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Subject: Nordic FAQ - 3 of 7 - DENMARK
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Summary: About Denmark: culture, history, places of interest and other
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       A Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ) file for the newsgroup
                   S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
                         *** PART 3: DENMARK ***


   Index
                 3.1
                        Fact Sheet
                 3.2
                        General information
                 3.2.1
                        Geography, climate, vegetation
                 3.2.2
                        Economy
                 3.2.3
                        Government
                 3.2.4
                        Population & culture
                 3.2.5
                        The Danish language
                 3.2.6
                        The Danish alphabet
                 3.3
                        History
                 3.3.1
                        A chronology of important dates
                 3.3.2
                        A list of Danish monarchs
                 3.3.3
                        @ Denmark during world war II
                 3.3.4
                        @ S�nderjylland - The Duchy of Slesvig
                 3.4
                        Main tourist attractions
                 3.4.1
                        Getting there and getting around
                 3.4.2
                        Copenhagen
                 3.4.3
                        Zealand and surrounding islands
                 3.4.4
                        Bornholm
                 3.4.5
                        Fyn and surrounding islands
                 3.4.6
                        Jutland
                 3.5
                        Danish literature
                 3.6
                        Faroe Islands
                 3.6.1
                        Fact sheet
                 3.6.2
                        General information
                 3.6.3
                        History
                 3.6.4
                        Main tourist attractions
                 3.6.5
                        Faroese language and literature
                 3.7
                        Books for learning Danish
    _________________________________________________________________



Subject: 3.1 Fact Sheet

Name:  Kongeriget Danmark

Telephone country code:  45

Area:  43,075 km� / 16,631 sq mi.

Terrain:  low and flat to gently rolling plains

Highest point:  Yding Skovh�j, 173 m (568 ft)

Natural resources:  crude oil, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone

Land boundaries:  Germany

Population:  5,163,955 (1992)

Population density:  119.9 persons per km� (310.5 per sq mi.)

Distribution:        84% urban, 16% rural (1989)

Life expectancy:     women 78; men 72 (1992)

Infant mortality:    7 per 1,000 live births (1992)

Capital:  K�benhavn (Copenhagen) (pop. 467,850)
         [ pop. of Metropolitan area: 1.4 million ] (1989)

Other major towns:  �rhus  (245,000),
                   Odense (170,000),
                   �lborg (154,000)

Administrative units:  14 counties (amter)

Flag:  white cross on red background (the "Dannebrog")

Type:  Constitutional monarchy

Head of state:  Queen Margrethe II

National anthem:  Der er et yndigt land (Sound)

Royal anthem:  Kong Christian stod ved h�jen mast

Languages:  Danish

Currency:  krone (Danish crown, DKK)
          for the current exchange rate,
          see the URL <http://www.dna.lth.se/cgi-bin/kurt/rates>


Climate:  temperate sea-climate
         average temperature in Copenhagen:
         -3�C - 2�C in Feb., and 14�C - 22�C in June

Religion:  Evangelic-Lutheran (91%, 1988) (official state-religion)

Exports:  meat, dairy products, fish, machinery, electronics,chemicals, furnitu
re






------------------------------

Subject: 3.2 General information



 3.2.1 Geography, climate, vegetation

  Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries. Located between
  the North Sea on the west and the Baltic Sea on the southeast, Denmark
  is separated from Norway by the Skagerrak and from Sweden by the
  Kattegat and the �resund. In the south, it shares a 68 km border with
  Germany. It consists of the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland) in the
  west, and an archipelago of 406 islands in the east, of which the most
  important ones are Zealand (Sj�lland) on which Copenhagen is located,
  and Funen (Fyn). Denmark is part of Europe's temperate deciduous
  forest belt. The natural vegetation in most of the country is a mixed
  forest, with the beech most common tree. However, almost all parts of
  the country are under cultivation today, and virtually all the
  existing forests have been planted. Coniferous trees prevail in parts
  of the former heath areas in western Jutland, and the dune areas have
  been forested with spruce and pine. Denmark has a 12% forest cover.



 3.2.2 Economy

  Denmark is one of the smaller states of Europe, only slightly larger
  than Switzerland. All of Denmark is very flat, the highest peak being
  only 173 meters high. This, as well as the fertile soil and temperate
  climate, makes it very suitable for agriculture; about 70% of
  Denmark's land surface is used for agricultural production (but only
  about 7% of the labor force is in agriculture). Barley is the most
  important crop, followed by grass and green fodder, and root crops.
  Most of the barley and root crops are grown primarily for use as
  livestock feed (some, of course, goes to the worldfamous Danish
  beers). About 90% of all farm income is derived from animal products;
  sausages, bacon, cheese and butter are the most famous products of
  Danish animal husbandry. Danish design is world famous. Denmark
  doesn't have much natural resources, although limestone, clay, and
  gravel are mined in many areas. In northern Jutland, salt deposits
  have been exploited since World War II, and granite and kaolin are
  mined on the island of Bornholm. Since 1972 petroleum and gas deposits
  of the Danish sector of the North Sea have been exploited.



 3.2.3 Government

  According to the constitution Denmark is a constitutional monarchy
  with the legislative power jointly vested in the regent and the
  Parliament, but the responsibility for the actions of the king/queen
  solely taken by the ministers in the Cabinet. The Evangelical Lutheran
  Church is supported by the State as a State Church.

  The parliamentary system has been unicameral since 1953; the
  parliament is called the 'Folketing'. The 179 members (of which two
  are elected in Greenland and two in the Faroe Islands) are elected for
  four-year terms. The Prime Minister can call an early election. For
  the last 20 years there have never been fewer than 8 parties
  represented in the Folketing.

  Denmark is a member of the European Union, and elects 16 members of
  the European parliament. The Faroes and Greenland, on the other hand,
  are outside the EU.

  Since 1955 Denmark has had an ombudsman, who oversees the conduct of
  the cabinet and the decisions of the administration. All citizens have
  the right to appeal government actions to the ombudsman.


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq31.html ]



 3.2.4 Population & culture

  Denmark was settled already 10,000 years ago, when the ice retreated
  from Scandinavia. Danes descend from various Germanic tribes,
  including the Jutes and Angles who settled England in the 5th century.
  There is a small German minority living in southern Jutland and a
  Danish minority living in North Germany. Danish is a Germanic language
  of the Nordic branch, mutually intelligible (with some practice) with
  Norwegian and Swedish.

  The kingdom of Denmark includes also the autonomous areas of Greenland
  (area: 2.2 mill. km�, pop. 53,000) and Faroe Islands (area: 1,400 km�,
  pop. 48,000). The inhabitants speak a language (Faroese) resembling
  Icelandic and some Western Norwegian dialects. Eskimos speaking
  Greenlandic (a language based on a mid-19th century creation of a
  single literary language out of many Inuit dialects) form the largest
  group of Greenlanders; the inhabitants of Faroe Islands descend from
  the Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century and the Irish monks
  and slaves who also made it to the Island.

  As can be expected Danish culture could be called more Central
  European in character than that of other Nordic countries.
  Particularly it could be noted that mentality and food are rather
  similar from Holland to Scania.

  Important figures include e. g. the philosopher S�ren Kierkegaard
  (1813-55), the composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), the astronomer Tycho
  Brahe (1546-1601), the authors Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) and
  Karen Blixen (1885-1962), the architect J�rn Utzon (1918-), the
  painter P. S. Kr�yer (1851-1909), the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen
  (1768-1844), and the physicist and Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr
  (1885-1962).



 3.2.5 The Danish language

  This is a brief description of some of the characteristics of the
  Danish language and some of the differences and similarities between
  Danish and the other North Germanic languages.

     How do I identify a Danish text if I don't know the language?

  Look for the letters �, �, and �. If you find all three of them, you
  have narrowed your choices down to Danish or Norwegian (both bokm�l
  and nynorsk). Telling written Danish from Norwegian (especially
  bokm�l) can be fairly difficult; you sometimes come across whole
  sentences that are absolutely identical in the two languages. The
  easiest might be to look for double consonants at the end of words,
  Norwegian often has words ending in -ss, -kk, etc. while this is never
  the case in Danish.

     How is Danish pronunciation different from Swedish/Norwegian?

  The spoken Danish has a rather poor reputation for some reason. The
  many soft d's and g's are often a cause of much amusement among other
  Nordics (of course, _their_ languages sound pretty funny in our ears
  too :-).

  The soft Danish d's and g's are reasonably close to their Spanish (!)
  equivalents; this might give you an idea about the pronunciation. D's
  and g's tend to get soft between vowels but never at the beginning of
  a word.

  On the other hand, contemporary Danish does not have the Swedish or
  Norwegian "soft k" (in Swedish/Norwegian a k/kj is pronounced
  something like sh/ch before a front vowel - e, i, y, �/�, or �/�). In
  Danish (probably due to German influence) the k is always pronounced
  as a "hard k", i.e. like the English "key". However, this is a fairly
  recent thing; old spellings like "Kj�benhavn" indicate that also
  Danish had "soft k" (only a century ago?). And also the dialects of
  Bornholm and Northern Jutland (these areas are often the last to pick
  up pronunciation trends originating in the capital) still follow
  "Swedish pronunciation rules" with regard to k (and g).

  The glottal stop ("st�d" in Danish) is another characterstic feature.
  It is similiar to the non-pronunciation of "tt" in the Cockney
  "bottle".

     Genders and definite articles.

  Like Swedish, Danish has two genders: The common gender (originally
  there were both masculine and feminine) and the neuter gender. Some
  Danish dialects (e.g. in North Jutland) still have all three genders;
  dialects in western and southern Jutland have only the common gender.

