Until well into the 19th century, Copenhagen remained a small and intimate fortified city, whose gates were locked at night and whose keys were kept by the King himself. Its central core retains many of the original buildings and streets of the medieval and later centuries.

Most of the monuments and institutions of Jewish Copenhagen lie within the limits of the old city near the many attractions of general tourist interest. All are easily accessible on foot - or you can jump on one of the seasonal, free visitors' bicycles or the convenient city bus.

To find the heart of Jewish Copenhagen, begin at City Hall, Rådhuset, walk down Vester Voldgade, once the site of the western ramparts, part the statue of the Lurblowers, with their Bronze Age trumpets, and down Ny Kongensgade. This 18th century street is home to the Jewish Community Center, the headquarters of the Mosaiske Troessamfund and the many cultural and social institutions which it accommodates. Built in 1754, it was purchased by the Jewish community in 1902 and extensively renovated by architect Frederick Levy. Included in the collection is a large brass menorah of the Fredericia Synagogue dated 1779.

A few steps down the street is The National Museum on Frederiksholm Kanal, which served as the moat around the first royal palace of Christiansborg. Cross over a small bridge and keep going down Tøjhusgade, a charming street that leads past the Theater Museum and Defense Museum to Rigsdagsgården. On one side is the entrance to Christiansborg, now the seat of the Danish Parliament, and on the other, the Royal Library with its famous collection of Judaica. 

The main entrance to The Danish Royal Library is the “Black Diamond.” In addition to housing 200,000 reference books in its five reading rooms, the Black Diamond features a bookshop, a restaurant with a spectacular view of the harbor, a courtyard for exhibitions and an expansive hall for concerts, meetings and conferences. The main building of the Library, which faces a large formal garden, contains exhibits of many rare books and manuscripts.

Begun in the era of European Enlightenment, the Royal Library’s rich collection of Judaica and Hebraica includes over 36,000 books, incunabula and manuscripts in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic and Judeo-Persian. It is a magnet for scholars from around the world and contains some of the greatest treasures of Jewish religious and secular literature.

Researchers are privy to an unparalleled depth of Judaica including: an illuminated Hebrew translation of Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed, written in Barcelona in 1348 (also know as ’The Copenhagen Maimonides’ ), a number of unique Hebrew bibles (some dating from as early as the 13th century), as well as the first complete edition of the Babylonian Talmud (dating from the early 16th century).

Luckily, the library was untouched during the occupation and the collection continues to grow. Please note that the library’s rare collection is not available to view or study on a walk-in basis. For more information on access to the material, please contact oja@kb.dk.

The recently opened Danish Jewish Museum, designed by world famous architect Daniel Libeskind, is located in the section of the old library building that faces the large formal garden. Make sure to include a visit to this captivating museum on your Copenhagen itinerary. Read more about The Danish Jewish Museum.

At the exit to Christiansborg, pass Christian IV’s Stock Exchange and cross over Holmens Bridge to Holmens Kirke, the naval church. Note that above its doors, Christian IV inscribed in gilded letters the Hebrew name of God.

From there, turn left along the canal to Højbro, which leads past many of the old banking and trading houses to Højbro Plads. On the left are Gammel Strand and Nybrogade, the stronghold of the Copenhagen fishwives, who originally sold fish here, now commemorated by a statue. Great restaurants, including Krogs Fiskerestaurant, can be found here.

Walk down Strøget, Copenhagen’s mile-long pedestrian and shopping street, which runs from the Nyhavn area and the Royal Theater to City Hall, at the heart of a series of pedestrian walkways lined with trendy shops and overflowing cafes.

Branching off Strøget at the top of Højbro Plads is Læderstræde. This “Leather Alley” was home to many small synagogues in the early part of the 20th century: today this street and its continuations are devoted to antique and novelty shops – among them “antikvariats,” the old and rare bookshops, for which Copenhagen is famous.

At the same junction, turn north up an off-shoot of Strøget, Købmagergade, another pedestrian and shopping street, past the old Royal Post Office to the Round Tower, Rundetårn. The tower, another one of Christian IV’s creations, is emblazoned with the letters Yud Hey Vav Hey (albeit with a daled substituted for the vav – presumably out of sensitivity to the Jewish prohibition against writing the name of God). Built as an astrological observatory, it contains an internal spiral ramp which leads to an incredible view of the city.

During World War II, the Torah scrolls of the Synagogue were stored for safekeeping in the adjoining Trinity Church until the Congregation returned.

Around the next corner is Krystalgade (Crystal Street) and the Copenhagen Synagogue. Both a religious center and an artistic monument, it is considered the masterwork of a famous Danish architect, Gustav Friedrich Hetsch (1788-1864). While the outside is simple and severe, inside is a treasure. A soaring ceiling is supported by rows of Doric columns, each in white with deep blue and gold trim. The sanctuary is flooded with light. An elaborate bima, gilt menorahs and carved pews adorn the inside. The Synagogue complex also includes the first of the community’s two homes for the aged, Meyers Minde, established in 1805.

To visit the synagogue outside of service hours, you will need to make an appointment in advance.

Further down Krystalgade are the original buildings of the University of Copenhagen and Vor Frue Kirke, Our Lady’s Church, the front of which is adorned with majestic statues of Moses and David created by the Danish sculptor H.W.Bissen.

From Krystalgade, follow another spur of the walking street complex, Fiolstræde to Nørre Voldgade, where the northern city walls once stood, and then another short block to Israels Plads. At one end of this large square is one of the city’s major outdoor markets for fruit, vegetables and flowers. At the other end is a striking boulder from Eilat, erected in 1975 as a gift to Denmark and inscribed with a thank you note from the State of Israel.

Israels Plads is also the home of the popular Copenhagen flee market.
 
Israels Plads is near Nørreport, the old northern gate, which is now a major station for bus, metro and underground lines running back to the center of the city.

The Mahzike Hadas Synagogue and its cheder are located on the other side of the nearby Botanical Garden on Ole Suhrsgade.

Head back to the center of the town (walk or take the Metro train one stop from Nørreport to Kongens Nytorv) to explore the area around the Queen’s Castle Amalienborg and the streets leading out to where the large cruise ships dock.

On Bredgade, you will pass the statue of King Christian X depicting his daily horse ride through his occupied capital. One block further, to the right, is Amalienborg Palace, the residence of the Danish Royal Family.

The streets Borgergade and Adelgade, which run parallel with Bredgade, housed many of the poor Yiddish immigrants who arrived in Copenhagen in the early 20th century. However, there are no longer any signs of the large Jewish community who lived there or the buildings in which they lived.

A few blocks further, on Esplanaden, is Frihedsmuseet, The Museum of Danish Resistance 1940-1945, where the events of October 1943 are contextualized within the history of Danish resistance to Nazism.

Continue out to Langelinie on the harbor front. By the ice cream kiosk you will find a monument dedicated to the people who were deported to Theresienstadt.


Main sources:
The Danish Jewish Museum
Jewish Points of Interest by VisitDenmark (out of print)