Cruise Through History: Ports of the Baltic Sea: Itinerary 11

By Sherry Hutt

Cruise through History - Itinerary XI Ports of the Baltic Sea, the fifth book in storybooks for travelers series, is a delightful romp through one fairytale city after another.  These are stories of Viking kings and royal dynasties, competing for trade with the powerful Hanseatic League as they  fought pirates and created the walled ci

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digby Creations
• Release date: Jul 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781942153092

Book preview

A walk through the streets of Copenhagen is like wandering through the pages of a book of delightful stories. Not all of its past has been pleasant. Its people, regarded as some of the happiest on the planet, have weathered wars and deprivation. Today the streets of Copenhagen appear like stage sets in a fairytale. Perhaps recognizing the beauty of his domain is what caused King Christian VIII to lock up his city at night and charge an entry tax.¹

The story of Copenhagen must be set within the context of the greater history of Denmark. Its Viking kings were some of the first to promote Christianity and playing chess. Its architects were among the first to create chairs and infuse the world with Danish Modern design. The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters owns and controls its own brewery, the profits of which support Danish scientists.

Telling Copenhagen’s own story is like trying to choose just a few treats from an entire box of chocolates. What follows here is just a sampler. For the cruise traveler who will not spend a lifetime in each port, this is a prelude to enjoying as much time as possible in the enchanting present-day Copenhagen.

Building a Royal City

Credit for founding Copenhagen goes to Bishop Absalon who was born in Denmark in 1128, into a powerful and wealthy family. In 1167, Absalon built a fortified compound on Slotsholman, an island that quickly became surrounded by a settlement across the small canal. The town became known as København, the merchant’s harbor, or Copenhagen. The fortress became Copenhagen Castle.

Amalianborg Palace

Bertel Thorvaldsen Museum

Rulers of Denmark to the present day have occupied the site of Absalon’s fortress. The remains of which can be seen under the foundation of the present Christiansborg Palace. Absalon was an advisor to Danish King Canute VI, and a fierce proponent of Denmark standing free of the German rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. He would not have been pleased when in 1369, German merchants of the Hanseatic League sent stonemasons to dismantle the castle, stone-by-stone. They did not take competition in commerce lightly.

In 1417, the king of Denmark, Eric VII, wrested the remains of Copenhagen Castle from the church, which controlled it, and pirates who looted it. From that time forward it became the center of Danish government. Today, the Danish Parliament, Prime Minister and Supreme Court occupy Christiansborg Palace on the building foundations established by Absalon.

The first Christiansborg Palace, in its present form, began in 1731, the work of King Christian VI. It became home to the Royal Family. By 1800, the palace needed much refurbishment and so the Royal Family moved to Amalienborg Palace nearby. They never reoccupied Christiansborg, except for state occasions.

Only King Frederik VII made Christiansborg his home between 1852 and 1863. By that time Denmark had become a Constitutional Monarchy, so Frederik shared the palace with the Danish Parliament. A fire gutted much of the palace in 1884. The buildings seen today are the work of Danish architect Thorvald Jørgensen, whose rebuild of the palace was completed in 1928. During reconstruction, Absalon’s Copenhagen Castle ruins were protected for a new era of visitors.

The next home for the Danish monarchy was Amalienborg Palace. Actually, this lovely arrangement of four identical palaces was not built for the Royal Family. Rather, the royals allowed four nobles to erect grand estate homes on tax-free royal land as a gift. The homes of the noblemen were grander than that of their monarchs, who coveted the homes. Eventually, death of the original owner, or tempting purchase price offers, were sufficient grounds for a sale to the royals.

The first of the four palaces to be built and transferred to a royal was Moltke Palace, built in 1750, by Danish diplomat and close advisor to King Frederik V, Adam Gottlob Moltke. Although Moltke’s son and grandson would become Prime Ministers in the new era, Frederik’s heir, Christian VII, was never competent to rule, leaving all decisions to his regent Johann Friedrich Struensee, Moltke’s nemesis. At the urging of Struensee, Moltke Palace became the palace of Christian VII, nominally king of Denmark until 1808.

Levetzau Palace was built in 1754 for Count Levetzau. Upon the count’s death, his family agreed to sell to King Christian VIII, as long as the Levetzau coat of arms was never removed from the palace. The coat of arms remains in place today. Levetzau Palace was home to Crown Prince Frederik until 2011.