  Like the other North Germanic languages Danish has the definite
  article at the end of the word, thus "a man" = "en mand", but "the
  man" = "manden". Surprisingly, dialects of western and southern
  Jutland follow the more usual system of English, German, French, etc.:
  "A man" = "en mand", "the man" = "� mand". It is not clear why one of
  Europe's most significant linguistic borders (separating areas having
  the definite article before/after the word) is running straight
  through Jutland!



 3.2.6 The Danish alphabet

  Danish has three additional letters compared to the English alphabet:
  �, �, and � (see the section 1.8 on the Nordic graphemes for more
  details).

  A question often asked by non-Danes is: "Why are �rhus and �lborg
  sometimes spelt with double-a and sometimes with a-with-circle? What's
  the difference?" Well, it is a matter of old and new spelling
  conventions. According to S�ren Hornstrup <[email protected]> the
  "Nudansk ordbog" (Concurrent Danish) quotes "Retskrivningsordbogen"
  for the proper usage of � versus aa:

    The letter � was substituted for aa in 1948 as the token for
    �-sound. It is still possible to use aa for � in Danish personal
    and place names. In personal names you should follow the way the
    named person uses. [...]

    In Danish place names �, � is always the correct spelling, e.g.,
    �rhus, T�strup, Gren�. Only if you want to respect strong local
    traditions you could use Aa, aa, e.g., �lborg or Aalborg, �benr� or
    Aabenraa. In Nordic place names you should use �, �, e.g., �lesund,
    Sk�ne.

    And from "H�ndbog i Nudansk":
    It is always correct to use � in Danish place names. But you should
    know that you might offend the local residents. [...]

    Until 1984 the central administration (statsadministrationen) had
    to use �, but in 1984 it was allowed to follow local traditions.

    More from the same book:
    The Danish alphabet has 29 letters in the following order:
    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z � � � (aa)

    The letter aa is placed in parentheses. This is because it is not
    normally used in the language, only in names. Also note that the
    capitalization of the double-a is "Aa" and not "AA".

  �rhus was among the first cities to adopt the a-ring; �lborg on the
  contrary, has been insisting on using the double-a. Since the central
  administration between 1948 and 1984 only recognized the �-spelling,
  all road signs etc. said "�lborg". After 1984 when a number of cities
  successfully readopted the old spelling with double-a, the new road
  signs said "Aalborg". So if you see a sign with the old spelling
  (double-a) it is probably a new sign, and if you see a sign with the
  new spelling (a-ring) it is probably an old sign ... confused?

  Surprisingly perhaps, the reason for cities like �lborg, �benr�, and
  Gren� to readopt the double-a is not one of internationalization
  (though double-a is surely more "ASCII-friendly" than a-ring) but
  rather one of nostalgia, it seems.

  The alphabetical sorting is not affected by the aa/� controversy;
  Danish person names and place names with aa are alphabetized as if
  they were spelt with � (i.e. last in the alphabet), but _only_ when
  the aa represents the � sound rather than a "long a". Thus, in a
  Danish encyclopedia the city Aabenraa and the author Jeppe Aakj�r are
  at the end of the encyclopaedia, while the German city Aachen and
  Finnish architect Alvar Aalto are found in the beginning!

  < A comment from Byrial Ole Jensen: >

  This is not quite correct. aa should be alphabetized as � when it is
  pronounced as one sound even if it is an "a" sound. So the right place
  to search for Aachen in a Danish encyclopaedia is a little after
  �benr� near the end of the encyclopaedia.

  This is according to official rules for the Danish language which is
  found in Retskrivningsordbogen (The Dictionary of Correct Writing??).
  But I must admit that only few people know this alphabetizing rule and
  it is likely that even not dictionaries follow it in order to not
  confuse people not knowing the rule. Retskrivningsordbogen itself
  places the word "kraal" BOTH between "kr." and "krabask" AND between
  "kr�sus" and "kr�se".


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq324.html ]






