Copenhagen

THE HISTORY OF COPENHAGEN.

1616 and 1624, was a happy time for Copenhagen, the prosperity, trade, and industry of which m ade considerable advance. The town was greatly en ­ larged and em bellished; many new private and public build ings were erected, som e of which exist at this day. The fortifications were im proved and extended, and a new, independen t town, C h ri­ stianshavn, was founded on the island of Am ager (incorporated with C openhagen in 1670). Several trad ing companies were formed, am ong which the

TH E “ M A N" (CHRIST) ON TH E TOW ER OF OUR sa v io u r ’ s CHURCH

East India Com pany was destined to becom e the m ost famous, p arti­

TH E TOW ER OF OUR SAVIOUR’S

cularly after its re -con stitu tion in 1670. The Thirty Years’ W ar and the w ar with Sweden, however, b ro u g h t great disaster upon Denmark; and some years later, d u ring Frederick Ill’s wars w ith Sw eden, the realm was threatened with destruction. It was the citizens and fortifications of C openhagen that held out against the Sw e­ dish king, Charles X Oustavus, in 1658 and 1659. This g lorious two years’ struggle, “The siege of C o p e n h a g e n “ pa r excellence, is also of note as a tu rn in g -p o in t in the history of the country. T he situation after the peace was so desperate th at extraordinary measures were required. The citizens of Copenhagen were rew arded for their

bravery w ith “p rivileges“ which w ere practically of no value, whilst hereditary succession and absolutism were in troduced to su p p o rt the crown against the nobility who had failed to do their duty by their native coun ­ try. At the time of this revo lu ­ tion the so-called “Kastel" was

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