Portal:Denmark/Selected article/2006 archive
Week 9-11
The palace today bears witness to three eras of Danish architecture, as the result of two serious fires. The first fire occurred in 1794 and the second in 1884. The main part of the current palace, built in 1928, is in the historicist Neo-baroque style. The chapel dates to the 1800s and is in a neoclassical style. The showgrounds date were built in the eighteenth century in a baroque style. (more...)
Week 12
The city lies close to Odense Fjord on the Odense River (Odense Å). It has a station on the railway route between Copenhagen and Jutland/Schleswig-Holstein, (Germany) via Korsør. A canal dug from 1796 to 1806, 7.5 metre (25 ft.) deep, gives access to the town from the fjord.
Accessibility to Odense was greatly increased when ferry service between the two main Danish islands, Zealand and Funen was replaced by the Great Belt Bridge (opened in 1997 for trains, 1998 for cars). The bridge is the second longest suspension bridge in the world. Its construction greatly cut transportation time between Odense and the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Copenhagen can now be reached by trains from Odense in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Recently selected: Christiansborg Palace
Week 13
The island is located to the east of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland (on the map of Denmark to the right, it is not shown in its true location; see the map at the bottom of the article). The main industries on the island include fishing, pottery using locally worked clay, clockmaking and dairy farming. Tourism is important during the summer.
The small islands Ertholmene are located 18 km to the north-east of Bornholm.
Strategically located in the Baltic Bornholm has been a bone of contention usually ruled by Denmark, but also by Lübeck and Sweden. The castle ruin Hammershus on the northwestern tip of the island gives testimony to its importance.
Recently selected: Christiansborg Palace – Odense
Week 14
Danish (dansk) belongs to the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages), a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. It is spoken by around 5.5 million people mainly in Denmark including some 50,000 people in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, where it holds the status of minority language. Danish also holds official status and is a mandatory subject in school in the former Danish colonies of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, that now enjoy limited autonomy. In Iceland, which was a part of Denmark until 1944, Danish is still the second foreign language taught in schools (although a few learn Swedish or Norwegian instead).
The language started diverging from the common ancestor language Old Norse sometime during the 13th century and became more distinct from the other emerging Scandinavian national languages with the first bible translation in 1550, establishing an orthography differing from that of Swedish, though written Danish is usually far easier for Swedes to understand than the spoken language. Modern spoken Danish is characterized by a very strong tendency of reduction of many sounds making it particularly difficult for foreigners to understand and properly master, not just by reputation but by sheer phonetic reality.
Recently selected: Christiansborg Palace – Odense – Bornholm
Week 15
The
The link replaces the ferries which had been the primary means of crossing Great Belt for more than 100 years. After decades of speculation and debate, the decision to construct the link was made in 1986; while it was originally intended to complete the railway link three years before opening the road connection, the link was opened to rail traffic in 1997 and road traffic in 1998. At an estimated cost of DKK 21.4 billion (1988 prices), the link is the largest construction project in Danish history.
Recently selected: Odense – Bornholm – Danish language
Week 16
The Kalmar Union (Danish/Norwegian/Swedish: Kalmarunionen) was a series of personal unions (1397–1521) that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden under a single monarch. The countries had given up their sovereignty, but not their independence, and diverging interests (especially Swedish dissatisfaction over the Danish and Holsteinish dominance) gave rise to a conflict that would hamper it from the 1430s until its final dissolution in 1523.
Recently selected:
Week 17
The national
The royal Danish yacht is named after the flag. The Dannebrog is the oldest state flag still in use, with the earliest undisputed source dating back to the 14th century.
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Week 18
Danevirke (Old Norse: Danavirki) also known as Dannevirke or Danewerk, means "Danes' works". It is the name for the Danish earthen defense structure, which stretches from the marshes of west Jutland to the town of Schleswig, situated at Slien at the Baltic Sea, near the Viking trade centre of Hedeby.
According to written sources, the work on Danevirke was initiated by the Danish King
Recently selected:
Week 19
The contemporary Danish name for the city is a corruption of the original designation for the city, Kjøbmandehavn "merchants' harbour". The English word for the city is derived from its German name, Kopenhagen and pronounced [kəʊpn̩ˈhɛɪgn̩].