------------------------------

Subject: 3.3 History



 3.3.1 A chronology of important dates

  430
         (circa) Saxo Grammaticus, in Gesta Danorum, says that the
         Danish King Frode raised a huge united army from many conquered
         lands and defeated a king of the Huns.
  443
         As Western Europe was threatened by the Huns (A.D. 406~436
         - their most famous king was called Attila) and the Roman
         Empire wasn't capable of holding its position on the British
         islands any more, the Angles were (according to The Anglo-Saxon
         Chronicle) asked to come and participate in the war against the
         Picts. The Angles are believed to have lived somewhere in the
         area of Southern Jutland and the estuary of river Elbe, or
         maybe further north on Jutland.
  449
         The Jutes, the Saxons and more Angles participate in the war on
         Britain. Soon the Britons are fought by the new-comers.
  515
         The first Danish king known from contemporary sources is killed
         during a military attack against the Frankish Empire. Name:
         Huglik [or Chocillaicus in Gregor of Tours' annals].
  737
         (circa) Danevirke is founded.
  772
         Charlemagne begins the Frankish expansion to the North. The
         deep woods of Holstein do however protect the Danes for several
         decades yet.
  787-1066 (circa)
         Viking Age
         Danes raid e.g England, France and Spain. The beginning of the
         Viking era is by convention dated to the raid at Northumbria
         A.D. 793 (referred to in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that too,
         although the same source says that the first ships of the
         Danish men that sought the land of the English nation came
         A.D. 787).
  808
         (circa) The Danes defeat Slavic tribes.
         During the war the market at Haithabu is abandoned to the
         Slavic Vends. Haithabu /Hedeby/ is situated at the very same
         bay as the later town Schleswig /Slesvig, on the narrowest part
         of south Jutland, the short-cut between the Baltic Sea and the
         North Sea.
  811
         As Charlemagne extended his realm in the late 8th century he
         came to meet a united Danish army which successfully defended
         Danevirke. A Danish-Frankish border was established at the
         River Eider A.D. 811. Haithabu is regained.
         Frankish sources, for instance Annales regni Francorum against
         the year 811, gives a rather good picture of the Danish realm.
         Godfred, or perhaps a predecessor, seems to have brought the
         lands of the South- and North Danes together shortly before
         800. And to end the war between the Franks and the Danes a
         hostage was sent to Charlemagne in Aachen. That Danish hostages
         came from Southern Jutland, Zealand and Scania ("Osfrid de
         Sconaowe"). Probably also southern Norway was held by the kings
         of Denmark of that time.
  845
         Hamburg is raided and burned by Danish Vikings. As a
         consequence Arch-bishop Ansgar moves the Cathedral to Bremen.
  874
         The Danes get control of northern and eastern England.
  890-935 (circa)
         A separate kingdom of Haithabu was established by the Viking
         chieftain Olaf from Svealand. Olaf's son Gnupa was however
         killed in battle (against the Danish King Hardeknud?), and his
         kingdom vanished. King Gorm is said to have regained Haithabu
         A.D. 935.
  911
         (circa) Rollo, a Danish Viking chieftain, is granted Normandy
         as a Duchy by the Frankish king Charles the Simple.
  948
         A bishopric is established in Slesvig.
  958-986/988
         Harald Gormsson (a.k.a. "Black-tooth") unites Denmark and
         Norway as a single kingdom. Scania, Jutland and the islands
         in-between had been ruled by the same king now and then, for
         instance under King Godfred in the early 800s, but first with
         the Christianization of kings and magnates the kingdom of
         Denmark seems to have become a stabile entity. [ See also the
         web-site at the Royal Danish Embassy, Washington D.C.
         <http://www.denmarkemb.org/viking94.htm> ]
         Lars Hemmingsen writes:
         Harald boasts at the rune stone in Jellinge that he has won
         "all of Denmark" - but what this really means is unclear: There
         are some circumstantial evidence that Gorm lost Scania and
         Norway, as well as his life, in 958 and that what Harald
         accomplished was merely a re-conquest. But the standard
         explanation is that Harald held the lands from the beginning
         and that what he won of Denmark was merely the area around
         Haithabu, A.D. 983, which he had first lost to Emperor Otto II.
  965
         Harald Gormsson (a.k.a. "Bl�tand" - Black-Tooth) baptized.
  983-1253
         Southern Jutland (S�nderjylland) is an integrated part of the
         Danish realm.
  1013
         The King Svend Tvesk�g ("Double-beard" or "Fork-beard")
         conquers England, which remains in Danish control until the
         year 1042.
  1018-35
         Knud den Store (Canute the Great) ruled over a vast kingdom
         that included present-day Denmark, England, Norway and southern
         Sweden, and during his reign Christianity became widespread.
         After his death, the empire disintegrated.
  1022
         Bishopric in Roskilde
  1060
         King Svend Estridsen lets build a stone church for the bishop
         Egino in Dalby, close to Lund. (This church is the oldest
         remaining stone church on the Scandinavian peninsula.)
         This year the Church was re-organized with new bishoprics also
         in: Lund, Aarhus, Borglum, Ribe and Odense.
  1074
         After King Svend Estridsen's death Denmark is from time to time
         split between his sons. The Thing in Scania supports Knud ("the
         Holy") against whom the Jutes revolt in 1086 and King Knud is
         murdered.
  1080
         The Bishop in Bremen and the Bishop in Canterbury have fought
         over dominance of Denmark, and as a move in this complicated
         struggle, rich funds are donated by the king for a cathedral in
         Lund. The cathedral school is opened in 1086. The school has
         been in function ever since.
  1104
         With the first arch-bishop of Lund, Scandinavia was made a
         separate church province, no longer belonging to Hamburg.
  1137-1157
         Denmark seems to divide itself in pieces. Scania, Zealand and
         Jutland can't agree on choosing the same king and Civil War
         follows, in which King Valdemar the Great comes out on top in
         1157.
  1145
         The Lund cathedral is opened. (The church in Dalby had lost the
         competition for cathedral status.)
  1167
         Copenhagen (Havn) is founded.
  1168
         The Vendic castle Arkona on the island R�gen is captured by
         King Valdemar the Great.
  1195
         Saxo writes the history of Scandinavia.
  1201-1227
         King Valdemar II Sejr conquers Holstein with the town of
         Hamburg,which soon enough is re-captured by a united German
         army. He also conquers Pomerania, and Mecklenburg, and
         reestablishes the nation as a great power in northern Europe.
         Soon, however, a civil war between the nobles and the king
         vying for control of the country erupted.
  1202-1210
         The Scanian Law is written down. 50 years later it's also
         transcribed to runes.
  1219
         King Valdemar II Sejr conquers northern Estonia. According to
         the legend, the Danish flag "Dannebrogen" fell down from the
         sky during this mission. [ The Dannebrog is the oldest flag in
         the world still in use. All Nordic flags except the Greenland
         flag are variations of the Dannebrog. ]
  1253-1325
         Denmark's southern border had since long been guarded by troops
         under command of an Earl (Jarl), later Duke, in Schleswig
         /Slesvig in S�nderjylland. The Duchy had become also a means of
         providing for the expenses of younger royal princes. As the
         Hansa and the German Empire expanded, the Counts of Holstein,
         the Duke of Slesvig and the Hansa found a common enemy in the
         king of Denmark. The result was a long row of wars where the
         Dukes strived for independence from the Danish Crown.
         At the same time also the Arch-bishop in Lund strived for
         supremacy over the secular king, or at least for independence,
         and the nobility demanded the realm to be governed by a Senate
         (Danehof).
  1320-32
         King Christoffer II was forced to make major concessions to the
         nobles and clergy at the expense of royal power, which was also
         diminished by the influence of the German Hanseatic League.
         1326-30 King Christoffer is replaced by an under-age king with
         Count Gerhard of Holstein as regent.
         The Scanian nobility (alternatively the Thing in Lund) had in
         the beginning of the 1330s chosen the young Magnus Eriksson to
         be king also for the Scanian provinces, after his regents had
         promised to pay Count Johan of Holstein to whom Scania was
         pawned. At that time Magnus Eriksson was the under-age king of
         both Norway and Sweden.
  1332-40
         Due to the expensive but failed wars almost all rights to taxes
         and custom fees are given in pawn to the creditors of the realm
         (mainly the Counts of Holstein). The Danish Crown has no
         incomes to speak of, and no king is appointed.
  1340-75
         King Valdemar IV Atterdag succeeded in restoring royal
         authority.
  1346
         After an Estonian uprising, Denmark sells its possessions in
         Northern Estonia to the Order of Teutonic Knights.
  1360
         Valdemar IV Atterdag re-conquers Scania.
  1361
         Valdemar IV Atterdag conquers Gotland.
  1375
         The five years old Crown Prince Olof of Norway is elected King
         of Denmark, with his mother Queen Margrete of Norway as regent.
         In 1380 he becomes King of Norway too. The union between
         Denmark and Norway will remain until 1814.
  1386
         To avoid a war on the southern border, and to regain the rich
         Slesvig region, Queen Margrete I (the daughter of Valdemar IV)
         unites the Danish Duchy of Slesvig with the German County of
         Holstein by giving Slesvig as a fief to the Counts of Holstein.
         The unity between Slesvig and Holstein has remained ever since,
         although the northern part of Slesvig was split of in 1920.
         Until 1440 the dukes of Slesvig fails to agree with their kings
         over the Duchy's duties in the realm.
  1388
         Margrete, Queen-widow and mother of the late King Oluf, who had
         died in 1387, is acclaimed as "plenipotentiary lady and
         rightful warden" for Norway and Sweden.
  1389-96
         Queen Margrete of Norway and Denmark unites all the Nordic
         countries as a single kingdom, the Kalmar Union, under the
         under-age Eric of Pomerania, who is crowned in Kalmar 1397.
  1429
         Duty on goods through �resund is introduced by King Erik of
         Pomerania. This becomes an important income for the Danish
         Crown, and creates heaps of enemies to the State of Denmark.
  1448
         The house of Oldenburg (one of the branches of Counts of
         Holstein) was established on the throne in the person of
         Christian I and has continued to rule Denmark up to the present
         day.
  1460-74
         King Christian I becomes Duke of the duchies of Slesvig (1460)
         and Holstein (1474). Holstein and Slesvig become twin duchies
         with peculiar rules for succession. In 1490-1721 both of the
         duchies are split in two or more parts, one of which is held by
         the king of Denmark.
  15th ct
         During the late 15th century male serfdom (vornedskab) was
         introduced on the islands.
  1523
         The Kalmar Union is dissolved as the Swedes revolt after the
         "Stockholm bloodbath" performed by King Christian II of
         Denmark. Denmark and Norway remain united, however.
  1534-36
         After the death of King Frederik I, the Civil "War of the
         Counts" (Grevefejden) between the rivals to throne follows. The
         parties struggled mainly over two issues: for or against
         Hanseatic influence and for or against a national Lutheran
         State Church. After 1536 the Hansa's dominance in Denmark's
         domestic politics was broken. Frederik's Lutheran son becomes
         King Christian III.
  1536
         Reformation. Denmark becomes Lutheran.
  1645
         Denmark-Norway has to cede Gotland, J�mtland, �sel and H�rjedal
         to Sweden in the Br�msebro peace after King Christian IV had
         intervened in the Thirty Years' War. Halland is ceded for 30
         years.
  1658-60
         In the peace treaty of Roskilde, Denmark-Norway cedes Sk�ne,
         Halland, Blekinge, Bohusl�n, and Tr�ndelag (i.e. the district
         of Trondheim) to Sweden after a failed war against Sweden
         declared by King Frederik III the year before.
         After the peace treaty Sweden continues the war and besieges
         Copenhagen for two years. However, this results in Tr�ndelag
         being returned to Norway and Bornholm (after an uprising) to
         Denmark.
         A consequence of the disastrous war was that the monarchy was
         made hereditary in 1660, and royal Autocracy was introduced in
         1661. The Autocracy came to last until 1848. The high
         aristocracy had lost its influence over the government.
  1671-85
         Religious tolerance
         Catholics (1671), Jews (1684) and Calvinists (1685) were
         granted rights to perform their own worship.
  1675-79, 1700-21
         In the "war of Scania" and later in the "Great Northern War",
         Denmark tries to conquer back the territory lost in 1658 but
         without success, due to pressure from the great powers of
         Europe. Sweden's collapse after the Great Northern War does,
         however, return Denmark some of its earlier position as a
         northern power.
  1702/33
         The serfdom (vornedskab) is first abolished in 1702 (it was in
         use only on the islands), then re-invented for all of Denmark
         in 1733 under the name of stavnsb�ndet - male peasants below
         the age of 36 were disallowed to move from the manor without
         consent of the landowner. (Less than 5% of the land was owned
         by peasants.)
  1721-1864
         All of the Duchy of Slesvig is ruled by the King of Denmark. In
         1773 Denmark formally obtains the whole of Slesvig in exchange
         for Oldenburg. The Danish king also becomes Duke of Holstein
         (under the German Emperor), initially only with half of the
         Duchy, but from 1773 on, Holstein is united.
  1781
         Grand reform of farming decided. Villages were split into
         separate farms, so farmers came to live closer to their land,
         more distant from their neighbors.
  1800
         Serfdom (stavnsb�ndet) is again abolished. As a consequence
         land-rent is fixed and paid in money, not in work, and then
         most farms are sold to the peasants. In 1815 60% of the farmers
         owned their own land, however heavily in debt. The difference
         between farm workers and farmers increased. (The farm workers
         constituted approximately the half of Denmark's population
         in 1801.)
  April 1801
         The battle of the Roadstead of Copenhagen (Slaget p� Reden).
         The British force Denmark to retreat from the Armed Neutral
         Alliance with Sweden and Russia. Admiral Nelson was in charge
         of the part of the British fleet which partook in the battle.
  September 1807
         The British under Wellington bombard Copenhagen, to make
         Denmark cede its navy. Denmark becomes a French ally.
  1813-14
         The alliance with Napoleon becomes a disaster for Denmark: the
         country goes bankrupt. In the peace treaty of Kiel, Denmark has
         to cede Norway to Sweden. Denmark also gets Swedish Pomerania
         which is traded with Prussia for Lauenburg. Iceland, Greenland,
         and the Faroe Islands remain with Denmark.
  1848-51
         After a Prussian-inspired revolt in Schleswig-Holstein, the
         first war of Slesvig ends with status quo. Denmark still
         controls the duchies of Slesvig, Holstein, and Lauenburg.
  1849
         King Fredrik VII authorized a new constitution instituting a
         representative form of government. In addition, wide ranging
         social and educational reforms took place.
         Religious freedom was enacted and the Church was declared
         independent of the State, although this independence never has
         been realized - mainly due to internal conflicts in the Church
         - The King (the Queen) has remained the head of Church who
         appoints priests, confirms hymnals, etcetera.
  1863-64
         Denmark adopts the "November Constitution" which aims to unite
         Slesvig (but not Holstein) with the Danish Kingdom and
         therefore is a violation of the peace treaty of 1851 in which
         Denmark had promised not to separate the two duchies. Due to
         this, Prussia and Austria declare war and conquer Slesvig,
         Holstein, and Lauenburg in the second war of Slesvig.
  1901
         Parliamentarism is introduced in Denmark: No government can
         rule against the majority of the parliament.
  1914-18
         Denmark remains neutral during World War I.
  1917
         Denmark sells her three Caribbean islands to the USA for 25
         million dollars (the present-day US Virgin Islands).
  1920
         The northern part of /S�nderjylland (the former duchy of
         Slesvig) is rejoined with Denmark after a referendum.
  1933
         Great social reforms were instituted, in effect founding
         Denmark's modern welfare state.
  1940
         On April 9th, Germany occupies Denmark despite Denmark having
         declared itself neutral; the Danish government gives up
         military resistance. However, the Danes retain control of their
         government and parliament, which initially remain remarkably
         intact regardless of the Nazi occupation.
  1943
         The relations between the Danish Government and the occupying
         German forces worsen rapidly. Most of the Danish Jews are
         evacuated to Sweden. Local resistance groups perform a number
         of sabotage actions during the war, and the Nazis retaliate
         with counter-terror.
  1944
         Iceland breaks away from union with Denmark and declares
         independence.
  1945
         4-5th of May: The German forces in Denmark surrender to
         Britain. The end of World War II ends the German occupation of
         Denmark. The German forces on Bornholm refuse to surrender to
         the Red Army, and Bornholm has to suffer Soviet bombardment
         before the Germans finally surrender a few days later.
  1948
         The Faroe Islands are granted autonomy within the Danish
         Kingdom.
  1949
         Denmark joins NATO as one of the founding members.
  1953
         A new constitution alters the status of Greenland from colony
         to a "county" (amt) of Denmark. Parliament changes from a
         two-chamber system to a single-chamber system. By the same
         constitutional changes, Princess Margrethe becomes heir to the
         throne.
         The Nordic Council founded.
  1972
         Denmark joins the European Community (EC) after a referendum.
  1979
         Greenland is granted home rule and starts taking over some of
         its internal affairs.
  1992
         In a referendum Denmark votes "NO" to the Maastricht treaty
         (which designs a more federalized European Union). The "NO"
         vote shakes the whole European Community.
  1993
         A new referendum on the Maastricht treaty - allowing Denmark to
         opt out on issues such as a common European currency,
         citizenship, defense policy, and police - is arranged and
         Denmark votes "YES" to that.
  Note:
         Present-day (i.e., Swedish or German) spellings for the former
         Danish/Norwegian landscapes and Danish controlled duchies have
         been used.



