Denmark

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Denmark, by M. Pearson Thomson, Illustrated

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Title: Denmark
Author: M. Pearson Thomson

Release Date: December 13, 2006 [eBook #20107]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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Transcriber's notes:
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The section of the book about Norway is not included.

Peeps at Many Lands
NORWAY BY LIEUT.-COL. A. F. MOCKLER-FERRYMAN, F.R.G.S., F.Z.S.
and
DENMARK BY M. PEARSON THOMSON
With Sixteen Full-Page Illustrations in Colour

The MacMillan Company 64 & 66 Fifth Avenue, New York 1921

DENMARK
[Illustration: SKETCH-MAP OF DENMARK.]

CONTENTS
DENMARK
By M. Pearson Thomson
I. MERRY COPENHAGEN--I 1
II. MERRY COPENHAGEN--II 6
III. HANS ANDERSEN--THE "FAIRY-TALE" OF HIS LIFE 12
IV. FAMOUS DANES 18
V. LEGENDARY LORE AND FOLK-DANCES 25
VI. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 32
VII. A JAUNT THROUGH JUTLAND--I 39
VIII. A JAUNT THROUGH JUTLAND--II 45
IX. THE PEOPLE'S AMUSEMENTS 51
X. FARM LIFE--BUTTER-MAKING--"HEDESELSKABET" 54
XI. SOLDIERS AND SAILORS 59
XII. THE PEOPLE OF THE ISLES 66
XIII. FISHERMEN AT HOME AND AFLOAT 72
XIV. YOUTHFUL DANES AT WORK AND PLAY 78
XV. INGEBORG'S JOURNEY THROUGH SEELAND 83

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

DENMARK
By F. J. Hyldahl
FACING PAGE
FLOWER MARKET IN COPENHAGEN 9
DRAG?R PEASANT 16
CHILDREN'S DAY 33
HARVEST-TIME 40
VAGT-PARADEN 57
SUNDAY IN THE ISLAND OF L?S? 64
SKAGEN FISHERMAN NEAR THE TOWER OF BURIED CHURCH 73
WINTER IN THE FOREST 80
Sketch-Map, page ii, Denmark Section.

DENMARK
CHAPTER I
MERRY COPENHAGEN--I
Copenhagen, the metropolis of Denmark, is a large and flourishing city, with all the modern improvements of a commercial capital. It has an atmosphere of its own, an atmosphere of friendliness and gaiety, particularly appreciated by English people, who in "Merry Copenhagen" always feel themselves at home.
The approach to this fine city from the North by the Cattegat is very charming. Sailing through the Sound, you come upon this "Athens of the North" at its most impressive point, where the narrow stretch of water which divides Sweden and Denmark lies like a silvery blue ribbon between the two countries, joining the Cattegat to the Baltic Sea. In summer the sparkling, blue Sound, of which the Danes are so justly proud, is alive with traffic of all kinds. Hundreds of steamers pass to and from the North Sea and Baltic, carrying their passengers and freights from Russia, Germany, Finland, and Sweden, to the whole world. In olden times Denmark exacted toll from these passing ships, which the nations found irksome, but the Danes most profitable. This "Sundtold" was abolished finally at the wish of the different nations using this "King's highway," who combined to pay a large lump sum to Denmark, in order that their ships might sail through the Sound without this annoyance in future.
Kronborg Castle, whose salute demanded this toll in olden days, still rears its stately pinnacles against the blue sky, and looking towards the old fortress of Kj?rnan, on the Swedish coast, seems to say, "Our glory is of a bygone day, and in the land of memories."
Elsinore, the ancient town which surrounds this castle, is well known to English and American tourists as the supposed burial-place of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark immortalized by Shakespeare. Kronborg Castle is interesting to us, in addition, as being the place where Anne of Denmark was married by proxy to James I. of England. Here, also, the "Queen of Tears," Caroline Matilda, sister of George III., spent some unhappy months in prison, gazing sadly over the Sound, waiting for the English ships to come and deliver her.
We pass up the Sound viewing the luxuriant cool green beech-woods of Denmark, and the pretty fishing villages lying in the foreground. Villas with charming gardens--their tiny rickety landing-stages, bathing sheds, and tethered boats, adding fascination to the homely scene--seem to welcome us to this land of fairy tales and the home of Hans Andersen.
The many towers and pinnacles of Copenhagen, with the golden dome of the Marble Church, flash a welcome as we steam into the magnificent harbour of this singularly well-favoured city. Here she stands, this "Queen of the North," as a gracious sentinel bowing acquiescence to the passing ships as they glide in and out of the Baltic. The broad quays are splendidly built, lined with fine warehouses, and present a busy scene of commercial activity. The warships lying at their moorings in the Sound denote that this is the station of the fleet; here also we see the country's only fortress--the formidable bulwarks which surround the harbour.
Kj?benhavn in Danish means "merchants' harbour,"