Nyhavn | Animated and Historic Heritage Harbour of Copenhagen.

Nyhavn represents in all its splendour the animated and historic heritage harbour of Copenhagen, definitely a great attraction in one of the liveliest, bustling areas of that magnificent Nordic city, a site that for its history, development, vibrant and bubbly atmosphere was elevated since a long time ago as a relevant landmark of the stupendous, trendy Capital of Denmark.

That 17th century waterfront  and canal entertainment district lies south of the Royal Danish Playhouse situated in the Frederiksstatden neighbourhood and close to the strategic largest square of the municipality, Kongens Nytorv located at the end of Strøget, the iconic artery well known to be one of the longest pedestrian streets of the continent.

That special place totally reflects with its image the everlasting lively spirit of Copenhagen, among the most attractive and charming European destinations for all what it offers in terms of historic events, art, architecture, tourism, shopping, leisure, cultural calendar, events of International relevance, concerts, fun and much more.

Nyhavn is a very distinctive urban area packed by some of the trendiest bars of the city, cosy pubs, interesting shops, beautiful coloured, restored buildings, a place in which you can find everything, highly appropriate to spend enjoyable times, well known to offer a great nightlife boasting an unmistakable magic air you can breathe all around its boundaries but also to known its historical stages which have a lot to narrate.

The colourful captivating houses flanking on both sides that scenic emblematic canal and surrounding a large dock highlighted by old appealing ships moored next to its captivating banks are further special features of a very fascinating environment encircled by a picturesque frame and a magic aura.

Nowadays a walk in that district is mandatory, it is one of the most suggested visits to plan during a stay in a short break in the major Danish centre to enter in deep contact with the true essence of that city living a place in in which every visitor can always feel great sensations and perhaps also some inspirations.

It is not a case in that charming borough lived Hans Christian Andersen one of the fathers of the Danish literature who decided to fix there his residence in more than one occasion after moving in other city's neighbourhoods but probably less significant for him because he chose to return to his beloved quarter without hesitations re-living in an area which was for that character unique in its kind and without equals.

For that notorious writer and novelist  Nyhavn was an inexhaustible mine of sources donating him energy and  motivations in simple walks along those iconic quays looking at the vessels docking or departing, contemplating that inspiring scenery for hours and hours and after that he started to work hard composing outstanding literary masterpieces which were the result of those endless times spent in a site which certainly  deeply entered inside his soul as an everlasting love.

That neighbourhood has a very special fascination because along that hallway embracing the North Sea there are many things which capture the attention of everybody at first sight including in its smallest coloured details. It is enough to take a look to a refined portal, a charming painted shutter, a stylish framed wooden window, some fine timber outlines established on the contour a building, all little but significant details which in their kinds are attractive accents of that enchanting setting.

Another aspect of high relevance is its the strategic position as a great open gateway to reach very easily some of the most distinctive points of the city such as the monumental historic centre, the renowned pedestrian street Stroget, and other boroughs offering a great offer in terms of shopping, entertainment, leisure, recreation and gastronomy.

Locals and visitors today choose that place to spend very pleasant hours having fun or simply sitting enjoying a cool drink, savouring a warm aromatic coffee in an area which since many decades ago never lost its captivating charm, eternally alive and always ready to conquer with its indisputable coquetry a multitude of people as a shining gem which shimmers in a beautiful coffer.

The word Nyhavn is the composition of two words such as Ny meaning New and Havn which means port. That denomination is dated the 17th century when that iconic site was transformed in the main harbour of the Kingdom due to an increasing trade and urban reforms desired by the Danish Monarchy. Despite that name it is originally the old city harbour and it was once the well known sailor´s quarter highlighted by old taverns originally hosting who landed on that Scandinavian port to have a beer or playing cards.

At the beginning of its history it was a pretty infamous area with frequent tumultuous nights often ending in terrible quarrels and big fights and due to that the Royalty decided to separate their residence from that conflictive place. 

That period in which were managed several urban changes and reforms the Monarchy decided after a meeting to divide its garden from the heritage harbour establishing in that space a magnificent gardened area which was redesigned to Copenhagen's new botanical garden and the new project was that related to the construction of the director's residence close to that emblematic Royal manor.
  