 3.3.2 The list of Danish monarchs

  Denmark is probably the only country in the world that can produce an
  uninterrupted list of monarchs for more than thousand years. So here
  goes:

Chochilaichus (Hugleik?)  mentioned 515
Ongendeus
(Angantyr? or Yngvin?)    mentioned in the beginning of the 8th century
Sigfred                   mentioned in the end of the 8th century
Gudfred                   died around 810, mentioned 804
Hemming                   810-812
Harald Klak               812-813
Sons of Gudfred           mentioned 813-817
H�rik I (Horik)           died 854, mentioned from 827
H�rik II (Horik)          854-around 870
Helge
Olav                      mentioned in the 890's
Gnupa (Chnob) and Gurd    mentioned 909-919
Sigtryg
Hardeknud (Hardegon)
Gorm den Gamle            died around 940
Harald I Bl�tand          around 940-around 986
Svend I Tvesk�g           around 986-1014
Harald II                 1014-1018
Knud I den Store          1018-1035
Hardeknud                 1035-1042
Magnus den Gode           1042-1047
Svend II Estridsen        1047-1074
Harald III Hen            1074-1080
Knud II den Hellige       1080-1086
Oluf I Hunger             1086-1095
Erik I Ejegod             1095-1103
Niels                     1104-1134
Erik II Emune             1134-1137
Erik III Lam              1137-1146
Oluf II Haraldsen         1140-1143
Svend III Grathe          1146-1157
Knud III                  1146-1151 and 1154-1157
Valdemar I den Store      1154-1182
Knud IV (VI)              1182-1202
Valdemar II Sejr          1202-1241
Erik IV Plovpenning       1241-1250
Abel                      1250-1252
Christoffer I             1252-1259
Erik V Klipping           1259-1286
Erik VI Menved            1286-1319
Christoffer II            1320-1326 and 1330-1332
Valdemar III              1326-1330
Valdemar IV Atterdag      1340-1375
Oluf III                  1376-1387
Margrethe I               1375-1412
Erik VII af Pommern       1396-1439
Christoffer III af Bayern 1440-1448
Christian (Christiern) I  1448-1481
Hans                      1481-1513
Christian (Christiern) II 1513-1523
Frederik  I               1523-1533
Christian III             1534-1559
Frederik  II              1559-1588
Christian IV              1588-1648
Frederik  III             1648-1670
Christian V               1670-1699
Frederik  IV              1699-1730
Christian VI              1730-1746
Frederik  V               1746-1766
Christian VII             1766-1808
Frederik  VI              1808-1839
Christian VIII            1839-1848
Frederik  VII             1848-1863
Christian IX              1863-1906
Frederik  VIII            1906-1912
Christian X               1912-1947
Frederik  IX              1947-1972
Margrethe II              1972-



 3.3.3 Denmark during world war II

  This section will probably get more material. Actually, this is one of
  the regular topics of discussion in the group. But few have yet had
  energy enough to write and propose a text for the faq.

From: Stan Brown <[email protected]>
Subject: Yellow Stars (was Re: Denmark during WW2)
Date: Sun, 26 May 1996 12:03:02 -0400

> I also thought that Jews were required to wear stars, but that
> the King himself put on a star, as did many others, and therefore
> that the star identification system of the Nazis failed?

  On page 14 of Queen in Denmark by Anne Wolden-R�thinge (Gyldendal,
  1989, ISBN 87-01-08622-7 and 87-01-08623-5), HM Queen Margrethe II
  says:

    "One of the stories one often hears about the Occupation, and which
    I persist in denying each time I hear it, is the story about
    Christian X wearing the yellow star of David as a demonstration
    during the Occupation. It is a beautiful and symbolic story, but it
    is not true. I do not mind it existing or being told, but I will
    not support a myth, even a good one, when I know it isn't true, it
    would be dishonest. But the moral behind the story is a far better
    one for Denmark than if the King had worn the star. The fact of the
    matter is that the Germans never did dare insist that Danish Jews
    wear the yellow star. This is a credit to Denmark which our country
    has cause to be proud of: I think this is an important fact to
    remember. The myth about the King wearing the star of David, well,
    I can imagine that this could have originated from a typical remark
    by a Copenhagen errand boy on his bicycle: 'If they try to enforce
    the yellow star here, the King will be the first to wear it!' -- I
    don't know whether this was the actual remark, but I imagine it
    could have been how the myth started. It is certainly a possible
    explanation I offer whenever I am asked. To me, the truth is an
    even greater honor for our country than the myth."




From: Henrik Ernoe <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Denmark during WW2
Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 11:14:42 +0100


> If the Germans were mere occupiers, why did
> they sanction the destruction of the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen?

  First of all, the bombing of tivoli was a "Schalburgtage" committed by
  Danish Nazies not but the Germans, and it happenened after august 43,
  were the Danish government demissioned and the "peaceful" occupation
  and collaboration ended.

> But they did they effectively steal all of the Danish gold
> reserves to finance their own war effort and bankrupt the
> Danish treasury?

  The Germans did not steal the Danish gold reserves. The base for this
  story is the system with "clearing-accounts" in the National bank. The
  system worked as follows: When the German wanted to "buy" butter,
  bacon, guns, or whatever in Denmark, they paid with vouchers which the
  sellers would take to national bank to get their money. The Danish
  National bank then paid from the "clearing-account", which was then
  supposed to be repaid by the Germans, this however never happened (the
  account still amounts to several milliards in 1996).

  That the Germans plundered Denmark this way is true, that they stole
  the gold reserves is not!

  A lot of the stories are inaccurate or untrue and tend to polish the
  Danish image, which in view of the Governments acts from April 9th
  1940 to 29 August 1943 is deeply tarnished by a policy of
  collaboration with Nazi Germany.

  There are things to proud of in Danish WWII history but the policy of
  the government and political establishment until 43 is not one of
  them.

  It should never be forgotten that until 29 August 1943 the Danish
  government did all it could to hinder sabotage and other acts of
  resistance. And the greatest danger to the resistance was the Danish
  police not the Gestapo! When agents (Danes) from from the British SOE
  were parachuted into Denmark, it was the Danish police that hunted
  them down and murdered Rottb�ll and his comrades!

  What saved our honor as a nation was the acts of a few people defying
  not only the Germans but also the Danish King, government and all the
  lawful authorities.


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq33.html ]






------------------------------

Subject: 3.3.4 S�nderjylland through the times

  The medieval history of Southern Jutland (Danish: S�nder Jylland) is
  complicated, and the Nationalistic fuss of the 19th century produced
  some extra confusion. Both pro-Germans and pro-Danes used the history
  to prove that the Duchy of Slesvig rightfully ought to be a part of
  Germany - or Denmark - respectively.

  Jutland is a long peninsula. From the old Sagas we get the impression
  that Jutland "always" has been divided in a northern and a southern
  part at the Konge� River.

  However, if archeology and Roman sources are balanced, one can assume
  that the Jutish people inhabited both the Konge� region and the more
  northern part of the peninsula, while the Anglians lived approximately
  where the towns Haithabu and Schleswig later would emerge. The pattern
  of populated and unpopulated areas was relatively constant through
  Bronze Age and Iron Age.

  After a lot of Anglians had emigrated to the British Islands in the
  5th century, the land of the Anglians came in closer contact with the
  Danish islands - plausibly by immigration/occupation by the Danes.
  Later also the contacts increased between the Danes and the people on
  the northern half of the Jutish peninsula.

  As Charlemagne extended his realm in the late 8th century, he met a
  united Danish army which successfully defended Danevirke. A border was
  established at the River Eider A.D. 811.