Christian VIII was a popular king, who reigned from 1839 to 1848. Supportive of science and literature, he was a proponent of democracy. He died a year prior to the new constitution, which gave Denmark a Constitutional Monarchy. Christian VIII inherited the post-Napoleonic War treaty that required Denmark to cede Norway to Sweden. He preferred Norway to have its independence.

In the 1750s, Count Brockdorff built a palace that was sold in 1763 to Moltke. Moltke sold his second Amalienborg Palace home to the king, and, by 1767, the property was in control of the Danish Military Academy. Frederik VIII acquired the palace when he was crown prince. He was crown prince for 43 years and king for six years, ill by the time of his coronation.

Christiansborg Palace

Frederik VIII had eight children, while he was waiting to become king. A son became King Christian X of Denmark and another son became King Haakon VII, the first king of independent Norway. Frederik was proud of his children. Today Brockdorff Palace is home to the crown prince and princess of Denmark.

The fourth palace of Amalienborg was built in 1754, by another count who found it financially attractive to sell. By 1794, Schack’s Palace was owned by the Royal family and is home to the reigning monarch today. It is known as the palace of Christian IX, the long reigning king, from 1863 to 1906.

Christian IX is called the Father of Europe for good reason. His six children married into royal families of several nations, including Greece, Russia and England. He was a distant royal who was anointed as crown prince when his predecessor failed to produce an heir. His marriage to Queen Louise was a storybook affair. Hans Christian Andersen wrote the verse for their wedding song. The many presents collected by the royal couple, over their long marriage, are now in a museum.

Gammel Strand

Today, reigning monarch, Queen Margrethe II, resides in Amalienborg palace. When the queen is in residence her standard flies from the flagpole and a ceremonial changing of the guard takes place each day, marching at noon from Rosenborg Castle to Amalienborg Palace. Visitors can watch as the guards leave Rosenborg Castle fortress at 11:30 in the morning and arrive at the royal residence at the equestrian statue of King Christian IX, in the middle of the courtyard.

Rosenborg Castle

The landmark with the green copper dome in the small square that leads into Amalienborg Palace court is Frederikskirke, better known as the Marble Church, for its opulent use of marble. Begun in the 1740s, the cost of Norwegian marble became prohibitive, causing construction to suspend in 1770. The church was completed in 1894, using less expensive Danish marble. Styled in the Roman Baroque, the church was modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. When complete, the dome rivaled that of St. Peter’s to be one of the largest in the world.

Christian IV built Rosenborg Castle in 1606. This longest reigning king was nineteen at his coronation. He reigned from 1588 to 1648. The many monuments built at his instigation earned him the moniker of builder king. In Copenhagen, his legacy includes Rosenberg Castle, the Børsen, known as the stock exchange, the Kastellet fortress, an entire section of the city to house shipbuilders, and several churches. Out of the city, Christian IV is credited with the rebuilding of Frederiksborg Castle and Krønborg Castle.

Krønborg Castle, 25 miles north of Copenhagen, was funded by tolls paid by ships passing through the narrows between Denmark and Sweden. The castle housed the troops, who enforced the tolls, making all of the king’s building projects possible. Krønborg Castle was made famous as the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, although the Bard never visited there.²

King Christian IV was unable to unify his many squabbling nobles. As the royals of Copenhagen looked inward to their city, the Swedes and Germans outpaced the Danes in international trade, despite the Danish king founding the Danish East India Company to capture routes to international trade. The Thirty Years’ War with those countries, from 1618 to 1648, drained the Danish treasury. Obsessed by witchcraft, Christian IV sentenced many Danes to death regardless of guilt. He renamed Oslo, Norway, to Christiania in his honor. The city name reverted to Oslo in 1924.

Christian IV enjoyed his drink, music, and mistresses. Between wives and mistresses, he fathered 22 children who survived infancy. The competition and intrigue of the king’s offspring became fascinating court drama for decades.

Rosenborg Castle served as the royal residence until 1710. The jewel box castle sits back from the harbor in a garden. Even when the royals occupied Christiansborg Palace, they returned to Rosenborg Castle when emergencies arose, such as when there was a fire in Christiansborg Palace, and again when the British attacked Copenhagen in 1801.

