Old Danish Buildings
 

I took a walk in the old part of my city today. I love to walk in this part of town because of the old buildings that are located here.

I took a couple of pictures of them and the streets because I want to show you guys the architecture of Denmark anno 1600-1900.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../oldstreet.jpg

The buildings are the same as when they were built but with some modifications/improvements but the stony street is still the same. The only thing that indicates the current year are the added pavement and electrified streetlamps. However they've retained the old design of the streetlamps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../gadelygte.jpg

That house was built sometime during 178x. During 1750 nearly all houses were half-timbered like this very old building. Sadly it's in a terrible condition but hopefully the city will restore it sometime:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...melbygning.jpg

The unique shape of the timber in this house is a classic design and was used in all the half-timbered houses here. In some of the new houses that only consists of bricks they've still retained that unique design with paint:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...indingsvrk.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...g/indkrsel.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...iborg/gyde.jpg

If it weren't for the cars this picture could easily look like it was taken during the 1800 century. I love how time stands still in these streets.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...gammelgade.jpg

The old church:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...rg/church1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...org/church.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ldbuilding.jpg

This house was built in 1643 and is still in excellent condition as you can see. The design and building materials were very unsual in those days.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...genimidten.jpg

As time goes by the buildings are all going to gradually decay. Some choose to restore them and keep the original design/material intact. Some choose to cover the walls and have them fully repainted. I like how it still blends in nicely with the old buildings:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...nyoggammel.jpg

This is an unique building. The shape of the timber is still the same classic design but the shape of the front building is really rare:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...g/redhouse.jpg

The past meets the present
 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...iborg/sign.jpg

All the yellow buildings in this picture are the City Hall. I like how they chose to restore the buildings and use them instead of some anonymous hi-tech building:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...hallstreet.jpg

Some examples of some of the "newer" (=1800) architecture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ammelgade2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../nyerestil.jpg

Old buildings used by modern shops.
 

One of my favourite streets here. It just seems so charming and hyggelig!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...g/anno2004.jpg

Nice pictures nancy, I like the last one the best!

Thanks a lot!! :)

I took that shot very quickly because cars kept driving back and forth and the street is very narrow so there wasn't room for both me and the cars. Stressing! I'm glad you think it turned out nice though :)

that is so neat!
i love seeing buildings from other countries...america is so new...we just don't have that kind of history yet

I agree, I think you saved the best photo for last. Are those tile roofs I see on most of the buildings? The steep pitch I assumed had to do with heavy snow fall, which surprised me to see none, anywhere, with you just having taken these photos. Not only isn't there any snow, but where are the people? Did you take these photos really early and no one was up, yet?

the building in the forefront.....can you tell me what kinda roof that is.....i'm guessing metal but....it looks an awful lot like the torch applied materials i work with.

great set Nancy thanx.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../nyerestil.jpg

Yes. When the half-timbered houses were built they had thatched roofs. Those are highly inflammable and I think the great fire in Copenhagen on october the 23rd. 1728 (which destroyed around 1.600 houses) may have been the turning point when people realized that another roof material was required for safety.

The steep pitch I assumed had to do with heavy snow fall<<--- what? :confused:

There wasn't any snow today only frost. And the reason why there are hardly any people is because it's the old part of the town. The streets are very narrow making it difficult for transportation and therefore many of them have been shut off.

It is metal. I'll have to ask my father because I'm not entirely sure what kind of metal it is. I'll get back to you once I've got the answer :)

Don't mind me... I've never been accused of being eloquent.. :D

I was surprised there wasn't any snow and I just figured the reason the roofs were so steep was to keep snow from piling up too high on the roofs and causing problems like roofs caving in on the houses. I'd love to see the same photos after a heavy snowfall <b> hint.. hint.. </b> :cool:

Wow, I loved looking at these... Beautiful, Nancy. I love the last pic with the black cobblestones. Great stuff, thanks. :)

hehe no no. You're not eloquent. I figured that was what you meant but I just wanted to make sure.