  Danevirke was erected immediately south for the road where boats or
  goods had to be hauled for approximately 5 kilometers between a bay of
  the Baltic Sea and a small river (Rheider Au / Reider �) connected to
  the North Sea. There, on the narrowest part of southern Jutland, an
  important transit market (Haithabu /Hedeby close to the later town
  Slesvig) was established, and protected by the fortification
  Danevirke.

  During the 9th century the border was adjusted to the south, and
  during a period Hamburg was occupied by Danes.

  This strength was enabled by three factors:
    * the fishing,
    * the good soil giving good pasture and harvests, and
    * in particular the tax and customes revenues from the market in
      Haithabu, where all trade between the Baltic Sea and Western
      Europe passed.

  The wealth of southern Jutland and the taxes from the Haithabu market
  was, of course, enticing. A separate kingdom of Haithabu /Hedeby was
  established around year 900 A.D. by the Viking chieftain Olaf from
  Svealand. Olaf's son and successor Gnupa was however killed in battle
  agains the Danish king, and his kingdom vanished.

  The southern border was then adjusted back and forth a few times. For
  instance the German Emperor Otto II did occupy land north of the River
  Eider in the years 974-983, stimulating German colonialization.

  Later Haithabu /Hedeby was burned by Swedes, and first under the reign
  of King Svend Forkbeard (986-1014) the situation was stabilized,
  although raids against Haithabu would be repeated. Again in 1066
  Haithabu was destroyed by fire.

  Knud Lavard (killed 1131) was called Duke of Jutland, and during the
  rule of his dynasty Southern Jutland functioned as the Duchy which
  provided for the expences of Royal Princes, which led to longlasting
  feuds between the Dukes and the Kings 1253-1325.

  Knud Lavard had inherited also parts of Holstein, and thereby come in
  conflict with Count Adolf in the German part of Holstein, as they both
  were very keen on expanding their influence and pacifying the Wagrian
  tribe. Count Adolf succeeded and established the County of Holstein
  (1143) with about the borders it has had since then. Holstein was
  Christianized, lots of the Wagrians were killed and the land was
  inhabited by settlers from Westphalia, Friesland and Holland. Soon the
  towns of Holstein, as L�beck and Hamburg, became serious trade
  competitors on the Baltic Sea. Denmark tried her best to expand her
  influence to Holstein too, and during 1203-1227 the Count of Holstein
  acknoledged the King of Denmark as feudal lord.

  The wars between the kings of Denmark and the dukes of Slesvig were
  expensive, and Denmark had to finance them through extensive loans.
  The Dukes were usually allied with the Counts of Holstein, who
  happened to be the main creditors of the Danish Crown, too. In 1326,
  after a war between Denmark and Holstein, the underage Duke of Jutland
  was made king of Denmark, and his guardian Count Gerhard of Holstein
  was entfeofed with the Duchy as an inheritable fief.

  This was the time when almost all of Denmark came under the supremacy
  of the Counts of Holstein, who possessed different parts of Denmark as
  pawns for their credits. King Valdemar VI (Atterdag) started to regain
  the kingdom part by part. King Valdemar's son Henrik was in 1364
  nominally entfeofed with the Duchy, although he never reached to
  regain more than the northernmost parts as he couldn't raise the
  neccessary founds to repay the loans.

  As both Duke Henrik and King Valdemar died (1374 & 1375) the Duchy was
  the only important part of Denmark which still was controlled by the
  Counts of Holstein, who now declared the Duchy to be independent of
  the Danish Crown.

  Queen Margrete managed however in 1386 to reach an agreement with the
  creditors, who acknowledged the Danish Queen as feudal lord. The Duchy
  of Slesvig was thereby again a part of the Danish realm - nominally -
  but it took another 54 years of feuds until the Duchy in practice
  contributed with troops or taxes.

  In 1448 the Duke of Slesvig was influential enough to get his nephew
  Count Christiern elected King of Denmark, and when the Duke had died
  King Christiern was appointed Duke of Slesvig and Count of Holstein in
  1460. It followed a period of a hundred years when the Duchy many
  times was devided between inheritors.

  From the end of the 16th century the Duchy was split in only two
  parts: one held by the King of Denmark, and the other held by the Duke
  of Slesvig.

  During the 30-years War the relations between the Duke and the King
  worsened. Finally in 1658, after the Danes had invaded Swedish
  territories south of Hamburg, the Duke cooperated with the Swedes in
  their counter-attack which almost eradicated the Danish Kingdom. The
  peace treaty stipulated that the Duke no longer was a vassal of the
  Danish Crown.

  As Sweden in 1721 had lost its strength, Denmark could again
  incorporate the Duchy in the Danish realm, and the prior royal and
  ducal regions of the Duchy were united. The prior Duke remained Duke
  of Holstein under the German Emperor until 1773 when (almost) all of
  Holstein was gained by the King of Denmark (in his role as German Duke
  of Holstein).

  German had been the governmental language during the times of more or
  less independent Dukes, and remained so. Since the Reformation, German
  had also been dominating in Church and schools, while Danish was the
  dominating language among the peasantry.

  After the Napoleonic wars most of Europe experienced a national
  awakening. Not the least in the German speaking parts of Europe, as
  for instance in Slesvig and Holstein. 1806-1815 the government of
  Denmark had claimed Slesvig and Holstein to be parts of Denmark, which
  wasn't popular among the Germans. The revolutions 1848 all over Europe
  led in Slesvig and Holstein to a failed separatist rebellion, and
  Nationalists in Denmark advocated danification of Slesvig (but not
  Holstein). In 1864 the Danish government saw a historical opportunity
  to achieve this, but instead Prussia and Austria attacked. After a
  short war Slesvig and Holstein was ceded - and from 1866 incorporated
  with Prussia.

  After Germany had lost the first World War it was possible for Denmark
  to support the Danish speaking peasantry in Slesvig in their national
  strive. A referendum was held, and Slesvig was split between Germany
  and Denmark along a line immediately north for the town Flensburg.

  500-800 Southern Jutland probably inhabited by Danes
  800-900  [INLINE]   Southern Jutland held by Danes
  900-936 Southern Jutland a kingdom of its own.
  The king was from Sweden.
  936-974  [INLINE]   Southern Jutland held by Danes
  974-983 The German Emperor established a small colony on southernmost
  Jutland
  986-~1140  [INLINE]   Danish Earls ("Jarl") defend the border.
  ~1140-1325 Royal Princes are supported by revenues from a Duchy
  comprising rather limited parts of Southern Jutland. The dukes strive
  for independence from the Danish Crown.
  1326-1375 Southern Jutland ruled by the creditors, the Conts of
  Holstein
  1376-1386 The Duchy of Slesvig is claimed independent.
  1386-1440 The Duchy is in theory a part of the Danish realm, however
  mostly in war with the King of Denmark.
  1440-1460  [INLINE]   The Dynasty to which the Duke of Slesvig belongs
  increases their influence in the Danish realm. The Duchy is in
  practice a part of the Danish realm.
  1460-~1658 Holstein and Slesvig twin-duchies with peculiar rules for
  succession. All, or parts, of the Duchies held by the King of Denmark.
  Other parts by brothers and cousins. The dukes strive for independence
  from the Danish Crown.
  1658-1721 Half of the Duchies Slesvig and Holstein ruled by a
  sovereign Duke, the other half ruled by the King of Denmark.
  1721-1773  [INLINE]   All of the Duchy of Slesvig and the half of
  Holstein ruled by the King of Denmark.
  1773-1864  [INLINE]   All of the Duchy of Slesvig and all of Holstein
  ruled by the King of Denmark.
  1864-1920 All of the Duchy of Slesvig and all of Holstein incorporated
  in the German Imperium.
  1920-- The northernmost part of the Duchy of Slesvig (S�nderjylland)
  is re-united with Denmark


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq334.html ]






------------------------------

Subject: 3.4 Main tourist attractions

<by Jens Chr. Madsen, except for the part on Copenhagen>



 3.4.1 Getting there and getting around

  Copenhagen Airport has a large number of connections to destinations
  within the Nordic Countries and the rest of the world. Numerous
  ferries connect Denmark to Britain, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and
  Germany; and of course there is also a "land connection" from Germany.
  There are several daily direct trains to Denmark from Germany and
  Sweden. Due to the country's modest size and general topography it is
  easy to get around in Denmark, be it by bicycle, car, or public
  transportation.

  Denmark is an almost ideal country for cyclists: Relatively short
  distances, practically no steep roads, and a dense network of bike
  paths and small country roads. Even large cities are bicycle-friendly
  (compared to many other countries at least) with bike paths on most
  major streets. The reason for this, of course, is that a significant
  number of Danes from all groups of society commute by bicycle.

  There is not much to be said about traveling by car in Denmark, except
  that you should be aware of the large number of bicycles, as mentioned
  above. *Please* be careful and look for bicycles, especially when you
  make a right turn. Apart from that, the most special thing about
  driving a car in Denmark is that you will have to get on a ferry if
  you intend to travel between the western (Jutland, Funen) and eastern
  (Sealand, Lolland, Falster) parts of the country. The shortest and
  busiest crossing is between Halsskov on Sealand and Knudshoved on
  Funen. That crossing will be replaced by a bridge-tunnel system in a
  few years (train connection to open in 1996). There are also a number
  of ferries between Sealand and Jutland - Ebeltoft-Odden is the
  shortest and most frequent.

  Traveling by air in Denmark is also possible of course; all domestic
  flights go to/from Copenhagen and none of them is longer than 45
  minutes. You do save some time, but often at a rather high price.
  However, there are often some good offers during the summer holiday
  period, so especially if you are going to Bornholm, Billund or �lborg
  from Copenhagen, flying there might be worth considering.