The British attacked Copenhagen during the Napoleonic War, with the hope to acquire the Danish navy before it could fall into the hands of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. When both fleets were badly damaged, British Admiral Nelson suggested a truce. The Danes demurred, and Nelson received credit for a hard-fought victory.

The British attacked the fort twice in efforts to take control of the Danish fleet. The first Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, ended in a negotiated ceasefire. When the British returned in 1807, they captured the Danish fleet. The Danes joined the Napoleonic War on the side of France in response, although without a fleet they were of little use to France. Napoleon lost the war and Denmark lost Norway, as a consequence of backing the losing side.

Today the imposing redbrick fortress castle is home to the crown jewels and coronation regalia. The King’s Garden, a lovely place to stroll, surrounds it. Across the street from Rosenborg Castle is the Copenhagen Botanical Gardens, making the area a highlight for visitors. Hans Christian Andersen in bronze sits pensively on a pedestal in the garden.

Near Rosenborg Castle on the harbor side, the Kastellet citadel remains one of the best-preserved star design fortresses in northern Europe. Begun by Christian IV in 1626, and completed by his successor in the 1640s, the fortress was built to protect the port of Copenhagen. After a two-year siege by the Swedes ended in 1660, the fortress was expanded. The double moats from the siege are still visible. The Nazis utilized Kastellet when Copenhagen was occupied from 1940 to 1944. It remains property of the Danish military today.

The imposing Kastellet fortress stands inland of the Little Mermaid statue, one of the icons of Copenhagen. Known in Danish as Den Lille Havfrue, it is revered by locals. Edvard Ericksen, using as his model the prima ballerina Ellen Price, crafted it in 1913. The Little Mermaid has been decapitated twice, in 1964 and 1998. The first head is lost. The second time the head was turned in at a local television station and expertly reattached. Today she guards the port and continues to fuel imaginations.

The castles and palaces are now museums open to the public. They contain royal memorabilia and battle souvenirs. They are monuments of Danish history.

A Walk Through the Streets of Storyland

Central Copenhagen is compact, offering cruise visitors the opportunity to easily walk through storyland. Starting at Kongens Nytorv, the King’s Square, and facing away from Rosenborg and Amalienborg, there is a pedestrian walkway leading three-fourths of a mile to the end point, along the Strøget, a joining of five little streets. It is the longest, oldest, pedestrian street in Europe. Look left down Nyhavn before proceeding and see the row of houses, three of which were home to Hans Christian Andersen on his returns to Copenhagen from world travel.³

A replica of the 1688 statue of King Christian IV, on a horse, stands at the center of King’s Square. The pretty Baroque Charlottenborg Palace on the square was home to Queen Charlotte Amalie in 1700. It is now home to the Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Queen Charlotte was born in Copenhagen Palace and never married. Hers was a royal life dependent upon royal diplomatic marriages and protocol. Next to the palace is the Royal Theater, the first stop of Hans Christian Andersen when he arrived in Copenhagen in 1819, at the age of 14.

Along the Strøget are large department stores and small boutiques. Among the shops are elegant designer names and fine china, silver, and crystal of long-regarded Danish design. The Royal Copenhagen Porcelain factory began as a royal possession in 1775. It became a private concern in 1868. Every year since 1908, collectors have cherished the Christmas plates depicting scenes of the Danish countryside in winter. Known worldwide are designs of Georg Jensen silver, Rosenthal and Bing & Grøndahl china, and Orrefors crystal and glass designs.

Marble Church

Midway down the Strøget, look left through the next street to the Gammel Strand, the historic edge of the city across from Christiansborg Palace. This is the picturesque street of shops and small wooden craft in the canal. The area is a protected historic district and is on postcards emblematic of Copenhagen. On the Gammel Strand is Thorvaldsen Museum, tucked in next to the palace, a straight-edged building with contrasting neo-classical columns.

Bertel Thorvaldsen was born in 1770. After being exiled from Copenhagen for his politics, he went to live and study classical sculpture in Italy. He returned to Copenhagen, where he died in 1844. His body of work on his return earned him recognition as a national treasure. His sculpture is found on his redesigned Christiansborg Palace and several churches. He is buried in the courtyard of the museum dedicated to his work.

Across the canal from the Thorvaldsen Museum is the National Museum of Denmark. From the museums, to the left of the Strøget, is Vor Frue Kirke, the Copenhagen Cathedral, a showplace of Thorvaldsen’s work. This church was the place of the funeral of Hans Christian Andersen in 1875 and existentialist philosopher Sören Kierkegaard in 1855.