Recently selected: Danevirke – Flag of Denmark – Kalmar Union
Week 20
The Danelaw (from the
The area occupied by the Danelaw was roughly the area to the north of a line drawn between London and Chester.
Five fortified towns became particularly important in the Danelaw:
Week 21
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 21, 2006
Week 22
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 22, 2006
Week 23
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 23, 2006
Week 24
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 24, 2006
Week 25
The Count's Feud (Danish Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a
The Count's Feud takes its name from the
After
Week 26
The naval Battle of Copenhagen (
The battle was due to multiple failures of
Week 27
Denmark's postal history begins with an ordinance of 24 December 1624 by King Christian IV, establishing a national postal service . This service consisted of nine main routes, and was to be operated by the mayor of Copenhagen and several guilds. Initially the mail was carried by foot, with riders being used after 1640.
The service was turned over to a Paul Klingenberg on 16 July 1653, who introduced a number of innovations, including mail coaches able to carry parcels, and service to Norway. He ran the service until 14 March 1685, when he handed it over to Count Christian Gyldenløve, a nine-year-old son of King Christian V. The Gyldenløve family continued in control until 1711; in 1694 new routes and rates were established. The state took over control in 1711.
The first steamship carrying mail was the SS Caledonia, which began carrying mail between Copenhagen and Kiel on 1 July 1819.
Week 28
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 28, 2006
Week 29
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 29, 2006
Week 30
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 30, 2006
Week 31
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 31, 2006
Week 32
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 32, 2006
Week 33
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 33, 2006
Week 34
The Isted Lion (Danish: Istedløven, German: Flensburger Löwe or Idstedt Löwe) is a Danish war monument originally intended as a monument of the Danish victory over Schleswig-Holstein in the Battle of Isted (July 25, 1850) — at its time the largest battle in Scandinavian history. Others perceived it more as a memorial for the Danish dead in the battle.
Originally erected in
Following the Danish victory over
Week 35
Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") is a work of
In sixteen books, written in Latin on the invitation of Archbishop Absalon, it describes Danish history and to some degree Scandinavian history in general, from prehistory to the late 12th century. It is told in a sparkling and entertaining language, that reads as well today as it did back then.
The sixteen books, in prose with an occasional excursus into poetry, can be categorized into two parts, book 1-9 being what is known as the
Week 36
Lego is a line of
The Lego Group had humble beginnings in the workshop of
Week 37
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 37, 2006
Week 38
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 38, 2006
Week 39
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 39, 2006
Week 40
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 40, 2006
Week 41
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 41, 2006
Week 42
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 42, 2006
Week 43
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 43, 2006
Week 44
Portal:Denmark/Selected article/Week 44, 2006
Week 45
The National Coat of Arms of .
Historically, the lions faced the viewer and the number of hearts was not regulated and could be much higher. Historians believe that the hearts originally were
The current version was adopted in 1819 during the reign of King Frederick VI. A rare version exists from the reign of king Eric of Pomerania in which the three lions jointly hold the Danish banner, in a similar fashion as in the coat of arms of South Jutland County.
Week 46
The Old Town in Aarhus, Denmark is an open-air village museum consisting of 75 historical buildings collected from 20 townships in all parts of the country. In 1914 the museum opened for the first time as the worlds’ first open-air museum of its kind and till this day it remains one of just a few top rated Danish museums outside Copenhagen serving some 3.5 million visitors pr. year.
The museum buildings are organized into a small village of chiefly
.The village itself is the main attraction but most buildings are open for visitors; rooms are either decorated in the original historical style or organized into larger exhibits of which there are 5 regular with varying themes. There are several
Week 47
Aggersborg (57°00′N 9°10′E / 57.00°N 9.16°E) is the largest of
The ring castle had an inner diameter of 240 metres. The ditch was located eight meters outside of the rampart, and was approximately 1.3 metres deep. The wall is believed to have been four metres tall. The rampart was constructed of soil and turf, reinforced and clad with oak wood. The rampart formed the basis for a wooden parapet. Smaller streets were located within the four main sections of the fortress.