The steep roofs is not a problem for the snow piling up if the snow isn't too thick/heavy.

heheh I'll take some for you then but I don't think we'll be getting some proper snow here till January/February I'm afraid. :|

Thanks!

So that's what you call them; cobblestones. I've gotta remember that :3

Excellent post, Nancy. It is cool to see old architecture from other countries. Here in the states we have far less appreciation for that sort of thing. Here, old is equated with worthless.

Rip 'em down and build a Wal-Mart!

What do you them Nancy? If that isn't too stupid a question..lol.

Yeah that's a real shame but in due time I think you'll get to appreciate your architecture a great deal more :)

You mean what do I call them? Danes call them brosten (= bridge stones) :)

beautiful architecture. the town looks sooo tidy & clean, too!

cobblestone streets have such a romantic old world charm.
lovely place you live. thanks for sharing! :)

Nice shots. I like the 2nd to last cobblestone street shot, as well as the alleyway shot with the cars which you described as 'time standing still', and I would agree. Peaceful mood in that one. Thanks for posting 'em.

yup.....that cobblestone at the end just kicks ass...........

Not trying to be nosy but what city is this? I mean is this just the "old town" touristy area or just another town?
Are all the cities this old? or is there newer modern construction down the street?

I do like the cobble stone streets but they must play heck with the alignment on your vehicle.

Maybe one of these days I'll actually make it across the Atlantic, as I've been all around the Pacific, its amazing to see all of the older style construction all over the world. But I must say I have never seen buildings "half timbered" like that. Very cool. Is that unique to Denmark or do they use it in other Euorpean countries?

If someone were to go on vacation in Denmark what would be the best or "Do Not Miss" places to see?

*Thread jack over*

Sorry about all the questions, just a little curious.

Hey Bern!

Yeah the streets are very tidy in this part of town. The Jutlandic cities take great pride in keeping their towns as clean as they can. A clean town means happy townspeople :)

hehe what is it with you people and the cobblestones? I didn't think you'd like that shot that much :crazy:

anyway Flyman! My father said that the roof is made of zink by the way. Is zink the torch applied materials you work with?

What a beautiful city! Those pictures are really incredible Nancy. Must be stunning in person.

This is Viborg. Every city has parts that contains really old buildings like these - especially in Jutland. There are some on Funen and Zealand (where Copenhagen lies) as well but the old buildings are more scattered around the cities than gathered in one place like over here. The old buildings in all our cities are not tourist attractions except one in Århus (founded in 948). It is called Den Gamle By (=The Old Town). This whole area has been sealed off and well preserved so we can all see an enjoy Denmark as it looked like 300 years ago:
http://www.highrise.dircon.co.uk/dep...s/gamleby1.jpg

You can read more about it on its homepage and see more pictures:
http://www.dengamleby.dk/

Not all cities are this old. Some were founded as late as in 1868 and some were founded way back in the year 704 like Ribe that is the oldest city in Denmark.

If you're asking whether there are newer modern constructions down the street in MY town then yes there is. This old part of the city opens into the pedestrian precinct with all the modern shops and stalls. Some are located in old buildings like in that last shot but many are located in new fancy buildings.




No they were used in all European countries. I don't know if some of the other European countries have preserved their old half-timbered houses like ours but surely some have.

Not at all! It's not everyday someone shows an interest in such a small country as Denmark so I'm really thrilled about your curiousity!

