A guide for us who are not easily frightened and offended
Just like most cities, Copenhagen also offers a lot of odd and obscure events. Here you can take part in some of them…
The smoking angels
Do angels smoke? Probably. On Strøget they do anyway. And here they have been smoking since about 1870! But how is this possible? In fact, they adorn the door to a former tobacco shop. Even more, this smoky location was started by the Hirschsprung brothers, who traded in tobacco. So the name Hirschprung is these days synonymous with the famous art collection.
Østergade 6
The old execution site
Just next to the road there are some larger rock outcroppings and a slab of concrete. It could have been anything but is an eerie place where executions took place between 1946-1950. In fact, this was one of the two places where the death sentences in the Danish court after the occupation were carried out.
Norddyssen 60
The death
It’s not so easily to spot this statue from the street. Because a tall bricked wall cover it well for all the happy people who pass outside. After all you can probably see there is a good reason for this. Because the statue is sooo sad and depressing. And the origin? It´s actually inspired by a fairy tale of HC Andersen, The Story of a Mother.
Sankt Petri Church
The falling angel
Next to the Royal Theater on Kongens Nytorv is the richly decorated Brönnum’s House. The building housed, among other things, a very popular theater cafe where celebrities such as H.C. Andersen was often seen. Hirschprung, who was great in art, also had a residence here in the upper floors.
But now to the falling angel. During the construction of the house, a serious accident occurred: A 19-year-old bricklayer’s apprentice fell from the scaffolding and lost his life. So in memory of this tragic event, it was decided to let one of the adorning angels simply “trip”. You can see it high up on the facade.
August Bournonvilles Passage 1
Giertrud Bodenhoff
At the assistant’s cemetery, an obscure event happened to Giertrud Bodenhoff. Because she was buried alive under anesthesia in 1798, only to be awakened and murdered by grave robbers… Read more about the cemetery here.
Kapelvej 2
The Devil at Laksegade
In 1826, the house at Laksegade 15 was visited by the Devil himself. Suddenly, food waste, firewood and other things flew around with great force. Witnesses could also hear laughter, swearing and growling noises from inside the building. The police were called to the scene but could not find out what actually happened.
Laksegade 15
The old Titanic office
When it became widely known among the Danes that you could travel on the incomparable Titanic to New York, customers flocked. And since the shipping company, White Star Line had its own office in Nyhavn at number five, it was a simple matter. And apparently you should still be able to read out the remains of destinations on some protected windows there.
Nyhavn 5
The bestial murder at house 65
in the backyard, at number 65 in Nyhavn, a bestial murder took place in the 1930s. A young man named Petri decided to murder a wealthy gentleman using opium-flavored cookies while he was there for French lessons! However, he lost his patience and strangled his victim to death instead.
After spending large sums of money, he was captured in Lübeck and subsequently executed in Copenhagen.
Nyhavn 65
The Danish sin
Believe it or not but in Denmark there was perhaps the world’s largest company in “erotic material”, Color Climax. And it all started with two brothers and a bookstore at Studiestræde. At first it was a cat and mouse game with the police, but after the business was legalized (1969) here in Denmark, the company grew rapidly.
Studiestræde 17
Pater Noster, the elevator of death
At Axelborg in Copenhagen you can still try the somewhat unique Pater Noster-elevator. What makes it so special is that it never stops and you won’t find any security doors here. In fact, a ride here can be more breathtaking than at the adjacent amusement park!
Also, keep in mind that in 2015 there was a fatal accident here: “According to the police, the man had his head crushed in a Pater Noster elevator”.
Vesterbrogade 4
Assistens Cemetery
If you walk around Assisten’s cemetery, you soon notice that the variety of tombstones and their decor varies widely. Some have a more crass attitude to death…
Kapelvej 2
