New Nordic cuisine capital, canal-side hygge, and Tivoli lit up in the winter dark
Copenhagen is simultaneously one of the most livable and most influential food cities on earth. René Redzepi's Noma opened in 2003 and spent the next 20 years ranked #1 in the world, spawning the New Nordic movement that changed how chefs in 50 countries think about local forage, fermentation, and the ethics of sourcing. The city itself embodies a different kind of ambition: cycling infrastructure so good that 62% of residents commute by bike regardless of weather; architecture that wins international awards for housing projects; and the concept of hygge (the Danish art of cozy, intimate atmo…
Copenhagen was founded around 1000 CE as a fishing village; the name means 'merchants' harbor' (købe = buy, havn = harbor). It became the Danish capital in the 15th century and, at its peak as the center of the Danish-Norwegian empire in the 17th century, controlled Baltic trade from Greenland to the Caribbean. The city was bombarded twice by the British Navy — in 1801 (the Battle of Copenhagen, where Nelson famously ignored orders by putting his telescope to his blind eye) and in 1807 (the Bombardment of Copenhagen, which destroyed one fifth of the city to prevent Denmark's fleet from fallin…