After that successful operation by the Royalty engineers with a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere and the proximity to the Danish National Theatre also the situation in Nyhavn mutated with notable changes and improvements when the King took the decision to clean the entire district by undesired people with the presence of patrols of guards checking day and night that area.

Since then the  borough attracted many notorious characters linked to highest local cultural sphere and many of those picturesque coloured houses you can see today are also famous to have been historic residences of prominent and famous people.

That enchanting city's icon so attractive at first sight has very interesting historic stages to narrate with chronological events which created the myth of that indisputable local landmark.
 

The canal of Nyhavn is the result of Syhavn and the waters running through the metropolitan grid with an important passage which crossed a large part that municipal corner created at the end of 1660 when King Frederick III commissioned a plan to provide the famous square Kongens Nytorv, a random channel to support the traffics of the merchants who needed an easy access to the city core favouring their transit and trade operations.

 

That project afterwards made the fortune of Denmark in terms of commerce started in that year but only after the death of that Monarch began the construction of the canal, concretely on September 1671 corresponding to the first excavation with the inauguration of the first works.

During those operations the Danish Royal House used as workers many Swedish war prisoners,an event related to the times between 1658 and 1660 when  Denmark, Sweden but also Norway in those two years highlighted a Scandinavian war on large scale focused by desires of expansion, enlargement of their domains.

It was  a well known period with protagonists frequent diatribes, disputes, and clashes also due to unclear borders and an old rivalry mainly characterised by eternal territorial claims among those Kingdoms.

Two years later on 19th October 1673 the operations ended with the demolition of a dam and that new canal could be flooded, the Nyhavnskanalen was confiscated while a boundary between the affluent Gammelholm in the southern side, the new residential areas to poorer urban residents in the northern side and two former roads leading north such as Store and Lille Strandstræde were cut off by their connection to the city.


King Christian V continued the arrangements reinforcing the quays by the property owners with stakes, paving was difficult as well as to enforce the main passageway and all that could only be satisfactorily implemented in 1700.

 After all those changes started the urban legend of Nyhavn also protagonist of a relevant architectural transformation  acquiring year by year that distinctive fascinating image you can admire nowadays with a setting simply outstanding.

In that plan of embellishment there was a progressive construction during different periods and you will notice those works in a simple way taking a look to the oldest buildings as that one located at the civic Number nine dated 1681 close to other colourful houses you can see on both sides of that canal which are mainly dated 18th and 19 Century and also that is very interesting to see how the most contemporary structures did not alterated or ruined the aesthetic aspect of that neighbourhood.


You can start the visit with the house located at the civic number one extremely relevant not just for its numeration and location at the entrance of Nyhavn but because it represents in all its spirit and architectural concepts the style used in Copenhagen before the big fire of 1728.

After that tragic event a new wave of talented architects started ro remodel the entire layouts of many buildings using in their executions new stylish lines aesthetically improving the image of the front sides of several structures also completed by innovative outlines and that was in its kind a time highly marked by a distinctive renaissance notably visible today.

That building is situated in a location in which arose the early harbour in its first years of life and in correspondence of that corner were established  some taverns consisting in that concrete space as previously mentioned not very recommendable with several merchants who spent there entire evenings consuming alcohol.

The current structure is closely related to that problem solved when the King who at the beginning never found a final solution  because the southern side of Nyhavn was originally part of the garden of Charlottenborg Castle which was separated by a wall in 1770 in that concrete point until later the decision to increase a military presence there.


That two story construction conserves its attic and the basement having the original former design while the rest corresponding to the facade and other elements as door, windows with the colours were largely modified during the 18th century with a final touch in the 19th century.

 At the end of the 19th Century that building hosted the shipping company Thingvalla Line which  established there its seat with the ticket office headquarter. 

That Institution since its inception became a busy meeting point of many people and mainly frequented by several emigrants who hoped to purchase a single ticket finding a better life on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in America and in that time the canal was largely occupied day and night by numerous boats mooring close that site.

Later that office was bought by the Cunard Line which until 1920 campaigned with coloured posters and promoted with enthusiasm that American dream all around the country and it was certainly a very lively period of Nyhavn with the image of the boat as protagonist reaching a far continent elevated as an emblem, all that was in its kind despite with a different aim to return to the golden ages of Denmark when the country was a powerful reality about naval traffic.

