Dominating one end of the city central square, Copenhagen City Hall is a grand brick building in the National Romantic style, completed in 1905 and topped by a tall clock tower that ranks among the highest points in the old city. Its imposing facade, decorated with a gilded figure of the city legendary founder, looks out over the bustling Radhuspladsen. The building is the seat of the municipal council and the working town hall of the Danish capital, but much of it is open to visitors, who can wander the cavernous main hall, climb the tower for a view over the rooftops, or join guided tours of the council chambers and ceremonial rooms beneath the soaring brick arches. One of its great treasures is Jens Olsen World Clock, an astronomical timepiece of extraordinary complexity that tracks not only the time but the movements of the planets, the phases of the moon and the slow shifts of the calendar over thousands of years. Decades in the making, it is displayed in its own room within the building. The architecture blends Danish medieval and Renaissance influences with touches drawn from northern Italy, reflecting the National Romantic taste of its era, and the interior is rich with carvings, murals and decorative detail celebrating the city and its history. The square outside has long been a focal point of city life, a gathering place for celebrations, demonstrations and public events, and the town hall steps are a traditional spot for marking sporting triumphs and national occasions. Free to enter for much of the time and centrally placed at the meeting point of the main shopping streets and the Tivoli Gardens, the City Hall offers visitors a chance to admire civic architecture, a remarkable clock and a fine tower view at the very heart of Copenhagen. The clock tower, more than a hundred metres tall, can be climbed via a long staircase and offers a fine view over the rooftops, the canal-laced city centre and the harbour, with the spires of nearby churches and palaces picked out from above. The town hall has also become a backdrop for major moments in the country sporting and political life, with football teams returning from triumphs traditionally appearing on the balcony to greet jubilant crowds packing the square below. As a piece of architecture, a working civic building and a stage for the city public life, it offers visitors a quietly rewarding stop on any walking tour of central Copenhagen.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Radhuspladsen 1, Copenhagen, Denmark

Opening Date: 01/01/1905