If you ever do get here then you should not miss out on:

Den Gamle By:
http://www.highrise.dircon.co.uk/dep...s/gamleby1.jpg

Den Lille Havfrue statue (=The little mermaid from H.C.Andersen's fairytale):
http://www.mermaidsculpture.dk/billeder/havfrue.jpg

Tivoli. Our oldest amusement park:
http://www.mark-info.com/_images/cus...n_2002_web.jpg
http://www.whenwherego.com/cmn/se/pictures/view-138.jpg


Jellingestenen (The Jelling stone from about the year 965. You can read more about it here):
http://home4.inet.tele.dk/uffep/hvejb32.jpg


The Holger Danske statue on Kronborg slot. Read more about him here:
http://web.tiscali.it/angolodidario/...lgerdanske.jpg


Amalienborg. Home of her majesty the Queen Margrethe the second:
http://www.mykreeve.net/copenhagen/n...borg_plads.jpg

Legoland where everything is made of Lego:
http://www.travellondon.com/template...s/Legoland.jpg

http://www.infosang.friko.pl/dania_l...egoland_52.jpg

Rosenborg Slot and the Crown Jewels:
http://i.tdconline.dk/pics/6/5/9/28956/org.jpg
http://i.c.dk/pics/7/2/6/28627/org.jpg
http://i.c.dk/pics/8/2/6/28628/org.jpg

:D :D :D

very well could be......the zinc would be the coating on the membrane....mainly for uv protection.......cool,thanx Nancy :thumbsup:

wery well could be? It is zinc my dear. By the way why do you spell it with a c? :crazy:

hahahha.........i'm Canadian.....we do things differently i guess.


hey we even drop the letter "U" in words like colour too eh..... :D

According to what I just looked up...its always Zinc....the spelling with the K is an obscure german spelling :lol: I've never ever seen it spelled with a K

its even zinc in websters dictionary with the same "obscure" german reference to Zink

Nearly everything you spell with a "c" we spell with a "k"

Kalender/Calender
Karussel/Carussel
Kanon/Canon

:D

not to thread jack....but what is a Karussel/Carussel?

I misspelled it! Its

Karrusel/carousel

- a merry-go-round :)

ahhhh ok....I was going nuts trying to find it lol....Im such a geek

you may now go back to your architechtural discussion :)

It actually began snowing heavily later that day when you asked me this. What a coincidence!

I took some of the same pictures along with some new ones today. Some of the snow had meltet away but hopefully you're still pleased with them:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...rrowstreet.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../brndgrden.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...org/tomure.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...mmelstreet.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...g/entrance.jpg

Gateway and Door
 

I just love these!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../Viborg/dr.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...tjerneport.jpg

I wish this house was mine *sigh*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...lotbygning.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...solnedgang.jpg

I took this picture for you. It was built quite recently (around 1990-2000). It lies among the old buildings and right next to the old church (I've posted it before but took another one because of the snow):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../nybygning.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...borg/kirke.jpg

Great to see some pictures from Denmark. Reminds me of my work trips there. Lots of cool stuff to see there. I really loved Copenhagen and the old pubs there.

:thumbsup:

You use to work here? Why? When?! GIMME DETAILS MAN! :D

Nancy - great photos. Thank you so much for posting them. Here in the states, thngs are really boring because the oldest buildings might be 100 years old. Other than that, they're blandly new and updated. After a trip to Europe several years ago, I realized the fantastic beauty of architecture from the 1600s and 1700s that I've never been able to see before. I need to return...with camera(s) in hand.

Thanks for sharing this, they are great. Keep me in mind, when the snow is incredibly deep, as I'd like to see that, if possible. :cool:

K. I promise to take some new ones if we ever do get some heavy snow here during the rest of this winther :)

nice shots...i love the old churches...the one i go to is c 1860...but i've always had a thing for the really old ones. thanks for the tour.

Nancy! These shots are awesome.

I am now longing to return to Denmark. Generally speaking there is just something appealling about the style of Northern Europe's buildings and their city planning (or lack thereof) that just plain appeals to me.

Having grown up in the pre-fab environs of the North American suburb I keep wondering where we went wrong? We had great models to build from and yet we made these damned suburbs and superhighways...

Thanks for a look into your world.

Wow Nancy Thanks for the tour, and the sightseeing ideas. It boggles the mind the great architecture that still exists and the beauty involved, when they didn't have the convience of modern tools. To think most of the buildings you showed at the begining are over 300 yrs old, and we have stuff here that they knock down if its 75-100 yrs old instead of restoring it. Kind of sad.

