Copenhagen

PARKS AND PROMENADES. h e capital of D enm ark may — in p ropo rtion to its size and population — be said to be well prov ided w ith public parks. London has 13, C openhagen 5. But the parks of C openhagen do not vie w ith those of L ondon; they have charm s

of th e ir own; they are beautiful, well kept, w ooded gardens. The oldest of these is the Rosenborg Garden, or, as it is generally called, the R ing 's Garden. W hen first laid ou t by K ing Christian IV. in the b eg in n in g of the 17th century it was outside the city, and R o senborg Castle was then a coun ­ try house. The garden was in the stiff F rench style, b u t it was afterwards re-p lann ed in w hat is known as the English style. In the centre is a fountain, the open space round which is one of the favourite play g ro u n d s of the Copenhagen chil­ dren. There are fine avenues of old trees, one or two old pavilions, and various statues. At the end of one of the ave­ nues is the statue of the w o rld -renow n ed Hans Christian Andersen. He is rep resented sitting, with one hand stretched out, as if he w ere in the act of telling a fairy tale. The two o ther parks w ithin the town, have no t the Rosen­ b o rg G a rd en ’s charm of antiquity, for they were only laid out som e tw enty years ago, on the old ramparts. The Østre An læ g is quite rural. The n ightingale and the cuckoo often build their nests in its trees, and w ild ducks swim abou t in its ( 6 ) - 81 -