The modern Aggersborg is a reconstruction created in the 1990s. It is lower than the original fortress.
Week 48
Kronborg Castle (56°12′N 12°22′E / 56.2°N 12.37°E) is situated near the town of
The castle's story dates back to a fortress, Krogen, built in the 1420s by the Danish king, Eric of Pomerania. The king demanded payment of Sound Dues by all ships entering or exiting the Baltic and to enforce this demand, he erected a powerful fortress the entrance to the Baltic.
Kronborg acquired its current name in 1585 when it was rebuilt by King Frederick II into a magnificent renaissance castle unique in its appearance and size throughout Europe.
In 1629, a moment's carelessness by two workmen caused much of the Castle to go up in flames. Only the Chapel was spared by the strength of its arches. King Christian IV put great efforts into restoring the castle and by 1639 the exterior was magnificent once again but the interior never fully regained its former glory.
The Swedish conquest of Kronborg in 1658, by Wrangel, demonstrated that the Castle was far from impregnable. Afterwards, the defences were strengthened significantly. From 1688-90, an advanced line of defence was added called the Crownwork. Shortly afterwards, a new series of ramparts were built around it. After their completion, Kronborg was considered the strongest fortress in Europe.
Week 49
F.C. Copenhagen (
F.C. Copenhagen was founded in 1992, as a merger between 15-time
The two Copenhagen clubs Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) and Boldklubben 1903 merged to found F.C. Copenhagen on 1 July 1992. FCK used B1903's club license to start its history in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship, while KB became the official reserve team of the club. With the rebuilding of the Parken Stadium, Denmark's national team stadium, the new club had a ready-made, top-modern stadium to play at. The first ambition of the club was to continually qualify for one of the European competitions each season. The means to attain these goals were a solid economy built upon a big fan base, and an "attractive and positive style of football".
Week 50
The Golden horns of Gallehus were two
The horns were made of solid gold and constructed from rings, each covered with figures soldered onto the rings, with yet more figures carved into the rings between the larger figures. These figures probably depict some actual events or
The horns are believed to originate with the Angles, but several theories of their origins exist. The horns have probably been used for ritual drinking and subsequently sacrificed in the earth or buried as a treasure, though this is also uncertain. Similar horns of wood, glass, bone and bronze have been found in the same area, some obviously used for blowing signals rather than drinking.
Both horns had been the same length, but the narrow end of the second (short) horn was plowed up and recovered prior to 1639, and the gold was melted down and lost.
Week 51
The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest
While the human and property losses were staggering, the cultural loss is still felt today. The University of Copenhagen library was without a doubt the greatest and the most frequently mentioned of such. 35,000 texts and a large archive of historical documents disappeared in the flames. Original works from the historians Hans Svaning, Anders Sørensen Vedel, Niels Krag, and Arild Huitfeldt and the scientists Ole Worm, Ole Rømer, Tycho Brahe and the brothers Hans and Caspar Bartholin were lost. Atlas Danicus by Hansen Resens and the archive of Zealand Diocese went up in flames as well. The archive of the diocese had been moved to the university library the very same day the fire started.
Several other book collections were lost as well. Professor Mathias Anchersen made the mistake of bringing his possessions to safety in Trinitatis Church.
Week 52
The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest
While the human and property losses were staggering, the cultural loss is still felt today. The University of Copenhagen library was without a doubt the greatest and the most frequently mentioned of such. 35,000 texts and a large archive of historical documents disappeared in the flames. Original works from the historians Hans Svaning, Anders Sørensen Vedel, Niels Krag, and Arild Huitfeldt and the scientists Ole Worm, Ole Rømer, Tycho Brahe and the brothers Hans and Caspar Bartholin were lost. Atlas Danicus by Hansen Resens and the archive of Zealand Diocese went up in flames as well. The archive of the diocese had been moved to the university library the very same day the fire started.
Several other book collections were lost as well. Professor Mathias Anchersen made the mistake of bringing his possessions to safety in Trinitatis Church.