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copenhagen: general info
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Just beyond the eastern end of Kongens Nytorv lies Nyhavn,
the most popular and scenic spot for hanging out along the harbor.
Though restaurants, boutiques, and antiques stores now outnumber tattoo parlors,
many old buildings have been well preserved and have retained the harbor's authentic
18th-century maritime atmosphere; you can even see a fleet of old-time sailing ships from
the quay. Hans Christian Andersen lived at various times in the Nyhavn houses at numbers
18, 20, and 67.
Running from Kongens Nytorv, a picturesque canal filled with moored sailing
boats runs
down to the main harbour, dividing the two sides of Nyhavn. It's a popular meeting place, and
perfect for enjoying a drink in one of the many open air cafes, restaurants and bars. As soon as
the sun is out in early spring, the Danes move the chairs and tables outside and from the first
summer day the quay is crowded with people. Join them and later
perhaps embark on one of the Canal Tour boats which run from the Nytorv end of the harbour from
late April to mid September.
It's still possible to get a sense of the Copenhagen's historical
links with the sea when you visit Nyhavn. The harbour itself is old, the canal was originally
built in 1673, with the first salt water filling it's dock on October 19th. It soon established
itself, as the place where returning sailors indulged themselves in the numerous bars, brothels
and tattoo parlours which populated the area. For over three hundred years the area had a distinctly
seedy reputation and it wasn't until the late seventies that the current new look got underway.
Although it's still possible to find a couple of sanitised tattoo shops and a seaman's
mission among the well preserved eighteenth century houses, they are now outnumbered by the
quayside bars, cafes and exclusive restaurants. Nyhavn has a strong literary
side as well... It was here at number 20 that
Hans Christian Andersen wrote his first fairy tales in 1835, and where he lived from 1845-64 at
number 67, returning in 1873 to spend the last two years before his death back in the harbour, at
no. 18.
Most of the action in Nyhavn takes place on the
sunny northern side of the canal. The opposite side has a calmer atmosphere, with some fine old
buildings including the Danish Academy of Art, antique shops and restaurants. Characteristic
restaurants along the harbour include, Leonore Christine, on the sunny side of the canal which
serves gourmet French Cuisine. For a traditional Danish lunch, Nyhavn Frgekro is a good choice,
with its open sandwiches and herring buffet, and for an organic alternative, Cap Horn offers a
wide menu.
Today's Nyhavn is still in active use as a port, and at the far end of the harbour's
streets, down towards the main harbour, high speed hydrofoils still come and go all day long on
their 45 minute trip to Malm, Sweden across resund. From here you can gaze across the water towards
the modernist sculptures of the Danish Architectural College, as the Bornholm ferries sail out
to sea.
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