  Otherwise, public long-distance traveling is done by train (there are,
  however, a few coach lines from Copenhagen to �rhus, �lborg, and
  Fjerritslev; 2-3 departures per day and prices approximately as for
  the train). There is an hourly intercity train service connecting
  cities on "the main line" from Copenhagen via Odense and �rhus to
  �lborg. Intercity services to other larger cities in Jutland normally
  run every two hours. (The intercity trains are transferred on the
  ferry between Sealand and Funen. The concept of putting a passenger
  train on a ferry is possibly unique to Denmark; international trains
  from Copenhagen to Sweden or Germany also travel on board ferries.) In
  addition to the intercity, there are regional trains every hour on
  most lines. Short distance travelling is mostly done by bus.



 3.4.2 Copenhagen

  Copenhagen's metropolitan area is the home of more than 25% of
  Denmark's population. The city lies on the eastern shore of the island
  of Sj�lland (Zealand), at the southern end of �resund (The Sound), the
  waterway that separates Denmark from Sweden and links the Baltic with
  the North Sea. Copenhagen is protected from the Baltic by the small
  island of Amager. Between Amager and Sj�lland there was formerly a
  group of sand flats. Drained and reclaimed, they now constitute the
  islet of Christianshavn, which has been developed as the chief dock
  area of the city. The harbor of Copenhagen occupies the narrow
  waterway between Christianshavn and Sj�lland.

  The nucleus of the city is Slotsholmen, or Castle Isle, where a
  fortification was built in 1167. Its site is now occupied by
  Christiansborg Palace, constructed between 1907 and 1915 as a home for
  the legislature and government ministries. Nearby are the Thorvaldsen
  Museum and the Exchange (B�rsen), built from 1619 to 1640, with a
  twisting spire made up of the interwoven tails of four sculptured
  dragons. North of the old city is Frederikstad, a planned suburb built
  in the 18th century. In it is the Amalienborg Palace, originally
  luxurious town houses but since 1794 the residence of the Danish
  monarch; a ceremonial changing of guards takes place every day at 12
  noon. Nearby is the massive Marble Church started in 1749 but finished
  only almost 150 later, and to the west of the church is Rosenborg
  Palace, built in the early 17th century as the summer residence of the
  king but now acts as a museum. The city's university was founded in
  1479 by King Christian I and was re-founded in the 19th century. To
  the southeast, beyond the dock quarter of Christianshavn, is the
  largely residential suburb of Amager. The island of Amager, much of
  which is low-lying and marshy, is the site of Copenhagen's Kastrup
  airport, one of the largest in Europe. A gigantic bridge has been
  planned for Amager across �resund to Malm� in Sweden.

  Copenhagen has many canals, wide boulevards and public parks and
  gardens. Among these is the famous Tivoli, in the heart of the city to
  the southwest of the old town, a highly sophisticated amusement park
  laid out in 1843, with e.g 28 restaurants, music, dance, and theater,
  fountains, carousels, etc., as well as more modern amusement park
  devices. Other parks worth a visit and maybe a picnic are the
  Botanical Gardens (Botanisk Have) and Rosenborg Gardens with the
  palace. The famous pedestrian shopping street Str�get starts from The
  City Hall (R�dhuset), which is an impressive piece of neo-gothic
  architecture, and runs to Kongens Nytorv where Charlottenborg palace
  and the Royal Theater are located. The pedestrian center itself, which
  includes many winding, medieval streets, is a marvellous place to
  stroll around, but keep in mind that businesses close by early
  afternoon on Saturday and aren't open on Sunday. There are a couple of
  old churches in the pedestrian center as well, e.g. Nikolaj Church and
  the neo-classic Cathedral. In Christianshavn, be sure to climb to the
  spiral tower of the baroque Vor Frelsers Kirke (Our Saviour's Church)
  for a great view.

   Christiania

  While you're in Christianshavn you may want to visit the "alternative
  city" of Christiania. The story of Christiania began in 1971 when a
  large number of hippies took over the abandoned military barracks in
  B�dmanstr�des Kaserne; after futile attempts by police to empty the
  area, the matter ended up in the parliament and Christiania got
  political exemption and acceptance as a "social experiment" in return
  for agreeing to pay for the use of water and electricity. After many
  colourful struggles against threats of closing and "normalization" as
  well as hard drugs and violent motorcycle gangs, Christiania's tale
  still continues. The Freetown's self-government is arranged in an
  anarchist fashion, with common decisions being made in various
  councils such as the Common Meeting, The Economy Meeting, The House
  Meeting, etc. Christiania has no laws, but there's a series of bans
  put up by the inhabitants of the Freetown: no hard drugs, no weapons,
  no violence, no trading with buildings or residential areas.
  Christiania is probably best known to the outside world for the free
  availability of cannabis products; they are indeed being openly sold
  on the main street, but this does not mean hash is legal in Denmark,
  or that you can't be punished for carrying or using it. The Danish
  police have a policy of not fining for small amounts of cannabis and
  for the most part tolerate the trade in Christiania, but they do
  sometimes patrol the area. Tourists should think twice before abusing
  the liberal attitudes and good will of the Danish officials. Also,
  don't take photos of Christiania or Christianians, they won't like it
  and you may have your film taken from you if do.

  Legal intoxicants can be tried out by taking a guided excursion to the
  two major Danish breweries, Carlsberg and Tuborg. Tuborg is located in
  the suburb of Hellerup in northern Copenhagen, Strandvejen 54,
  excursions are Monday-Friday 10 a.m, 12.30 and 2.30 p.m. Carlsberg
  breweries are at Ny Carlsbergvej (at the Elephant Gate; take bus 16
  from R�dhuspladsen toward Sydhavn), excursions Monday-Friday at 11 a.m
  and 2 p.m. Carlsberg has always been a major patron of the arts in
  Denmark, and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (near the Tivoli gardens),
  which houses a collection of antique artifacts as well as French and
  Danish art, is well worth a visit. Nyhavn canal close to Kongens
  Nytorv square is a popular place to walk around; there's also a H. C.
  Andersen exhibition at Nyhavn 69. Statens Museum f�r Kunst (S�lvgade
  48-50) is the Danish National Gallery; European masters and Danish
  art. Nationalmuseet (National Museum) has, among other things, a
  splendid collection of unique prehistoric finds (rich, well-preserved
  bronze age bog-finds, the Gundestrup Cauldron, the Solvagn, Viking age
  gold treasures, etc) and an exhibition of Eskimo culture. North of
  Copenhagen lies Frilandsmuseet: open air museum of the history of folk
  architecture in Denmark and the formerly Danish part of Sweden (Sk�ne)
  - it can be accessed by train or bus.



 3.4.3 Zealand and surrounding islands

  <From: Durant Imboden>
    * Hiller�d: Frederiksborg Castle
    * Roskilde: the cathedral and, as long as you're there, the Viking
      Ship Museum.
    * Louisiana art museum has excellent collections of contemporary
      art, while Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek concentrates on older sculpture
      and painting.
    * The view from the top of the City Hall (Radhuset) is not to be
      missed.



 3.4.4 Bornholm

  <From: Durant Imboden>
    * Bornholm: an island in the Baltic, easily reached by overnight
      ferry from the Copenhagen waterfront. Well worth a few days--or
      even a week, if you're in a mood for leisurely exploration.
      (There's also a ferry from Bornholm to Sweden, making Bornholm a
      convenient stopover on a tour through Scandinavia.)



 3.4.5 Fyn and surrounding islands

    * Odense, the largest town of Fyn, has Hans Christian Andersen's
      birthplace [someone could add something here]



 3.4.6 Jutland

  Compared to Sealand and Copenhagen, Jutland has not many castles etc.
  to offer. Jutland's main asset is nature, which spans a wide spectrum
  from lakes, hills, and forests (very like the landscape of Sealand and
  Funen) to heaths, moors, marsh and dunes, unique to the Jutland
  landscape. Some of Europe's finest beaches are found on Jutland's
  North Sea coast.

