Sights Archives ⋆ Page 53 of 152 ⋆ The Passenger

September 1, 2020October 4, 2020

State visit

Christiansborg castle was once the seat of the Danish royal family in København. First fortifications at this place date back to the year 1167, it became the seat of Christian VI. after it was built in rococo style in 1736. Only 58 years later in 1794 a fire destroyed the building and the royals shifted their home to Amalienborg castle. Today it is the only representational building in the world that combines all three supreme powers: legislative, judicative and executive.

September 1, 2020May 18, 2022

Round and round

Good views on a city normally require you to take many stars up on a tower or hill – the round tower or Rundetårn in København is a very welcome alternative. You can walk up onto the 35 meters high tower nearly without stairs on a giant spiral. It is an astronomical tower connected to the old university library and the spiral was used to transport books up on horse carriages.

September 1, 2020October 4, 2020

Nyhavn

If you’re looking for a restaurant or a nice bar to hang out – take a look at the new harbour of København. The Nyhavn was finished in 1673 and already by that time a lot of taverns for the sailors lined up there. Today the tattoo studios and the dark sides with prostitution, burglary and bar fights are gone. If you get there you can see a lot of colourful small houses along the water, enjoy some old ships placed there and take a look at the beautiful illumination in the evening.

August 31, 2020October 3, 2020

Den Lille Havfrue

The absolute and unquestioned icon of København, Denmark, is a little mermaid located in the harbour of the city. In Danish, it is called Den Lille Havfrue. People often imagine it as much larger but it is a rather small bronze statue (125 cm, 175 kg) sitting on a stone – which becomes more beautiful when it is illuminated at night. It can be found at the Langelinie, north of the city centre.

August 31, 2020October 3, 2020

Tivoli

Whenever I talk to people about København one of the first things that come to their minds is the Tivoli. It is quite surprising that an amusement park is a major sight of a capital city but this one is really known throughout the world and it is even one of the oldest in the world. Maybe København is also the only capital city that has such a funfair so close to the city centre – it is located directly next to the main railway station and not far away from the town hall.

July 19, 2020July 28, 2020

Elefantenklo

A strange building made of stone hidden behind high trees in the forest. A temple? A ruin? If you walk around the building on the Klausberg in Göttingen, Germany, you will spot a tiny inscription: ‘Gedenkstein für Otto von Bismarck‘, a memorial for the former imperial chancellor. It is officially called ‘Bismarckstein‘ but the locals have a different name for it: ‘Elefantenklo‘ (elephant loo). Bismarck was very famous by his time even though his role in history has a lot of dark sides – but the people were willing to donate for memorials to commemorate him.

July 19, 2020July 22, 2020

Mintrop-Kugel

When you’re hiking on the Warteberg mountain in the east of Göttingen, Germany, you can come across an old earthquake observatory. It is the so-called Wiechert’sche Erdbebenwarte named after the former director Emil Wiechert. The university gave up the building in 2005 but now a private association cares about the legacy of the scientist, including different seismographs that still work. A highlight of this place is a four tons weighing giant: the Mintrop-Kugel.

July 19, 2020July 21, 2020

Kleiner Reinsbrunnen

Everybody in Göttingen, Germany, knows the Schillerwiesen – a long stretched park in the East of the city leading up the hill. Most people only know the lower section where people meet for picnics and barbecues, to do sports or play miniature golf. Some get a little bit higher and also see the Jérôme-Pavillion where you can also have your wedding ceremony. Not many people get further on to a more quiet part where you can see the Merkelstein (remembering the former mayor Georg Merkel) and the Kleiner Reinsbrunnen – a nice spring hidden in the forest.

June 27, 2020June 27, 2020

Werdersee

Every city has this recreation zone which locals get to for having a barbecue, swimming, doing sports or just for sunbathing. In Bremen, Germany, it is the Werdersee – an artificial lake created from 1953 on. It is connected to river Weser and has, therefore, a rather good water quality. Formerly it only contained water during high-water flood times, but human intervention made it a nice lake all year round.

June 21, 2020June 21, 2020

Sababurg

The Sababurg is a wonderful old castle within the Reinhardswald forest and belongs to Hofgeismar, Germany. It dates back to the year 1334 and carried different names over time: first, it was the Zappenburg protecting pilgrims, as the Zapfenburg it was later used for hunting. Today you can find a hotel and a restaurant within the grounds of the castle.