Another house pretty famous is that established at the civic number 23 bacause it was the former residence of the famous German born Danish composer Friedrich Kuhlau who chose that place as residence where who lived until his death. 

That talented pianist and composer, pioneer of the National Romanticism in Denmark with a famous work called Elves' Hill was well known to introduce in the country many Beethoven 's works was also a superb performer playing flute and for that he was nicknamed "the Beethoven of the flute".

Kuhlau was a prominent influential character who left the country over 200 music works in most genres as inheritance for new generations of composers, he also wrote music for performances of Shakespeare 's plays and in addition that notable figure native of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony in 1810 was enlisted in the Napoleonic Army becoming a Danish citizen three years later.


The most famous resident was undoubtedly the famed Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen, who lived from 1834 to 1839 in the house at the civic number 20.That popular writer and novelist in that house created some of his most important works such as The Tinder Box, Little Claus and Big Claus and The Princess and the Pea among others.

After nine years spent far from his loved Nyhavn that emblematic literature genius decided to return to his dear and more than venerated district. It was in 1848 when he established his new residence in the house at the civic number 67 in which he lived until 1864.

The number nine was probably something very special for that incomparable artist because in 1873 exactly at distance of nine years he returned to that neighbourhood once again. In that occasion he started to live in the house at the civic number 18 (a multiple of the number nine) until his death two years later in 1875.

The house you can see at the civic number 55 was home of Heinrich Gustav Ferdinand Holms, a very famous artist protagonist of many works which are nowadays exhibited in museums and art galleries of the city and they currently have a great value.

That eminent engraver born in Berlin, Germany is well known for his superb topographical paintings and drawings of the capital of Denmark with views of the city, streets, squares,  Churches and Castles. Some of his plates, true masterpieces were published in important magazines such as Magazin for Ungdommen, Cosmorama and Nyt Magazin for Natur og Menneskekundskab.

In the building depicting the number 63 lived another prominent figure as the novelist, naturalist and numismatist Vilhelm Bergsøe who was a proud resident of that bustling and captivating neighbourhood. 

That man also lived in Italy in Rome where he wrote "Da Piazza del Popolo"a cycle of novels published in 1866 and in 1877 Roma sotto Pio IX, Rome under Pius IX, a novel with protagonist the Italian capital during the times of that iconic Pope the who led the Papal State for over 31 years, the longest rule in the Vatican just behind  St.Peter and that house was also occupied by the actor Poul Reumert  who grew up there.

 At the end of the north side at the civic number 71 you can see a building which was originally a sort of Emporium storing spices, herbs, tobacco and other goods coming from overseas.  

That site customers at the beginning of its activities was also a meeting point of people of the work social class, sailors and clerks who had their jobs in the port often spending time  chatting in new established sites opened in its immediate proximity some of them characterised by exotic names of Oriental cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau or African countries as Mozambique and also that detail started to give a cosmopolitan image to that quarter.

That construction due to a sad deterioration was restored and rearranged  in 1971 and some years later was established  the 71 Nyhavn Hotel, a four star accommodation member of the Arp-Hansen Hotel Group Copenhagen's largest Hotel chain.
 
A trace of a passage in that district is also linked to another renowned national icon called Sigfred Pedersen who was writer, poet, actor and composer with a museum in his honour established in Harndrup, the town where he was born.  

Undoubtedly that man helped to add a notable bohemian atmosphere which every visitor could breathe since the early 20th century but also visible  today in many corners of that suggestive and scenic place which conserves that distinctive magic aura of its past. 

Many famous figures who lived in Nyhavn often visited a pastry chef who lived in a building occupied by a store in Strandstraede, a born Austrian citizen called Christian Frederik Bredo Grandjean who moved to the Danish capital becoming a figure well known all around the quarter for his good moods and humour, a presence pretty popular well known by a large part of the residents who appreciated very much his affable attitude.

That historic district also has its curiosities and peculiarities and the Danes in Nyhavn to distinguish the two sides of the canal classified them in one identified as sunny side and the opposite denominated shady side.

Among the buildings elevated along the shady section you can appreciate those erected in the 18th century built in a rather sumptuous architectural style while on the other side corresponding to the sunny sector you will notice a large number of wooden houses but also other constructions which were established using different kinds of materials such as brick, stone and plaster originally inhabited by the poorest residents.