The Strøget ends at Town Hall Square, the Råhus Plads. The town hall was built in 1905. It is the home of the World Clock, set in motion by the king in 1955. Across the street from the square is the entrance to the Tivoli Gardens and to its left the Ny Carlsberg Glytotek, the museum that is home to the collection of the son of the founder of Carlsberg Beer. On the street side of the square, casting a glance toward Tivoli, is a friendly statue of Hans Christian Andersen.

The statue at the entrance to Town Hall Square is the Lur Blower Column. At the top are two tenth century Vikings blowing the long horn instrument, the lur. The lur dates to 1500 BCE. Whether Vikings actually had such a horn is conjecture.

Carlsberg Beer is a Danish icon. The patriarch of the Carlsberg beer family, Christian Jacobsen, came to Copenhagen in 1800, where he learned commercial beer production. By 1826 he had established his own brewery and was a leader among Danish brewers. His only son, Jacob Christian, or JC, worked in the brewery as a young man, while he studied science. JC would become the first brewer to use a thermometer in beer production.

Upon the death of his father in 1835, the 24-year-old JC took over direction of the brewery. The fortune he inherited from his parents enabled JC to study Bavarian beer production and to incorporate advances in science in his brewery. By 1845, JC began to produce Bavarian style lager beer, kept cool in cellars deep in the hills around Copenhagen. In 1847, JC founded Carlsberg Brewery, named after JC’s only surviving son, Carl, born in 1842. The beer quickly achieved international acclaim.

JC was a proponent of study in science and incorporating new technology in beer production. His family home became a retreat for scientists. That residence is now home to the Carlsberg Academy, a place of symposiums to encourage scientific research. The Carlsberg Foundation, formed in 1876, to fund research, became the owner of Old Carlsberg Brewery in 1888. The Foundation is part of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. In Denmark drinking beer supports science.

JC’s son, Carl, established the New Carlsberg Brewery and the New Carlsberg Foundation in support of art and history. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is home to Carl’s collection of classical antiquities and nineteenth century Danish and French art. Carl collected plaster casts made of ancient sculptures. Glyptotek means repository for sculpture. The museum and its contents, including works by Rodin, Van Gogh, and the 1996 addition of a hall of French masters, are part of Copenhagen’s history and the legacy of three generations of Copenhagen brewers.

Danish Modern Design

The early twentieth century gave birth to a bevy of Danish designers, whose aggregate work would impact architecture, interior design furnishings, and household products across the world for decades. The Danish Museum of Art and Design, in the former Frederik Hospital, built in 1752, is home to works of Jacob Jensen, Hans Wegner, and Arne Jacobsen, to name just a few masters of twentieth century Danish design.

Arne Jacobsen, born in 1902, was the architect of major buildings across the globe, which look today as though they were built just recently. Jacobsen made industrial design and simplicity into art forms. By the time Jacobsen died in 1971, he was also known for his chairs. Hans Wegner, born in 1914 and died in 2007, was a master of Danish design in chairs. Collectors covet the furniture of both designers, which became ubiquitous in the 1950s.

Jacob Jensen is a name known to fans of Bang & Olufsen sound equipment. Jensen turned utilitarian speakers into sculpture. Born in 1926, a leader in industrial design for decades, he passed away in 2015. Think of Jensen when picking up a desk telephone, a plastic mixing bowl, or a retractable-corded outlet.

Copenhagen Today

Today the Strøget and Tivoli Gardens await visitors from the cruise terminal, looking as they did in the days of Hans Christian Andersen. Copenhagen is a fairytale setting waiting to be enjoyed. Walk along the water, through the Amalienborg Palace courtyard, and into the center of old Copenhagen, Kongens Nytorv. Then wander down the Gammel Strand and the Strøget, as residents have done for centuries.

In the side streets of Copenhagen are shops showcasing the efforts of the next wave of Danish designers. Copenhagen is an historic city that has not lost its edge. It is no wonder that it is a favorite cruise port destination.

Georg Carstensen

Imagine a time long ago and a place far away where people spent all their waking hours working, performing household chores, or at church. Prayer was a time to reflect on the little discretion people had in their lives. Leisure time was an unknown concept.

