Unicorn hunting in Denmark
What do you mean, unicorns don’t exist? Don’t say that to us in Denmark. Our land of everyday wonder has unicorns to spot in the most unlikely places, from street corners to throne rooms, and it’s one of the best countries in the world for unicorn hunting, even if we do say so ourselves.
Christianshavn Apotek, Copenhagen
When in Copenhagen, always look up. This unicorn is on the corner of an unassuming street above Christianshavn Apotek. Nobody really seems to know why it’s there - we think it adds a bit of magic to an otherwise ordinary street corner in one of the most charming quarters of the city.
The King's Coronation Chair, Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen
For nearly 200 years, the people of Denmark were told that the King’s Coronation Chair in the Knight’s Hall at the top of Rosenborg Castle was made of unicorn horns.The truth is that it is made of narwhal tusks, but that’s still extremely cool so we’d urge you to go see it.
The Natural History Museum, Copenhagen
Adventurer/ physician/ Renaissance man Ole Worm is the man behind today’s Natural History Museum in Denmark. In the early 17th century, he put together a collection of curios that included ‘unicorn horns’ and he devoted much of his life to trying to find out if unicorns really existed. On a trip to Greenland, he discovered that what he thought were unicorn horns were actually narwhal tusks. Disappointing doesn’t cover it. The zoology museum has a number of narwhal horns from this period still on view.
Christiansborg Palace tapestries, Copenhagen
The 11 modern tapestries hanging in Christiansborg Palace were designed by Bjørn Nørgaard in 1990 to commemorate Queen Margrethe’s 50th birthday. Look closely at the Middle Ages section to find a tapestry unicorn.
An underwater unicorn, Amager
No, we're not talking about narwhals this time, but a real underwater unicorn - the unicorn fish. It lives in the Blue Planet aquarium, within easy reach of Copenhagen, and is so-called because of the horn-like extension of its forehead. They typically live on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific, so we're very lucky to have one here in Denmark.
Enhjørning, Hjørring
As everyday’s a school day, here’s a little bit of extra knowledge for you: Enhjørning is the Danish word for unicorn. Now you know. This statue, created in 1990 by sculptor Karin Olesen, is made of recyled materials and shows a white unicorn on top of a plint of crushed materials. It's located in Hjørring in Northern Jutland, home to a lot of other sculptures.
