The aisle has a marble floor with wooden pews down the sides.The exterior of Frederik’s Church showing the main entrance with a high portico supported by Corinthian columns and the large central dome above. The dome is the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31 metres. The church was designed by architect Nicolai Eigtved in 1740. Due to financial difficulties it was not completed until 1894.
Monday, 20th September 2021
Selfie of Tony close to the central railway station.Exterior of Copenhagen Central Station, the main railway station of the Danish capital, situated between the districts of Indre By and Vesterbro. The first station in Copenhagen opened in 1847. The current station building opened in 1911 and is the work of architect Heinrich Wenck. The station has 7 platforms and 13 tracks.An entrance to Tivoli Gardens. The entrance gate is in classical style including Corinthian columns.View across City Hall Square with the large City Hall in view to the right. This current City Hall was completed in 1905 and is home to Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord Mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality. It was designed by architect Martin Nyrop in the National Romantic style but with inspiration from Siena City Hall in Italy. The red brick front façade is richly ornamented including a gilded statue above the main entrance. Above, and partly out of view, a tall, slim clock tower rises to 105.6 metres.Large buildings in the north-west corner of City Hall Square. These include the modern The Square Hotel and an apartment block housing the Scottish Pub and other entertainment and retail on the lower floors.The Palace Hotel towards the south-east corner of City Hall Square. The hotel opened in 1910. The red brick exterior with a central tower rising to 65 metres (213 ft) is Art Nouveau in style and was designed by Anton Rosen.Another view with the Palace Hotel to the right showing decorative metal balconies. A busy street called Vester Voldgade runs in front. People sitting and standing around benches on City Hall Square in the foreground.Steps leading up towards the main entrance of the City Hall.View from the top of the Round Tower (Rundetaarn) taken during the evening. Silver-painted railings at the edge of the viewing platform in the foreground. A copper-domed cupola, part of the 17th century Trinity Church, which adjoins the Round Tower, directly in front. The city’s skyline expanding out beyond.Another view from the Round Tower’s lookout platform. Some of the city’s towers and spires visible in the twilight.
Wednesday, 29th September 2021
The Greenland Monument located in Christianshavns Torv, the main square in the Christianshavn neighbourhood, in central Copenhagen. The monument is made up of three separate sculptures carved in granite. The part in view depicts a pair of Greenlandic women killing or gutting fish. Another part shows a hunter with his kayak standing on a high plinth. The monument was created by Svend Rathsack in 1938.Close-up of Tony near the top of the spire of the Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn. The Church of Our Saviour is a large brick church built in the baroque style with a tower and spire rising to 90 metres. The spire can be climbed via an unusual external spiral staircase. There are excellent views over central Copenhagen at the top. Construction of the church began in 1682 and the main structure was completed in 1695, however, the spire was not completed until 1752.A large bronze bell hanging in the church’s tower. In total the tower contains 48 bells. This collection of bells has a musical range of four octaves making it the largest carillon in Northern Europe. The largest bells weigh over 2,000 kilograms and the smallest 10 kilograms.Excellent view from the spire of the Church of Our Saviour looking south-east away from the city centre over the large build-up island of Amager. The waterway below is the Stadsgraven, a canal which separates Christianshavn from the rest of the island of Amager. There are apartment blocks in the foreground below along with a road bridge crossing the Stadsgraven canal.Inside the Church of Our Saviour with the main altar in front and a large pulpit to the right. The impressive main altar is the work of Swedish Baroque architect Nicodemus Tessin. It features a series of carved figures depicting a scene from the Garden of Gethsemane between two columns. The central scene shows Jesus comforted by an angel while another angel hangs in the air beside them carrying the golden chalice.The brick exterior of the Church of Our Saviour showing part of the tower and tall narrow windows.A bicycle shop in the Christiania neighbourhood. Christiania began in 1971 when squatters started to inhabit an area of disused military barracks. A self-governing community soon formed based around ideas such as communal living, environmental sustainability and tolerance of alternative lifestyles, including the use of drugs such as cannabis.A graffiti-painted fence. The three murals fully in view are male portraits showing only the shoulders and head.A wooden sign marking the entrance to the Christiania neighbourhood. The pedestrian street in front is busy with people. The buildings in view are single storey wooden structures.