At the center of the city there were old and new palaces of the king and his predecessors. From the long-dead aristocracy, the king inherited his position as the absolute monarch. Not one of the more than 100,000 inhabitants of the city questioned his rule. Around the world great nations had become democracies or constitutional monarchies. This country ruled by the king of Denmark, remained an absolute monarchy owing absolute protection to the inhabitants of Copenhagen, its capital city, from the possibility of another of the many historic incursion attempts by Swedes or Germans. The people preferred submission to a known monarch over subjugation by a foreign monarch.

At midnight, each night, the king had city gates locked. He alone held the keys until morning. Not only did the lock-down give a sense of security to the people, it allowed the king to guard against untaxed incoming goods smuggled into the city in the dark of night. All imports were subject to taxes paid to the king.

Into this seemingly oppressive arrangement, a young man arrived who was accustomed to having discretionary time and spending it in self-interested merriment, without the least regret. The young man was Georg Carstensen, the son of the consul to Algiers, schooled in Algiers, Copenhagen, Paris and Philadelphia. This sometime army officer, sometime newspaper publisher, had been to places as foreign to the people of Copenhagen as his lifestyle.

Carstensen became a self-made promoter of something unheard of: an entertainment venue. That he was able to convince the king to provide land for his venture, entice investment from local businessmen, and garner the attention of an entire city, reflects a certain genius. Hans Christian Andersen gave note to Carstensen in the storyteller’s autobiography, when he called him a genius, whose creativeness gave lasting joy to others.⁴ The concept of a selfless promoter is unique, but then the entire venture was unique in 1843.

This is the short story of Georg Carstensen and his invention: Tivoli Gardens. The gardens became a place where happiness could be shared with the people. Tivoli Gardens has been a beautiful place to visit since 1843. To visit the gardens today, in light of the many pleasurable gardens and amusement parks available in the world, it is hard to imagine how much this magic place meant to the citizens of Copenhagen, when it was a new and exotic experience for all. When Tivoli Garden opened, thousands of lights and flowers forever changed their concept of life.

The Self-Made Georg Carstensen

Georg Carstensen was born in Algiers in 1812, to the Danish consular officer. At 8 years old Georg was sent home to Copenhagen for an education. By the time he was 21, Georg was a lieutenant in the Rifle Guards, an honor coveted by young men. In peacetime Denmark, Georg had idle time to enjoy a privileged lifestyle.

When he was 25, Georg left the military to become a newspaper editor in Paris. From Paris, he traveled to Philadelphia in the young United States to publish a newspaper. Two years later, in 1839, Georg was back in Copenhagen engaged in starting a literary journal called Ny Portefeuille. He published short stories of talented authors such as Hans Christian Andersen. That venture lasted two years before Georg abandoned the journal and began a new venture, another journal, this one called Figaro.

To promote Figaro, Georg staged publicity extravaganzas in public places. He became a master promoter. He had a talent for drawing a crowd.

Using his contacts, and no doubt those of his father, who as a diplomat, an appointed position, had friends at court, Georg approached King Christian VIII to ask for a lease to 25 acres of royal land just outside the gates of the city. Georg was not alone in asking for use rights. Other, more established businessmen coveted use of land so near to the city, should it be allowed to grow beyond the restrictive gates. The competition wanted long-term leases to protect their investments. Georg was willing to accept the king’s requirements of a five-year lease with restrictions against permanent structures.

Historians of Tivoli suggest that of all the suitors Georg was able to secure permission of the king for his project because his use was for an amusement park. Carstensen reportedly said to the king, When the people are kept amused, they forget their politics.⁵ The king gave the nod to Georg and he became the founder of Tivoli.

The Royal Concession was granted in May 1843. The time for summer entertainment in Copenhagen is late summer to early fall. Georg acted quickly to raise funds from local businessmen to build the gardens. In exchange, he gave shares in the venture. The project became so fully subscribed that Georg retained no shares for himself. His position was managing director of Tivoli, subject to the board of investors.

Tivoli Garden opened on August 15, 1843. Georg led the garden to two successful seasons before attendance began to fall. Considering his options at the end of the five-year lease, Georg volunteered to rejoin the military in 1848, as Denmark prepared to face Germany in war. The board of investors took the opportunity to negotiate a concession renewal with the king. They replaced Georg as manager. Tivoli would have a long life, but without Georg Carstensen.

