What have the Danes learned, borrowed, or stolen from Germany

What have the Danes learned, borrowed, or stolen from Germany

The Danes have a lot of traditions that originally came from Germany. German influence can be seen in art exhibitions, film and music, architecture etc. Copenhagen has important German institutions such as the St. Petri’s School, the Goethe-Institute and the Danish-German Chamber of Commerce.

This city walk starts at the City Hall Square, from where we first explore the medieval city and then continue towards Frederiksstaden. Throughout the guided tour, we will keep our focus on Copenhagen’s inspiration from Germany and ask the question: have we borrowed, stolen, or learned from our German neighbors?

I will show you both what is easy to spot, such as architecture, trade, and Christmas markets in December, and what can be harder to detect, for example language, philosophy, and cultural influences within our central administration.

We will look into history and meet some of the Germans who have passed through - from Struensee to the many craftsmen who have left their mark on Copenhagen. We will also talk about the period where the idea Nation States grew and Danish identity became strong in opposition to the German.

A city walk tracing the German influence in Copenhagen, offering both historical insights and a modern understanding of Danish-German relations.