Old Norse: Danmǫrk, for Danish tribes of Dan & their march/ marshes meaning woodland or borderland🔍 - likely a reference to border forests in south Schleswig. Traditionally believed dan = flat land (related to German Tenne = threshing floor & English den = cave.)
However according to medieval legends, the Danish refer to a mythological Dan, one of 3 sons of the King of Uppsula, in modern day Sweden (the others being Nori; legendary 1st king of Norway & Østen; semi-legendary king of Sweden.) Dan was said to be named King of the southern territories (modern day Denmark) after he assisted the Jutes in their fight again the Romans in the time of Augustus. (Some legends add another brother, Angul, also a Danish ancestor & namesake of the later Angels who conquer Britain.†
Danmark is first found in Denmark on the Jelling runestones, (mid 900's AD) using the form of tanmaurk/ tanmakar with tani inhabitants (plural of tan (dan).)
† King Alfred the Great (of England) mentions a territory called Denmark in his translation of Paulus Orosius' History Against The Pagans in the 800's AD.
Compact & easy to explore, Denmark is a charming blend of historic castles, modern design, vibrant cities & coastal towns with Viking heritage sites all in super bike-friendly landscapes.
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
Danish
-
Most Locals can speak English.
Danish Krona
Water safety
Safe to Drink
Currency:
DKK
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
................................................... There are two types of Danes, those that wear klaphatte to football matches, (a very specific kind of hat) & those that use the term klaphatte as an insulting synonym for idiot. The literal translation is clapping hat and it is exactly what it sounds like.
Best Local Expression -
Denmark proper, inhabited since ~ 12,500 BC, consists of Jutland peninsula and an archipelago🔍 of 406 islands (78 inhabited) of which the largest is Zealand.† (No point in Denmark is more than 30 miles from the sea🔍!) The greater 🔎Kingdom also includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Indo-European tribes arrived ~6oo AD including Celts, but the majority were 🔎Northern Germanic tribes; first Jutes from the south (for whom the peninsula is named) and later, Danish ancestors from eastern Scandinavian islands. These Danes described in early writings liking Beowulf. (Many of the displaced Jutes migrated to Great Britain with the Angels & Saxons)
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
................... The Danish monarchy is the oldest continuing monarchy in the world existed for 1,000+ years, & the flag, the Dannebrog, is even older c. 1219 - the oldest in the world still in use (by an independent nation.) According to legend, it fell from the sky during a battle, and was caught by a Danish king before it touched the ground. (In reality it likely derived from a Crusader banner or ensign.)
FUN FACT:
By the 8c, the beginning of the Viking Age, the region was essentially unified as the Kingdom of Denmark, which likely included all of Jutland, Scania (Southern Sweden) and 99% of the Danish islands. The Danish Vikings were most active in western France where Danes (and Norwegians) settled in future Normandy, and on the southern British Isles, settling in parts of England that became known as the Danelaw in 1013.
In 1397, Queen Margaret I of Denmark orchestrated the Kalmar Union with Norway and Sweden, with Denmark as the "senior" partner of the union, until 1523 when Sweden broke away. The Kingdom of Denmark–Norway was then formed which lasted until a series of wars left it bankrupt and it was formally dissolved in 1814. In 1848 Denmark lost vast amounts of its southern territories to Germany, after which it reorganized from an absolute to a it's current constitutional monarchy form in 1849.
† Zealand island is, of course, the namesake for the better known island of New Zealand
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Smørrebrød ("bread w/ butter") - Rugbrød (rye) w/ Leverpostej (liver pâté), boiled egg, Gravlax (cured salmon) or
Stegte Sild - fried pickled herring ∞ Rød Pølse† - Danish Hot Dog🔍 w/ pickled cucumbers & fried crispy onions
Stegt flæsk - crispy pork belly ∞ Frikadeller (meatballs) Boller I Karry - in curry w/ rice
Krasesuppe - giblet soup w/ fritters ∞ Rødkål - shredded red cabbage w/ red currant juice
Wienerbrod (Viennese bread††) = the local term for the world famous Danish (pastry)
Aebleskiver - donut balls ∞ Varme Hveder -traditional sweet, cardamom spiced rolls
Risengrød - rice pudding ∞ Lumumba - a cocktail made w/ Cocio (Danish chocolate milk) & brandy/ rum
➿➰➿
† Many served from pølsevogn (sausage wagons) on the street
†† Introduced to Denmark in 1870s, when striking Danish bread makers were replaced by Viennese immigrant bakers, with their repertoire of sweet breads, cakes, and puff pastries
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Surprising Finds:
📍 Rainforest Zoo | Randers (largest artificial rainforest in N. Europe) An 11c town on the Gudena River, also
known for it's quaint medieval alleyways, Baroque Clausholm Castle & Memphis Mansion; a museum tribute
to Elvis Presley & Johnny Cash of all people! complete with "American Southern" style diner
📍 The largest collection of Hair Jewelry in Europe @ Bangsbo Museum | Frederikshavn or
the occult, cryptozoological Museum Obscurum | Nykøbing Falster† with a
Werewolf, a Vampire Skeleton, Fairies & 'Forest Child' skull
📍 Giants & Trolls - These massive wooden artworks are found worldwide but Danish
artist, Thomas Dambo, has placed over 30 around his home country
📍 Sneglehuset (Snail House) | Thyborøn - a fisherman's cottage entirely covered in
tens of thousands of shells, as gift to his wife
📍 Popular candy company Bon Bon - famous for odd Harry Potter-esqe flavors like
“gull droppings,” “burping duck,” & “rich swine”
† 19c personal collection of Cornelius S.C. Rödder, hidden (and once lost) behind a secret entrance in his home.
