Did you know? · Copenhagen
Copenhagen fun facts
Things you might not know about Copenhagen. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
A castle beneath the palace
When the foundations of the present Christiansborg were cast, workers uncovered older ruins, which the National Museum dated as far back as 1167: Bishop Absalon’s castle (VisitCopenhagen).
Tivoli since 1843
Tivoli Gardens opened on 15 August 1843, after its founder Georg Carstensen received royal permission (tivoli.dk).
A tower for the stars
Christian IV raised the Round Tower in 1642 so that the university’s astronomers could watch the sky above the city’s lights and smoke; in 2026 it marks 350 years since Ole Rømer’s discovery of the speed of light (rundetaarn.dk).
A ceiling of gold
The ceiling of the Opera House’s main auditorium is covered with 105,000 sheets of 24-carat gold leaf, about 1.5 kilos of gold (VisitCopenhagen).
The oldest film studios
Nordisk Film has made films in Valby since 1906, in the world’s oldest still active film studios, founded by Ole Olsen (VisitCopenhagen).
Christmas beers by the hundred
More than 220 Danish breweries make around 350 Christmas beers, a world record in VisitCopenhagen’s words; they arrive on the first Friday of November.
Questions and answers
How old is Tivoli?
It opened on 15 August 1843.