The Nyhavn Canal can be called the most interesting attraction in Copenhagen. His Scandinavian-style houses, reflected in the waters of the canal, create a charming image of Denmark. Along the entire canal you can see old sailing ships, and on the sunny side there are a large number of restaurants and taverns.
The Nyhavn Canal (translated from Danish means New Harbor) has been a city port since the 17th century. The 300-meter canal was dug by order of King Christian V in the period from 1670 to 1673. It connected the main waterway of the city, the Havnebaded Strait with the Royal Square in the Old Town. In those years, it was the main shopping area. Fishermen brought their catch here, merchants brought their goods.
Until the 19th century, the Nyhavn quarter was one of the most dysfunctional: pubs, drunken sailors, brothels and everything that accompanied it. Although this atmosphere attracted creative people as well. In the 19th century, the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen lived here in house No. 20.
Over time, the displacement of merchant ships became more and more. The main port has moved to more suitable harbors. After the World War II, a parking lot was located on the embankments of Nyhavn. In the 1960s, Copenhagen City Hall began a large-scale reconstruction of the area. The canal has become completely pedestrian.
Now the Nyhavn Canal is always filled with tourists. Here you can board a boat to take an excursion through the canals of Copenhagen. There are many restaurants on the canal embankment where you can taste Danish cuisine. The Nyhavn Canal can be called an open-air museum of Danish architecture. The oldest building No. 9 on the Nyhavn Canal was built in 1681.
Wooden ships belonging to the National Museum of Denmark are moored on the south side of the Nyhavn Canal. Here you can see the Floating lighthouse Gedser Rev XVII, built in 1895 in Odense. There are two galleasses Svalan af Nyhavn and Anna Moller, built in the early 20th century. Galleases are military sailing and rowing vessels, which in fact were large galleys.
At the beginning of the Canal in 1951, a large memorial anchor was installed in memory of all Danish sailors and soldiers who died during the Second World War. During the war, this anchor was on the ship Funen, which took part in the fighting on the Baltic Sea. On May 5, the day of the liberation of Denmark, an annual memorial ceremony is held here.
