At no point in it’s over a thousand year history has it been possible to describe this pearl of the north as stagnant. Beginning life as a fishing village it was a major trading port by the twelfth century when it was first fortified. In the mid 17th century it became the seat of a monarchy when Frederick III became the self declared king over it. It is from this period and one generation before; that of Frederick III’s father Christian IV, that Copenhagen experienced its golden age in terms of culture and architecture, a golden age of which the signs can still be seen. Today, the Round Tower, or the Rundetarn as well as the Borsen, Stock Exchange still stand as testimony to this great period. Much of the wealth and beauty of the city was tragically lost in the 18th century when only one third of the city survived 2 terrible fires. Following this tragedy however, the city did not loose touch with its beauty, rather like a phoenix from the flames, with careful planning it followed the traditional layout of the city and developed again retaining its sense of history and links to the past.
The fisherman that first founded the city did so because it guards the entrance to the Baltic seas, a commercial and strategic position that enabled its growth and development throughout the centuries. Today, the city straddles the entrance with part of the city on the island of Amega and part on the island of Zealand, and joined to neighboring Sweden via a 7, 845 meter bridge for trains and cars; the longest bridge of its kind in Europe. Copenhagen’s economy has shifted in recent years away from the fishing industry and related fields such as metal working and ship making which created the cities wealth and has welcomed new-industry such as biochemistry and communications, with some of the top companies in these fields choosing Copenhagen as the location for their European headquarters.
With the influx of new industry, the production of luxury products has set Denmark up as one of the greatest exporters of high quality furniture, beer and particular food products amongst others. The living standard with in the city of Copenhagen itself is high, and most do well for themselves. Due to this high standard of living, as well as other factors, Copenhagen is not the cheapest of cities to visit in comparison to other parts of Europe, but it should be remembered that in general Scandinavia is an expensive part of the world and in fact Copenhagen is on the cheaper end of this scale. . A double room in a 1 star hotel will cost around $155, with a 3 star at around $185, and 5 star hotels costing up to $500. Eating out varies depending on your taste and on your budget. One thing to be very careful of is the drinks prices: a lot of places inflate their drinks charges to compensate for reduced food prices, in such places a can of drink costing $4 or more isn’t unheard of, as is a charge for tap water. You can certainly eat for as little as $5 but the nicer places tend to start at around $15 for a main course.
In terms of nightlife, Copenhagen isn’t as cold as one might expect. Despite it being relatively small, its new image as a business centre and trendy hot spot city combining old world class and modern trends has cultivated an exceptional array of bars and other evening venues. For the most part bars tend to be open from quite early in the evening but especially on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, they don’t really get going until much later on. Particularly worth a visit is the Bo-bi Bar, established in 1917 as a sailor hang out, it has become a jazz haunt popular with journalists and literary types. Hviids Vinstue attracts people from all walks of life; established in 1723 this cellar bar boasts a unique atmosphere and ambiance, and not least of all can claim the most esteemed of patrons Hans Christian Anderson. The Library Bar is also highly recommended where tourists and natives alike may indulge in the best cognacs and cigars whilst perusing the book lined walls of the 1913 built bar.
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