Day trip ideas to historic sights outside Copenhagen

There are plenty of interesting historic sights around Copenhagen for a day trip, like the outstanding Renaissance style Kronborg Castle. Please note it's also easy to visit in Malmö, Sweden over the Øresund Bridge which is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe.

Kronborg Castle

SpottingHistory.com - photo by Benjamin Asmussen
Photo copyright Benjamin Asmussen
Kronborg Castle is an outstanding example of the Renaissance castle, and one which played a highly significant role in the history of this region of northern Europe.

Frederiksborg Palace

SpottingHistory.com - photo by Ulrich J
Photo copyright Ulrich J
Frederiksborg Palace was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV and is now a museum of national history. The current edifice replaced a previous castle erected by Frederick II and is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia. The palace is located on three small islands in the middle of Palace Lake (Slotsøen) and is adjoined by a large formal garden in the Baroque style.

Malmö Stortorget

SpottingHistory.com - photo by RayKippig
Photo copyright RayKippig

At the heart of Malmö lies the Big Square (Stortorget). There is a statue of King Karl X Gustav of Sweden, who took the city from Danish dominion. The ornate Malmö City Hall (built in 1546) is on the east side, and in the northwest corner is Kockska Huset, the house of Jörgen Kock, a German immigrant who became mayor of the city and achieved wealth simply and directly: by taking control of the city mint. In the winter the square becomes a skating rink.

Roskilde Cathedral

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Photo copyright faster2007
Roskilde Cathedral is the earliest major ecclesiastical building in brick in northern Europe and had a profound influence on the spread of brick for this purpose over the whole region. Both in its form and in its setting it is an outstanding example of a north European cathedral complex, especially noteworthy for the successive architectural styles used in the ancillary chapels and porches added during the centuries during which it has served as the mausoleum of the Danish royal family.

Malmö Castle

SpottingHistory.com - photo by Sigurd R
Photo copyright Sigurd R
Malmö Castle (Malmöhus) was founded in 1434 by King Eric of Pomerania. This structure was demolished in early 16th century. The castle acquired its present appearance following major reconstruction in the 1530’s, when King Christian III ordered the building of a modern fortress, splendid Renaissance castle and county governor´s residence, all on the one site. Historically, this fortress was one of the most important strongholds of Denmark.

Viking Ship Museum

SpottingHistory.com - photo by mararie
Photo copyright mararie
The Viking Ship Museum (Vikingeskibsmuseet) is the Danish national museum for ships, seafaring and boatbuilding in the prehistoric and medieval period.

Carlsberg Factory

SpottingHistory.com - photo by Cecil Lee
Photo copyright Cecil Lee

Carlsberg center is located in Valby at the location of the first Carlsberg Brewery. The visitor centre will give you an idea of how the world-famous Carlsberg Beer is made. Carlsberg is among the largest tourist attractions in Copenhagen. The Old Carlsberg Brewery from 1847 has been converted into a modern centre for visitors which exhibits the history of the beer.

Fredensborg Palace

SpottingHistory.com - photo by treena09
Photo copyright treena09
Fredensborg Palace was built as a hunting seat for King Frederik IV by the architect J.C. Krieger. Construction began in 1719. The main building was first used in 1722 and the chapel in 1726. It was rebuilt and expanded during the reigns of King Christian VI and of King Frederik V and his Queen, Juliane Marie, by the architects N.Eigtved, L. de Thurah and C.F. Harsdorff.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

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