The row of houses from the number 6 to 22 situated on the shady stretch of the southern section were in major part built in 1770 while the rest of that side in that period consisted in a long wall and some spaces occupied by the Danish Navy base.

 Acknowledged as the fleet's base in 1870, the central part of the city was transformed into a residential district furthermore Heibergsgade and Holbergsgade, two new roads created to link Gammelholm to Nyhavn.
 
All the buildings on both sides are now among the most colourful and picturesque of the neighbourhood and in the mid of the 70's of the last was decided to upgrade the entire setting which was transformed into a pedestrian zone flanked by trendy bars.

That time was also the period in which the canal started to be filled by old ships placed there to recreate the atmosphere of the past keeping alive the seafaring spirit which highlighted the city in the previous centuries.

With the presence of distinctive boats since then Nyhavn achieved a successful operation of historic revival because some of those vessels are true icons of the navigation and they perfectly represent ther protagonists of the historic heritage harbour of Copenhagen forming all together part of the Institution called Nyhavn Veteran Ship and Museum Harbour.

Since 1976 on its banks you can admire some symbols as the schooner Anna Møller built in1906 in Randers, a town in the Jutland Peninsula transformed in a museum and previously used for other purposes such as a cargo ship and fishing boat currently held by a group of volunteers and in the summer participating in various sailing events in Denmark.

 Other prestigious boats present and worth to be mentioned are one built in 1920 consisting in the Warnemünde Galease Ma-RI boarded by customs authorities of Helsingør, a notorious city in eastern Denmark, well known for an episode when it was confiscated in 1923 because it transported aboard smuggling goods. 

You can also see, Mira two stunning schooner vessels developed in 1898 in Faaborg , a centre on the island of Funen, considered two jewels of the naval trade of the Kingdom of Denmark which for a long time transported from the cliff of Stevns Klimt chalk to the Sjelland Peninsula.

 XVII Gedser Rev is a light vessel built in Odense, the third largest city of the Nation in 1895, it operated until 1972, it was acquired by the National Museum, nowadays hosting  an exhibition.

The Boat Theatre built in 1898 since 1972 it is used as an operating venue boat  and worth a mention two other ships called Haabet and Skagen both made in 1931.
 
That project was masterly managed to re-establish in a modern key the fascination of the nostalgic times of the old port with very successful results, a wonderful  cultural and historic revaluation which had since the beginning a considerable public admiration and including adding a further appeal in terms of pure aesthetic aspect becoming a favourite image to promote by the National and City Tourism Boards.

New establishments in the new and restored district were opened in the sunny side some new shops, food and groceries stores Nyhavns tattoo parlours and gradually new taverns, bars and pubs. 

As in other European capitals such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Stockholm, the 50;s were the years in which the Jazz Music from U.S.A had a notable success considered very trendy and appreciated by several people who became fans in a while of those unmistakable sounds and melodies coming from the United States of America and also Copenhagen especially in that borough strongly absorbed that kind of trendy music movement.

Closely linked that situated at the civic number 7 started live performances in the notorious Cape Horn, protagonist of long nights with many beers served to a multitude of customers listening Jazz masterpieces until dawn.

That site became a very frequented Club absolute protagonist and in those years and walking along that lively canal was usual listening motifs and melodies by Dixieland Jazz that famous style of music with bands rooted in that cradle called New Orleans which spread with considerable success since the early 20th century in Chicago and New York City especially with that iconic song tiltled "Basin Street Blues" written by Spencer Williams published in 1926 and made much more famous in 1928 by Louis Armstrong. 


Cape Horn hosted the Papa Bue´s Viking Jazz, a famous Danish Band and other relevant artists also coming from North America, all that continued with high peaks during all the 60's and including at the beginning of the 70's with several great bands delighting thousands of people with their brilliant performances and making that site a sort of sacred destination for Jazz lovers.

