Copenhagen's Castle Island Walk

This walk takes you across Slotsholmen, the historic island where Copenhagen was founded, showing how it transitioned from a medieval stronghold into Denmark's democratic and commercial capital.

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1. Statue of Bishop Absalon

The equestrian statue of Bishop Absalon rises from the center of Højbro Plads, depicting a man in mail and helmet seated atop a rearing horse with a battle-axe in his hand. Erected in nineteen oh two to mark the seven hundredth anniversary…

2. Thorvaldsens Museum

Thorvaldsens Museum is recognizable by the enormous, slightly leaning trapezoidal portals that line its exterior walls, giving the building an unmistakable, exotic silhouette. Built between eighteen thirty-nine and eighteen forty-eight,…

3. Christiansborg Palace

Christiansborg Palace is defined by its massive central tower, which rises one hundred and six meters above the city and makes it the tallest structure in Copenhagen. Located on the small island of Slotsholmen, the complex is the only…

4. Børsen

Børsen is a seventeen-century building in central Copenhagen instantly recognizable by its long, red-brick structure and the ornate, copper-clad gables that mark its Dutch Renaissance design. Commissioned by King Christian the Fourth and…

5. Garden of the Royal Library

The Garden of the Royal Library sits on the site of what was once the Tøjhushavnen, a seventeenth-century naval harbor commissioned by Christian the Fourth. Inaugurated in nineteen twenty, the garden was designed by landscape gardener Jens…

6. Copenhagen War Museum

The Danish War Museum occupies a massive, oblong building known as Tøjhuset, which stretches one hundred sixty-three meters along the waterfront of Slotsholmen. Built between fifteen ninety-three and sixteen oh-four by King Christian the…

7. Marmorbroen

Marmorbroen is a bridge marked by three low stone arches and balustrades of light-colored marble. Built between seventeen thirty-nine and seventeen forty-five, it was designed by architect Nicolai Eigtved as a ceremonial entrance for the…

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