It was rediscovered behind crates and a locked door in 2017
My Favorite Spots:
📍 Castles like Renaissance Frederiksborg | Hillerød, 800 yr old Dragholm | Hørve &
Voergaard | Dronninglund, both 'haunted,' or 16c Egeskov | Kvœrndrup with
creepy attic wooden doll child, (unmoved for fear of the castle sink into the moat)
📍 The Seven Round Churches - like 12c island Ølsters church | Gudhjem, with 14c
frescoes, & a bit of a mystery, possibly of Knights Templar origin†
📍 Ancient sites like Jelling's Stones; 10c runestones of King Gorm the old & Harald Bluetooth
(namesake of wireless Bluetooth,) Bronze Age Burial Mounds | Mols Bjerg National Park,
various Iron Age Bog People†† or the world's oldest surviving musical instruments: curving
bronze lur horns like those described in the Icelandic Sagas*
📍 Idyllic islands like Samsø - home of the world's largest labyrinth, Rømø - with beautiful sandy beaches, horseback
riding & giant whale-jaw fence (Hals also has a massive whale jaw publicly displayed) or Bornholm Island with the
Slau's Stones garden | Rønne - fairytale inspired etchings in stone (there's also a Bible Garden, of stones etched in verses
& miniatures of biblical sites / parables, in Elstedhaven | Snedsted)
📍 Jutland Limestone Mines like Thingbæk Kalkminer | Skørping- a mine turned candle lit cave sculpture museum**
& Mønsted Kalkgruber | Stoholm which has 40 miles of limestone tunnel to be toured
† Nørrelandskirkens Klokketårn/ Nørreland Bell Tower | Holstebro is also an unusual church worth a visit, it's a weird modernist church floating atop what
looks like industrial water tower with spindly spiral stairs to the top
†† Grauballe Man | Højbjerg, Trollund Man | Silkeborg & Haraldskœr Woman | Vejle all ~ 2,000+ yrs old
* The horns where used in the Saga to summon the warriors to battle, and may be cognate with Anglo-French lure - the feathered device used to recall hunting
hawks, (from Proto-Germanic lothran = to call) and source of modern lure & alluring
** They also host concerts, crochet workshops & story-times taught by a witch and during the cold months it's home to multiple species of bat colonies
Most Known For:
♦️ The colorful, 17c Nyhavn harbor & Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen
🔸 Lego®+ Legoland amusement park by Aarhus & life-size Lego [play] House | Billund†
♦️ Hamlet & his Castle; Kronborg - c. 1220, on the coast in Helsingørin††
🔸 Vikings like Roskilde; Viking Age capital with Viking Ship Museum, or the ancient
cemetery field, Lindholm Høje | Norrerundy that holds ~700 Viking bodies, & Trelleborg
Viking Ring Fortress | Slagelse - with battle reenactments, & Land of Legends - with recreated Iron Age village,
Stone Age camp & Viking market. Visitors can try farming or handicrafts & watch archeologists work
♦️ Camp Adventure - climbing park with 45m Forest Tower, (highest in Scandinavia)
The park also includes Northern Europe’s largest flower farm
🔸 Odense - home of Hans Christian Andersen with a daily parade in the summer featuring characters
from his works & live performances at the Fairy Tale Garden castle behind the H.C.A. museum
♦️ Hærvejen; The Ancient Road - 100+ miles of hiking trails on an old route along the edge of Jutland
† Lego = abbreviation of Danish leg + godt = play well. Over 320 billion bricks sold worldwide - nearly 60 bricks for every human on the planet!
†† The Shakespeare play set @ Elsinore Castle & the character are loosely based on Danish Viking Amleth, c. 12c (Historia Danica)
In the basement is a statue of a sleeping Holger Danske - a mythological warrior c. 750- legend says he will wake & save Denmark when it's in peril.
👀 NOTABLE DANES:
✏️ Hans Christian Anderson | Writer ⚔️ William the Conquerer ☢️ Niels Bohr | Nuclear Physicist
⚖️ Søren Kierkegaard | Existential Philosopher 🌎 Vitus Bering | Explorer & Cartographer
🥁 Lars Ulrich | Metallica 👑 Prince Philip | Husband of Queen Elizabeth II
👣
🌀 Viking Festivals like Moesgaard Vikingedage (Viking Days) / Viking Moot (July) & Ribe International
Viking Market (April-May) - w/ Viking battle reenactments
🌀 Copenhagen Beer Festival (May) - w/ 1000+ types of beer from 70+ producers, Danish arts & crafts
🌀 Aalborg Carnival - costume parades, music & street performances
🌀 Samsø Festival (July) - celebration of nature & folk music on Samsø island
🌀 Aarhus Festuge (festival) (July- Aug) - arts & culture featuring concerts & street artists
🌀 Roskilde Lysfest - festival of lights
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
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