In the late 70's a new kind of music entered with a strong influence in that district, the so popular Rock generating for a period a change of tendency and trends despite the Jazz remained pretty rooted in the most bohemian locals with some establishments which made the history of the nightlife of Nyhavn continuing to be very frequented especially by a loyal clientele and also for that today the Jazz is still a sort of icon in the city. (If you are interested I wrote a post about Copenhaghen) 
 
Since the mid-1980s that maritime quarter lived a period of restoration due to an ample mutation of many bars and clubs. Several of the old sailor taverns were transformed in trendy cafes or cosy restaurants to increase the tourism flows also in terms of capacity in a new era which needed in that captivating area a touch of contemporary innovation and all that continued until the end of that decade.

The Nyhavn of the 90's until today is all what all people know and see, a landmark of Copenhagen for its historic past, boasting a picturesque and captivating aspect in all its corners, main spot in brochures, posters, covers of magazines and emblematic icon represented in Tourism Fairs with its giant image highlighting stands elevated in the indisputable Top 5 symbols of the city and for someone including in second position just behind the iconic Mermaid.

Sankt Anne Plads is the square at the end of that fascinating district. and that area is well known because it had a radical historic change. Some years ago it was the ferryboat terminal to Sweden, Oslo and rest of Scandinavia but later all that was moved to Nordhavn consisting in the current northern harbour.

That section of the borough started after that change to host bars, cafes and some Hotels with a new aspect and image highlighting that space with a vibrant nightlife and in addition becoming an ideal place to have a relaxing walk after a canal cruise.

From there you can take a boat enjoying the Kanal Grand Tour, the duration is approximately one hour and it is simply spectacular to admire the beauty of the city from another perspective by sea.

Once returned on that square turning on the right in Amaliengade, in a few minutes walking you will be delighted by the view of the iconic Amalienborg Plads, home of the Royal Danish Family with the stunning presence of four majestic palaces elevated on a stupendous huge octagonal courtyard.

Mindeankeret is another local emblem consisting in that famous Anchor monument immediately visible at the corner of Kongens Nytorv. It was inaugurated in 1951 to commemorate over 1,500 Danish sailors who died during the 2nd World War.

The floor anchor placed in Nyhavn in 1872 came from the famous Frigate Fyn and includes a plaque with the monogram of King Frederick VII which replaced a temporary wooden memorial Cross established there six years earlier. 

Next to that monument every year on 5th May, corresponding to the day of the liberation by the German occupation is celebrated an official ceremony in honour of those victims.

After that great experience in a splendid visit you can start to enjoy there a vibrant and lively nightlife many are the clubs, pubs and restaurants, there is a huge variety of popular cafes and bars which usually serve both food and drinks, some of the most famous are the emblematic Cafe Nyhavn 17 but also Quote, Beverly Hills have a considerable reputation among many others.

Nyahvn could be considered a very eclectic borough in which the word boredom does not exist and never existed, it is a site offering places for every taste, full of spirit and eternally bustling.

The splendid Copenhagen was and is always able as to match new trendy proposals to a sacred preservation of its beloved old style keeping all what of indelible was made in the past in its boundaries leaving significant marks and imprints and all that probably found in that urban area the right habitat and true haven delighting people with different and varied tastes.

A comparison with other European districts is not easy because Nyhavn accepted in an independent way what it wanted in the right time but never it has had a sudden change for pressures or because it desired to emulate another place in the world because if something happened it took place in a calm step by step and probably also for all that it continues to be extremely loved because it always conserved its marked identity.

Those renovations during its history modified in something its former image but they were due to the exigencies of a city and those new trends arose in different periods never deleted or overshadowed all what of great was previously created. That is probably another aspect which makes that iconic place so special in its kind and all that continues to live in total harmony after some centuries of life. 

If you are planning to visit Copenhagen do not miss to spend a couple of hours or all the time you want in that captivating, fascinating and charming place.I added some links below in the case you want to know more.

Nyhavn is history, culture and a unique destination inside the Capital of Denmark in which is always great to spend enjoyable times and it will be certainly one of the experience you will remember with extreme pleasure naturally with others you can have in that magic and inspiring city but the image of that animated and historic heritage harbour will certainly remain in your eyes, as something of absolutely indelible in your memories.

Francesco Mari

Recommended accommodation in Nyhavn in the case during your stay in the Danish Capital you want to spend your overnights in that area.

71 Nyhavn Hotel 

Useful links 

cph-tourist.dk
www.visitcopenhagen.com 
www.copenhagen.com 

 www.newporttours.dk

www.71nyhavnhotel.dk