After the war Georg returned to Copenhagen. He was able to receive an appointment as an assistant to the governor of the Danish Virgin Islands. In 1852 the employment ended and Georg went to New York City. It is unknown what Georg did in the city. It was a place with no shortage of options for theatrical entertainment. With an extended opportunity to enjoy the sights, there is no doubt Georg learned much about new attractions that he could introduce at Tivoli.

By 1855, Georg was back in Copenhagen, where he begged the owners of Tivoli to put him back in charge. They declined. In the prior decade, Tivoli had expanded and attendance was increasing, all without input of its creative founder.

Georg went back to the king who gave him a concession for a Tivoli style park further away from the center of the city, in the new working-class area of Frederiksberg. The Spanish style park would be called Alhambra. The venture required Georg to expend his personal fortune. The Alhambra of Denmark never came to fruition. It was dependent for its completion upon the creative talents of its founder. Georg Carstensen died in 1857. The singular Tivoli remains a monument to the selfless genius and creative inventor of the amusement park.

Glass Hall

Copenhagen Before Tivoli

Before Tivoli, the working-class people of Copenhagen could observe the lovely gardens and mansions of the nobility, from a distance. The palaces and castles in the city were guarded fortresses. Occupied by work during the day and locked within the city gates at night, over 100,000 people lived in close quarters.

In the seventeenth century, Copenhagen was repeatedly attacked by Sweden. In the eighteenth century, Copenhagen was a victim of the plague, no surprise given the crowded living conditions of its inhabitants. It was twice devastated by fire. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Napoleon made two advances on Copenhagen, in 1801 and 1807, both times preceded by attacks on the city by England, in an effort to grab ships and supplies before the French arrived.

The crowded occupants of Copenhagen could see beyond the city gates to a vast open area, kept vacant, as a defensive tactic should the Swedes return. They could only dream of walking the hills as recreation and escape from the city. Recreation, amusement and entertainment were illusive concepts for the working folk.

The Opening of Tivoli

Making Tivoli ready for visitors within five months of the grant of a concession was a major feat. In that time, Georg secured financial backers, an architect, supplies, construction workers and entertainers. He had an abundant supply of ideas ready for execution. Somehow, he found plants, gas lights and the ability to construct stage sets, tents, walkways, and book concert orchestras and performers, all to be part of something grandiose and without precedent in Denmark.

The original Tivoli made use of canvas to set the scene, platforms for stages, and tents for indoor entertainment and the bazaar. All structures could be easily removed in the event of an attack from foreign powers. The entrance gates and ticket booth were simple temporary structures.

Welcome to Tivoli

In the city, excitement grew over the activity that was taking place outside the west gate, the area beyond the city hall. Carstensen put to the task all that he had learned in the newspaper and journal business to advertise Tivoli. For the first time in Denmark people saw posters appear on buildings advertising coming events. People began to realize that they would be able to join nobility in a way never before allowed. They imagined the experience would be wonderful, although they had no idea what that meant.

When the gates to Tivoli opened, in August 1843, the first arrivals were stunned in amazement. They were instantly transported, via painted sets and tents, to an Arabian adventure. For people who had never had the opportunity to travel beyond the city walls, transport to a place halfway around the world was exotic.

In every direction, there were wondrous sights. A large Turkish style tent housed a concert salon, with three orchestras performing continuously from 7 pm to closing at midnight, when the gates to the city were locked. The Turkish Bazaar had treats for adults and children. In future years the entrance to the Bazaar became a street in Algiers, an image from the childhood of Carstensen, created with canvass and paint.

Arabian Pavillion

Peacock Stage

The original amusements were colorful and included fast action. There was a steam-powered carrousel. A switchback, designed by Carstensen, informed by a Russian invention, was built as a large wooden ramp. Switchback riders sat on a wooden sled on rollers as they flew down the undulating hill in a seven-second rush. Even the moats around the city, last dug by Swedish invaders, were put to use as a lake upon which gondolas offered romantic short cruises. Of course, the king’s guards were on duty at night to check for untaxed smuggled goods.

Everyday there were parades. From 1844 forward, there was a contingent of soldiers in their clean red uniforms of the Royal Life Guard giving the drum roll as the gates were opened. At night, the guards shot a six-gun salute to signal closing time. Tivoli was a nighttime wonder from the beginning. Each night the sky was filled with fireworks. The paths and buildings were lit with hundreds, then thousands of candles, which by 1857 were replaced