Round Tower (Rundetarn), Copenhagen (must see)
Located in central Copenhagen, the famous 17th-century Rundet氓rn 鈥� or Round Tower 鈥� was part of King Christian IV's architectural projects, having been built as an observatory for the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe. Tourists from all over the world come to enjoy the expansive view of Copenhagen from the top after climbing through its 7.5-turn helical corridor.
Astronomy grew to be very important in 17th century Europe and this led to the mushrooming of many observatories. The Rundet氓rn observatory, originally referred to as STELL脝BURGI REGII HAUNIENSIS, consisted of an academic library, the Trinitatis Church, and a university chapel where scholars spent their time. The tower's well-known spiral ramp was mentioned by architect Lauritz de Thurah as being "of such a strength and breadth that it is even possible to ride and drive up and down the tower on horseback or by carriage 鈥� an act that has been done, as is well known, by several of our kings, as well as the Russian Tsar PETER ALEXEWITZ in the year 1716, when His Majesty often rode up and down".
Walking along the ramp, your first stop is a museum/library hall with different installations from contemporary artists, followed by the bells room, and 鈥� last but not least 鈥� the astronomical observatory with its 360-degree overview.
***HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S COPENHAGEN***
Having once housed the University's entire book collection, the Library Hall was regularly visited by Denmark's famous writer, who sought inspiration for his work. If you love Andersen's fairy tales, you will definitely feel their spirit inside Rundet氓rn. The tower itself was mentioned in "The Tinderbox", wherein the main character 鈥� a poor soldier returning home from war 鈥� meets a witch, who asks him to climb into a hollow tree to retrieve a magic tinderbox. The witch gives the soldier permission to take anything he finds inside the chambers, but he must return the tinderbox. In the tree, he finds three chambers filled with precious coins guarded by three monstrous dogs, "one with eyes the size of teacups", who guards a vault filled with pennies, one with "eyes the size of water wheels", who guards a vault filled with silver, and one with eyes "the size of Round Tower", who guards a vault filled with gold.
Why You Should Visit:
Not just a tower offering great city views of the city, but a structure full of interest, with its slow increasing grade walkway, some good information as you go, and a gallery half way up. One of the alcoves, about 戮 of the way up, has a thick glass platform that visitors can stand on and look down the building's hollow core!
Tip:
The little caf茅 above the church next door has a really cool vibe 鈥� perfect for a simple coffee with no crowds. There's also a clean toilet halfway through the tower, as well as a good quality souvenir shop right before accessing the outside balcony.
Astronomy grew to be very important in 17th century Europe and this led to the mushrooming of many observatories. The Rundet氓rn observatory, originally referred to as STELL脝BURGI REGII HAUNIENSIS, consisted of an academic library, the Trinitatis Church, and a university chapel where scholars spent their time. The tower's well-known spiral ramp was mentioned by architect Lauritz de Thurah as being "of such a strength and breadth that it is even possible to ride and drive up and down the tower on horseback or by carriage 鈥� an act that has been done, as is well known, by several of our kings, as well as the Russian Tsar PETER ALEXEWITZ in the year 1716, when His Majesty often rode up and down".
Walking along the ramp, your first stop is a museum/library hall with different installations from contemporary artists, followed by the bells room, and 鈥� last but not least 鈥� the astronomical observatory with its 360-degree overview.
***HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S COPENHAGEN***
Having once housed the University's entire book collection, the Library Hall was regularly visited by Denmark's famous writer, who sought inspiration for his work. If you love Andersen's fairy tales, you will definitely feel their spirit inside Rundet氓rn. The tower itself was mentioned in "The Tinderbox", wherein the main character 鈥� a poor soldier returning home from war 鈥� meets a witch, who asks him to climb into a hollow tree to retrieve a magic tinderbox. The witch gives the soldier permission to take anything he finds inside the chambers, but he must return the tinderbox. In the tree, he finds three chambers filled with precious coins guarded by three monstrous dogs, "one with eyes the size of teacups", who guards a vault filled with pennies, one with "eyes the size of water wheels", who guards a vault filled with silver, and one with eyes "the size of Round Tower", who guards a vault filled with gold.
Why You Should Visit:
Not just a tower offering great city views of the city, but a structure full of interest, with its slow increasing grade walkway, some good information as you go, and a gallery half way up. One of the alcoves, about 戮 of the way up, has a thick glass platform that visitors can stand on and look down the building's hollow core!
Tip:
The little caf茅 above the church next door has a really cool vibe 鈥� perfect for a simple coffee with no crowds. There's also a clean toilet halfway through the tower, as well as a good quality souvenir shop right before accessing the outside balcony.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Copenhagen. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Round Tower (Rundetarn) on Map
Sight Name: Round Tower (Rundetarn)
Sight Location: Copenhagen, Denmark (See walking tours in Copenhagen)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Copenhagen, Denmark (See walking tours in Copenhagen)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Copenhagen, Denmark
Create Your Own Walk in Copenhagen
Creating your own self-guided walk in Copenhagen is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
Back in the Middle Ages, the area surrounding Our Lady's Square (鈥淔rue Plads鈥� in Danish), right in the heart of it, was considered a 鈥渞ay of light鈥� in the overall darkness of those times. A... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
Copenhagen Introduction Walking Tour
The Danish capital Copenhagen is a fairy tale of a city, full of peculiarities. Its name 鈥� derived from the Danish words for merchant ("k酶pmann") and harbor ("havn") 鈥� reflects the city's origin as a place of commerce by the sea. A humble fishing village, established in the 10th century AD, some hundred years later it emerged as a town after Bishop Absalon, recognized... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles
Castle Island (Slotsholmen) Walking Tour
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Hans Christian Andersen's Copenhagen
Above the numerous plays, novels, and poems, the 19th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is primarily renowned internationally as the man who wrote "The Little Mermaid," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling" and many other fairy tales we know since childhood.
Born in Odense (central Denmark) a poor shoemaker's son, Andersen spent... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Born in Odense (central Denmark) a poor shoemaker's son, Andersen spent... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
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