Here you may read more than forty stories of how the Danish cultural heritage is influenced by European culture – and the other way around. On the site you can also share your experience of places in Denmark.
On this website by means of text, photos, sound and video, we tell the story of more than forty locations in Denmark that have been influenced by European culture – and how Danish architects, artists and scientists have contributed to European culture.
For example, you can hear how Danish scientist Ole Rømer used the same techniques when constructing the royal fountains at Versailles and the sewers of Copenhagen around 1670. You can watch architect Dorte Mandrup present the Dutch architects MVRDV's transformation of an old industrial site into modern housing, and you can also read about how the elephants in Copenhagen Zoo got a building designed by a top-notch British architect.
The website highlights the intercultural dialogue that always existed between Europeans through the ages – a thousand years ago as well as in our everyday life, now. The idea being that the cultures of the European Member States are deeply intertwined and that we are all part of a larger cultural reality - with identities that move, or change with the times.
Danish culture is also European culture
Of Viking descent, the Danes have a taste for going overseas or for travelling in the countries of our European neighbours, and our cultural development has always been characterized by the exchange of ideas across borders. Throughout the entire country one can see how Danish buildings, art and architecture have been influenced by the architecture, lifestyle and culture that existed at various times in mainland Europe. Our literature, art and architecture show how European entrepreneurs, artists, designers, architects, archaeologists and writers have influenced and coloured Danish heritage. But this trend also manifests itself the other way round: how Danish culture and Danish artists have influenced European culture and identity.
Explore the varied Danish heritage
Danish cultural heritage is highly varied. We have castles and manor houses from the Renaissance, and in the countryside megalithic tombs from prehistoric times can still be seen. We have large, important cultural sites such as forests, moors, cliffs and, for instance, moler clay on the Isle of Fur, where the state of animal life millions of years ago can be observed. We have twenty-five heritage sites relating to industries like the Carlsberg Breweries and the Copenhagen Meatpacking District, which have now been given a new lease of life as state-of-the-art areas open to the public, and we are listed with three World Heritage sites: Roskilde Cathedral, the Jelling Monuments and Kronborg Castle at Elsinore.
Share your own stories
The European stories on this website make up part of the social website: “1001 Stories of Denmark” (
www.1001stories.dk), on which 1001 unique, cultural sites in the country are presented through text, video, sound and images. Here, on a daily basis, users share their experiences, images and impressions of sites in Denmark for the benefit of both tourists and the general public. It is our hope that you, too, will use the site, watch the videos, read about the various places of interest and contribute to the site with your own experience of places in Denmark influenced by European art, history and culture. In this way you can help continue the dialogue on Danish heritage, also in a European context.
Stories on the go
You can download the European stories to your smartphone and take them with you on the road.
Download the 1001Stories-app from iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/dk/app/1001-stories-of-denmark/id379860779?mt=8
Download the 1001Stories-app from the Android Market:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kultur&hl=da