  Here is a brief description of some of the attractions in Jutland -
  going from south to north.
    * S�nderjylland:
      This part of the country was the northern part of the duchy of
      Schleswig - a Danish "dominion". It was ceded from 1864 to 1920
      (see history section) and became re-unified with Denmark after a
      referendum. Close to S�nderborg, the windmill and embankments of
      Dybb�l is part of the national heritage. It was here that Denmark
      was defeated in the 1864 war against Austria and Prussia. Further
      west, the marshlands and dikes form a unique landscape with an
      abundant bird life. The islands of R�m� and Fan� are popular
      resorts.
    * Vejle and the Jelling Stones:
      In south-east Jutland the city of Vejle is a good starting point
      for an excursion. On both sides of the Vejle Fjord there are
      beautiful beech forests with some (for Danish conditions)
      unusually steep hills. The train from Vejle to Jelling will take
      you through the Grejs Valley; again with some unusually hilly
      terrain and beautiful forests. In the village of Jelling the
      "Birth Certificate" of Denmark can be studied: Two large stones
      with runic inscriptions set by King Harald Bl�tand for his father
      Gorm den Gamle (Gorm the Old) and his mother Thyra. The
      inscriptions on the stones are some of the oldest known writings
      in "Danish" translating approximately as: "Harald had this stone
      made, for his father Gorm and his mother Thyra; the Harald who
      united all of Denmark and Norway and christianized the Danes". Two
      large burial mounds adjacent to the stones are popularly believed
      to be the graves of Gorm and Thyra.
    * Billund:
      About 28 km west of Vejle is the small (but world famous) town of
      Billund - home to the Lego factories and Legoland. It's not just
      for kids. The centerpiece is "Miniland", a great many models of
      cities, palaces, and harbors, all made of Legos and constructed in
      scale of 20-to-1. The Amalienborg Palace is there, and Bavaria's
      Neuschwandstein Castle, and a Dutch town, and a Norwegian fishing
      village, and an oil refinery, and trains, and Mount Rushmore, and
      the U.S. Capitol, and zebras, and rabbits, and much more. Many of
      the exhibits have moving parts: boats are drawn up into dry dock,
      trucks pick up loads, bridges rise and fall, and so on. The DSB
      (state railway) sells a very attractively priced ticket at the
      central train station in Copenhagen: DKK 344 round trip (as of May
      1994), including transfer to the Vejle-Billund bus and admission
      to the park.
      The town also has Denmark's second largest airport with many
      European connections. "Museum Center Billund" houses a collection
      of vintage cars and aircraft.
    * "Lake District":
      Further north-east you enter the "Jutland Highlands" and the "Lake
      District" - the area between Horsens, Silkeborg, and Skanderborg.
      The world's oldest still-operating paddle steamer will take you on
      a sightseeing tour of the lakes. On the southern shore of one of
      the lakes is "Sky Mountain" (Himmel-bjerget), so named for its
      astonishing height -- 147 meters! There is a nice look-out from
      the tower on top of Himmelbjerget.
    * �rhus:
      North-east of the Lake District is �rhus, Denmark's second city,
      which offers a wide range of things worth seeing.
      The Moesgaard Museum is located in a forest some 15 km south of
      the city center (bus #6) and it gives a splendid display of
      prehistoric Denmark. The museum's main attraction is the Grauballe
      Man, a ~2000 year old body found in a bog in eastern Jutland in
      1952. Also in the city center you will find museums, e.g. the
      Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art, both located in
      the southern part of the university campus (which BTW is well
      worth visiting in its own right). You will also find lots of
      restaurants, cafes, places with live music etc. The concert hall
      (Musikhuset) opposite the City Hall was completed in 1982 and is
      home to the Jutland Opera and the �rhus Symphony Orchestra.
      The university campus is both a beautiful park and a good example
      of Danish architecture (by Danish architect C.F.M�ller). The
      university is an architectural unity where there is no random
      mixing of different styles as at many other campuses; the same
      simple (some might say barren) design with yellow bricks has been
      maintained right from the first buildings of the 1930's to
      present-day new constructions.
      �rhus' main attraction, however, has to be the museum "The Old
      Town" (Den Gamle By). This is a collection of old houses from all
      over Denmark, carefully dismantled at their original sites and
      re-erected at this open-air museum adjacent to the Botanical
      Gardens, within walking distance from the city center.
    * The "Mid West":
      In the central and western parts of Jutland you find the infertile
      moor which is probably the closest Denmark has to a "wilderness".
      In late summer the purple heather provides a nice setting for a
      long hike. Last century large parts of the moor were converted
      into plantations and farmland. This was a consequence of the
      defeat in the war in 1864; the pioneer of moor plantation E. M.
      Dalgas put it like this (approximately): "What was lost abroad
      must be won at home".
      West of Viborg there are two old chalk mines (Daugbjerg and
      M�nsted) with guided tours. Further west there is an open-air
      museum at Hjerl Hede with a display of iron age life. At the west
      coast the large lagoon Ringk�bing Fjord is home to a bird
      sanctuary - Tipperne. Also the tongue of land separating the Fjord
      from the North Sea is a popular resort.
    * The Limfjord and Himmerland:
      The western part of the Limfjord is great for yachting. The island
      of Mors in the Limfjord has many splendid landscapes, e.g., the
      cliff of Hanklit at the northern part of the island. The porous
      clay (called mo-ler) of this cliff consists of zillions of
      fossilized diatomers, and this type of clay is not found anywhere
      else in the World. Another large bird sanctuary can be found at
      Bygholm Vejle 20 km east of the city of Thisted. This marshland is
      a result of a failed draining project, and the would- have- been
      farmland is now left in a "neither land nor fjord" state. Close to
      the city Hobro between �rhus and �lborg you find the remains of a
      circular Viking fort called "Fyrkat". A Viking house has been
      rebuilt there as accurately as possible.
      In the middle of Himmerland (the landscape between Hobro and
      �lborg) the Rold Forest and the Rebild Hills (Rebild Bakker) are
      found. Every year, the beautiful hills at Rebild are home to what
      is said to be the largest 4th of July celebration outside the USA.
      There is also a small museum showing aspects of life of Danish
      immigrants in the USA in the 19th century.
    * �lborg and N�rresundby:
      Like �rhus, the city of �lborg at the eastern part of the Limfjord
      provides lots of city entertainment like bars, restaurants,
      museums, a zoo and an amusement park. On the northern side of the
      Limfjord in N�rresundby is one of Scandinavia's largest Viking
      burial sites, the "Lindholm Hills" (Lindholm H�je). The remains of
      a big town from 600-1100 AD have been found.
      For more information on �lborg have a look at:
      <http://www.tourist-aal.dk/aalbturi.nsf>.
    * North of the Limfjord - Vendsyssel:
      As mentioned, the west coast of Jutland is more or less one long
      beach. Especially the beaches of northern Jutland - facing the
      Skagerrak - are excellent. But treat the ocean with respect; each
      year people unfamiliar with the North Sea do silly things like
      drifting to sea on air mattresses etc. Also, the surf and current
      can be strong some days. The resorts of Blokhus and L�kken are
      among the most popular (and thus the most crowded) in Scandinavia.
      L�kken offers a range of hotels and camp grounds as well as
      restaurants and some night life.
      Further north, the small hamlet of L�nstrup is a scaled-down
      version of L�kken; however, the coast line is somewhat different
      with rather steep slopes and cliffs. Just south of L�nstrup there
      is an old light-house at Rubjerg Knude. The lighthouse was
      abandoned in 1968 when the sand dunes grew taller than the
      lighthouse itself. Some years ago it was converted into a museum
      with displays on the problems of sand migration, but it will now
      have to close because of ... yes, sand migration.
      The city of Hirtshals is one of Denmark's most important fishing
      ports and a gateway to Norway with ferries to Kristiansand and
      Oslo. In 1981 a large North Sea research center was built, housing
      a lot of Denmark's fishing research. The center also houses the
      North Sea Museum - a nice exhibition and aquarium (including
      seals), situated close to the highway leading to the ferry
      terminal. The Hj�rring-Hirtshals railway also stops at the North
      Sea Center.
      The coast line between Hirtshals and Skagen also has some
      excellent beaches, which are generally much less crowded than the
      ones in Blokhus or L�kken. Approaching Skagen, one passes the
      migrating dune of "R�bjerg Mile". It is the largest of its kind in
      northern Europe and gives you a small-scale Sahara feeling. The
      dune migrates a distance of 8-10 m per year. Also, between R�bjerg
      Mile and Skagen you will find "the buried church"; a church
      abandoned due to problems with sand migration.
      Skagen at the very top of Denmark was probably the first Danish
      holiday resort. In the last century it became popular with a
      school of Scandinavian painters, who were attracted to Skagen
      because of the special light and reflections the two seas
      (Skagerrak and Kattegat) give. (If the weather conditions are
      right you can see waves from the two seas engage in a head-on
      collision off the tip of Grenen.) The Museum of Skagen houses a
      fine collection of the work of the Skagen painters. Another -
      partly outdoor - museum "Skagens Fortidsminder" gives a good
      impression of the local culture and history, which is almost 100%
      based on fishing.
      Approximately 40 km south of Skagen is the city of Frederikshavn,
      naval base and home to Denmark's ice breakers. Frederikshavn has
      ferry connections to Larvik, Oslo, and Moss (Norway) and to
      G�teborg (Sweden).


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq34.html ]






------------------------------

Subject: 3.5 Danish literature

  Skaldic poetry in the Danish language no doubt existed already in
  before the Viking age, but none of it was written down except for some
  Latinized versions later rendered by Saxo Grammaticus. Saxo's Gesta
  Danorum (History of the Danes), which recounts the history of Denmark
  up to 1186 and includes Danish versions (in a somewhat Christianized
  form) the Scandinavian myths and sagas, including the earliest version
  of the Hamlet story, is the first major Danish contribution to world
  literature. In the middle ages also a large number of religious poetry
  in Latin was written, as well as a great variety of folk ballads in
  Danish, which are among the more significant achievements of medieval
  Danish literature. German influence remained strong, however, up until
  the Reformation, and only in the 1600's did Danish poets really start
  writing in their own language.

  In the early 18th century the French Enlightenment and English
  rationalism started to influence Danish literary circles, and satires
  became fashionable. As a result, the Danish drama was created by
  Ludvig Holberg (born in Norway), whose joyous and witty comedies had
  an enormous impact on all Scandinavian playwrights of the following
  generations. Holberg may perhaps be called the father of modern Danish
  literature.

  In the latter half of 18th century, Johannes Ewald, a writer of lyric
  poetry and heroic tragedies written in verse, was the foremost of
  Danish authors. In the early 19th century Adam Oehlenschlager
  introduced Romanticism in Denmark, while Steen Steensen Blicher
  [portrait on the left] represented bleak, Danish realism. Among their
  contemporaries were the two perhaps most famous figures of Danish
  literature throughout the ages: the fairy tale writer Hans Christian
  Andersen (1805-75) [portrait on the right] and the philosopher S�ren
  Kierkegaard (1813-55) whose influence was fully felt only with
  20th-century existentialism. In the 1870's, romanticism was replaced
  by naturalism, the most ardent advocate of which was the famous
  literary critic Georg Brandes. He had much influence on e.g the
  novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen, the poet Holger Drachmann, and the Nobel
  Prize winners of 1917, Henrik Pontoppidan and Karl Gjellerup.

