Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/319

COPENHAGEN 315 principal thoroughfares, the finest street being the Bredgade (broad street), which leads di- rectly to the esplanade of the citadel. The castle or palace of Rosenborg, partly surround- ed by a public garden, was commenced in 1604, but has long ceased to be a royal resi- dence, and is devoted to the chronological collection of the Danish kings, one or more rooms being devoted to the reign of each, commencing with Christian IV. (1588-1648). The old palace of Christiansborg was at the time of its destruction by fire in 1794 one of the handsomest palaces in Europe. The new palace, opened in 1828, when partly finished, has never been used as a permanent residence, being reserved mainly for festivities and for the use of the Things or houses of parliament. It is situated on a little island bounded by the harbor and by canals, crossed by several bridges, and is the most conspicuous structure in the city. It contains a splendid banqueting hah 1 , the facade being ornamented by four colossal bronze statues by Thorwaldsen, repre- senting Hercules, Minerva, Nemesis, and ^Es- culapius. The intention was that the four should symbolize strength, wisdom, justice, and truth ; but when the order reached the sculptor at Rome, instead of Sandhed, truth, he read it Sundhed, health, and so JEscula- pius came to be one of the four. There are other famous works by Thorwaldsen, and the palace is also temporarily used for the royal picture gallery. The former palace of Frede- riksborg, with a fine park, is used as a military academy. Amalienborg, the principal royal residence, near the Kongens Nytorv, consists of four palaces, erected by different nobles and purchased by the king after the destruction of Christiansborg. One of these is occupied by the king, one by the queen dowager, one by the crown prince, and the last by the foreign office. The former royal palace of Charlot- tenborg, on the principal square, is occupied by the academy of fine arts. The principal church is that of Our Lady ( Vor Frue Kirlce), in which are several celebrated works of Thor- waldsen, including the original marble statues of the twelve apostles. The original church, built before the 12th century, was destroyed by the great fire of 1 728 ; the second one was destroyed in the bombardment by the Eng- lish in 1807; the present structure was fin- ished in 1829. Trinity church has a remark- able round tower, originally intended as an observatory, and occupied for that purpose for about 200 years. Our Saviour's church has a beautifully sculptured alabaster font, and a spire with an external staircase terminating under a ball which will contain 12 persons. The so-called marble church was begun in 1746, but the cost of construction so far ex- ceeded the means that the undertaking was abandoned, and it is now a mere ruin. Thor- waldsen's museum was erected by the city (1838-'48) to contain the collection of his works and other objects which he had be- queathed to the public, and also to serve as his mausoleum. The museum of northern an- tiquities, founded in 1807, and for 50 years (1815-'65) under the charge of one director, Mr. 0. Thomsen, was the first in which a sys- tematic effort was made to show the three stages of civilization characterized respectively by the use of stone, bronze, and iron for im- plements. It is in this respect by far the best in Europe ; it is also without a rival in its col- lection of gold ornaments. The university, founded in 1478, has about 1,200 students, and has become noted for the ability of several of its professors. ' Connected with it are an ob- servatory, botanical garden, surgical academy, polytechnic institute, and museum of natural history ; the library contains 200,000 volumes and 4,000 rare MSS. The royal library ranks among the largest in Europe, having more than 500,000 volumes and 20,000 MSS. The Classen scientific library, deriving its name from two brothers who founded it, has about 30,000 volumes. The ethnographic museum is among the largest and best arranged of its kind. Its object is to illustrate the civilization of non-Scandinavian peoples anterior to the classic period, and its development as compared with that of existing savage tribes. There are many other educational, scientific, literary, and musical institutions. Among the benevo- lent institutions, besides the hospitals, are the Varton, a large red brick building, and four structures containing tenement apartments for workmen of different trades, with infant nur- series, and a large and well arranged institution for the blind. Among the places of amuse- ment are the royal or national theatre on the Kongens Nytorv, which enjoys a considerable subvention from the government; the Tivoli, a kind of public garden, frequented by all classes, where the concerts are very good ; and the Alhambra, a similar but smaller establish- ment. There are several pleasant promenades, the best of which is the Langlinie overlooking the entrance of the harbor. The walk around the ramparts is fine, but those of the citadel are only accessible to the holders of annual tickets. Among the public buildings recently erected are the national bank (1866-'9), the freemasons' lodge (1869-'70), and the palace of the industrial exhibition (1870-72). The city is connected by railway with the ports of Elsinore, 20 m. N., and with Korsor, 60 m. S. W. There is regular steamboat communication with foreign ports, and in 1870 nearly 8,000 emigrants sailed from the port for the United States. Street railways and omnibuses trav- erse the principal thoroughfares. Copenha- gen is the centre of the entire commerce of Denmark. Its trade suffered much during the Schleswig-Holstein war, but has since revived. At the beginning of 1872 there were owned here 382 merchant vessels, of which 48 were steamers, with an aggregate tonnage of 49,771. The principal imports are timber, pitch, and tar from Sweden and Norway ; flax, hemp,