  Major early 20th-century figures Danish literature were the
  proletarian novelist Martin Andersen Nex� (1869 - 1954) and the poet
  and novelist Johannes V. Jensen (who won a Nobel Prize in 1944). The
  most famous of all modern Danish writers was Karen Blixen (pseudonym
  Isak Dinesen), who wrote her gothic tales and African memoirs in
  English. In the 1940s and 1950s, H.C. Branner wrote brilliant short
  stories; the poet Thorkild Bj�rnvig and the novelist Klaus Rifbjerg
  won fame in the following decades. Among the young generation e.g.
  Peter H�eg has recently won international fame with his best-seller
  Smilla's Sense of Snow.

  For electronic versions of some of the works of Nordic literature, see
  the collection of Project Runeberg:
    * Icelandic Literature
    * Literature from the Viking Age
    * Medieval Nordic Literature
    * Danish Literature
    * Norwegian Literature
    * Literature of Finland
    * Literature from the Age of Liberty [ in Sweden and Finland
      (1719-1772) ]


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq353.html ]






------------------------------

Subject: 3.6 Faroe Islands

  <From: Jens C. Madsen & Jacob Sparre Andersen>

 3.6.1 Fact Sheet


Name:  F�royar (Danish: F�r�erne)
              (Bokm�l: F�r�yene)
              (Nynorsk: F�r�yane)
              (Swedish: F�r�arna)
              (Finnish: F�rsaaret)
      Autonomous region of Denmark

Head of state:  Queen Margrethe II represented by a High Commissioner

Flag:  a red Nordic cross outlined in blue on a white background,
      dimensions (6-1-2-1-12 * 6-1-2-1-6)

Languages:  Faroese, Danish (both official)

Administrative units:  7 counties (s�slur) each with several municipalities

Area:  1,399 km�

Terrain:  18 islands of volcanic origin, steep cliffs,

Land boundaries:  None

Population:  48,065 (1993)  - Much lower today, because of economic crisis

Life expectancy:  male: 74.5 years, female: 81.5 years

Capital:  T�rshavn (pop: 13,636)

Other major towns:  Klaksv�k (pop: 4,923 in 1987)

Religion:  Evangelic-Lutheran (approximately 75%)

Currency:  kr�na (Danish crown, DKK).
          The Faroes issue their own bank notes but use Danish coins.

Climate:  temperate sea-climate.
         Average temp.: 3 C in the coldest month, 11 C in the warmest

Annual precipitation:  1430 mm

Natural resources:  fish, sheep, potatoes, whaling

Exports:  fish and fish products (88% of total export), ships



 3.6.2 General information

  The Faroe Islands consist of 18 islands of which only Koltur and L�tla
  D�mun are unpopulated. The largest islands are Streymoy, Eysturoy,
  V�gar, and Su�uroy.

  The inhabitants of the Faroe Islands descend from the Viking settlers
  who arrived in the 9th century and the pre-existing Celtic population.
  Apart from fishing and sheep husbandry the Faroese have traditionally
  also been netting birds, gathering eggs, and hunting the small pilot
  whale. These activities remain an important supplement to the economy
  in the Faroese society today. The Faroese have a rich cultural
  heritage; language and customs (such as the old traditional Faroese
  chain dance) are kept very much alive.

  The parliament (Fa: L�gtingi�, Da: Lagtinget) consists of 27-32
  members. The government (Fa: Landsst�ri�, Da: Landsstyret) has
  executive power in all local affairs. The political parties in the
  Faroe Islands cover the traditional left-right spectrum. But in
  addition to that (and independent from that) there is another
  political spectrum regarding the relations to Denmark; from unionists
  over more-home-rule advocates to republicans. The Faroes elect two
  members to the Danish parliament.

  These days the Faroese must cope with the decline of the all-important
  fishing industry and one of the world's heaviest per capita external
  debts of nearly 30,000 USD. The fishing industry has been plagued with
  bankruptcies. Denmark has threatened to withhold its annual subsidy of
  130 million USD - roughly one-third of the islands' budget revenues -
  unless the Faroese make significant efforts to balance their budget.
  In addition to its annual subsidy, the Danish government has (through
  the Faroese government) bailed out the second largest bank, the F�roya
  Banki, to the tune of 140 million USD since October 1992.


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq361.html ]



 3.6.3 History

  ca.600 ?
         Celtic settlers (Irish monks) make it to the Faroes.
  ca.900
         The Faroe Islands are colonized by Norwegian settlers.
  1035
         The Faroe Islands become a Norwegian dependency.
  1380
         Along with Norway, the Faroes become united with Denmark.
  1709
         The Faroes become (technically) a part of Zealand, Denmark.
  1814
         When Denmark cedes Norway in the peace treaty of Kiel, the
         Faroes remain with Denmark.
  1880
         The independence movement starts.
  1940-45
         The Faroes are occupied by British forces during WWII. Trade
         with the UK leads to economic growth. The Faroese flag is
         commonly used since the UK does not tolerate the flag of
         German-occupied Denmark.
  1948
         The Faroe Islands are granted autonomy within the Danish
         Kingdom.
  1973
         When Denmark joins the European Community (EC) the Faroe
         Islands choose to stay outside the EC.
  1980s
         Good prospects in the fishing industry lead the Faroes to
         invest large sums in infrastructure to prevent depopulation of
         small villages.
  1990s
         A recession in the fishing industry leaves the Faroes with a
         large debt and in an economic crisis. Emigration to Denmark
         increases.


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq363.html ]



 3.6.4 Main tourist attractions

  You can get to the Faroes by air from Copenhagen daily (Maersk Air and
  Atlantic Airways). There are several weekly connections from Iceland
  with Icelandair. The airport is located on the island of V�gar with a
  bus-ferry-bus shuttle to T�rshavn. Also Smyril Line operates the ferry
  Norr�na during the summer months in cooperation with Scandinavian
  Seaways. The ferry sails to T�rshavn from Esbjerg (Denmark) on
  Saturdays; from Bergen (Norway) on Tuesdays; and from Sey�isfj�r�ur
  (Iceland) on Thursdays (1994 schedule). Strandfaraskip Landsins is
  operating Smyril on the route to Scotland once a week.

  There is an official camping site in T�rshavn and Selatra�. There are
  a few youth hostels on the islands and a few hotels also. Camping can
  be a somewhat wet experience since the weather is highly variable -
  even for Nordic standards, but on a clear day the views are absolutely
  breathtaking.

  Popular places are the westernmost island of Mykines with its large
  colonies of gannets (S�la; sea birds); - on Streymoy the ruins of the
  never-finished Magnus Cathedral at Kirkjub�ur, the tiny community of
  Saksun with its magnificent fjord and the bird-cliffs between Saksun
  and Vestmanna. Also, the capital T�rshavn is a very charming city with
  small narrow streets and beautiful old houses in the center. On
  Eysturoy some attractions are the rock formations "Risin og kellingin"
  north of Ei�i; the village of Gj�gv with its very characteristic
  natural harbour - and nice youth hostel. Also Sl�ttaratindur, the
  islands' highest point of 882 m is a popular destination for a hike.

  < From: Durant Imboden >

  - The Faroe Islands, a Danish dependency in the North Atlantic reached
  via car ferry from Esbjerg on the Smyril Line. (It's a two-night
  trip.) You can continue on to a fishing town in Eastern Iceland, if
  you like, in which case you'll see some lovely and dramatic scenery as
  you pass between the islands on the m/v Norr�na.


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq364.html ]



 3.6.5 Faroese literature and language

  The Faroese language resembles both Icelandic and Western Norwegian
  dialects. It is almost mutually intelligible with other North Germanic
  languages - at least in its written form. The written form of Faroese
  was established in the 19th century by Venzel Hammershaimb and modeled
  after Icelandic with almost the same alphabet. Written Faroese
  apperared rather late and at a time when the language was under strong
  pressure from Danish, which had become the established language for
  the church and civil servants of the Faroes. But when written Faroese
  was established, it meant a great boost for Faroese culture and
  language. Today the Faroes have one of the highest number of books
  published per capita. The best known authors are William Heinesen
  (1900-1991) and He�in Br� (alias Hans Jacob Jacobsen, 1901-1987).


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq365.html ]






------------------------------

Subject: 3.7 Books for learning Danish

Dictionaries:

Gyldendals r�de ordb�ger (Gyldendal's red dictionaries)
   Dansk-engelsk,  ISBN 87-00-73972-3 (niende udgave, 10. oplag)
   Engelsk-dansk,  ISBN 87-01-09312-2 (11. udgave, 6. oplag)

  These dictionaries are very much the standard dictionaries in use. In
  the same series Gyldendal publishes Danish-German and Danish-French
  dictionaries plus a couple of others.

  They are, however, rather expensive in the States (over 100 dollars
  the pair). Persons who are just starting out might buy the yellow
  pocket-size Berlitz dictionary (ISBN 2-8315-0946-7), available in many
  bookstores. Unlike the Gyldendals books, it does indicate
  pronunciation, which can be a help to students. Readers might want to
  stay away from the Hippocrene Practical Dictionary, which does not
  indicate the genders of nouns.

Books for learning Danish:

   Teach Yourself Danish, by H. A. Koefoed. Reissued as a paperback in 1995.

   Colloquial Danish, by W Glyn Jones and Kirsten Gade
      (available in pack of book + 2 cassettes, from the
       publisher, Routledge: +1 212 244-3336 in New York;
       there's also a London office)

   Danish: A Grammar (same authors) (published by Gyldendal)
       (available with cassettes and workbook)

A source in the U.S. for dictionaries and grammars of Nordic and other
languages is
            IBD limited
            24 Hudson Street
            Kinderhook NY 12106
            phone in USA: 1-800-343-3531


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
 http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq37.html ]


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- END OF PART 3 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

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