But on another note, last summer my 3yr old and I went to Legoland here in California. The stuff they built was amazing. I can't imagine what is like in the birthplace of Legos!

Hope you don't mind a quick grant to your request, Nancy...I also used the film of the day as well.

Me too. You should check out Ribe Domkirke (=Ribe cathedral) then. It's the oldest cathedral we have in Denmark (founded in 1150) and it is the best preserved in Scandinavia:

http://www.doks.dk/organistbog/still...bedomkirke.jpg

http://www.ht-1.dk/Ribe2003/foto/351a.jpg

http://www.ht-1.dk/Ribe2003/foto/344.jpg

I've seen it once when I was younger. It really is a stunning building :D

Hey Charlatan!

If you ever do return here then do send me a PM so I can meet you allright? :)

The city planning is really confusing but I prefer it like that instead of those square-divided cities. It sort of adds a little charm to them don't you think?

Indeed it does. It never ceases to amaze me what mankind is able to build with its hands and mind.

It really makes you wonder why you keep tearing your buildings down as they reach a certain age. Perhaps America is so busy at having the biggest, newest and best stuff in the world that they feel like things from the past slows you down? :confused: :hmm:

Woot! I didn't know they had put up a Legoland over there as well! Neat! Our Legoland is impressive but since America is richer than Denmark there's a chance that your Legoland is even greater than ours. Could you perhaps send me a PM with some photos so I can compare?

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that looks amazing!!!!! Excellent job jujueye, it really does look like it was taken 300 years ago!

I have now saved it on my disc and I am so gonna show this to my father! :thumbsup:

the interior is amazing...

the exterior is a little odd...did they tack a bell tower and a spire on? bad architects! bad! you leave buildings like this...alone. very careful like. yes.

anyhow...you're increasing my resolve to actually get off my butt and get overseas. the more i think about it, the more i want to cash in my savings and buy a plane ticket. i wonder if the trip would be worth getting disowned? hmm...

As soon as I find where I put the pictures I'll go through them all and send you some!

That was truly educational. I've never even seen Danish architecture before. Thanks!

Great pictures, Nancy. Thanks!

Thanks! :)

You've ain't seen nothing yet my friend. But unfortunately that is the only picture I could find of the interior decoration

I think it looks kinda cool actually. The reason why they look like that is:

"Due to Ribe's lack of unhewn stones the church was made mainly of imported material (tuff stones, sandstone etc.) from Germany. A characteristic feature of the building are the two very different towers facing the west. Apparently there used to be two identical towers looking somewhat like the present southward tower, Mariatårnet (=Maria Tower which today is a reconstruction). But after the upper part of the northern tower fell in 1283 it was rebuilt (of monastic stones) with bigger dimensions and possibly a spire. After it fell again in 1594 the tower was rebuilt with its present characteristic look - flat at the top like a castle tower. As a Dutch model it acted as "tower of the city" which means; night watchman tower, tocsin tower, guard- and defence tower."

:D

You live in a picturesque city, Nancy. I spent 4 years in Germany and took it for granted by never photographing where I lived. You've got some really good shots here. Thanks for sharing them.

Yeah I do :D

It's a pity you never photographed anything in Germany. They've got some pretty neat architecture as well...

I love your new avatar btw! :lol:

Sorry for the delay replying. I haven't been in the photos section for awhile now.

I didn't really work "there" but I travel there for work once in awhile. The company I work for has a dealer there and part of my job is to look after our export dealers which means I get to travel to where the dealers are once in awhile.

Hopefully I'll get to go back to Denmark soon. Maybe next fall. It's a beautiful country, I love the all the old buildings and the countryside is fantastic. People were very friendly too. :thumbsup:

I too have to throw in my THANKS for the pictures! I was in Amsterdam this last fall and loved it... I was only there for 24 hours but I now plan on spending much more time in northern Europe before I die. I'd like to live there for a while, maybe after my kids are out of the house (I'll only be 40 when they are both out of school :D)

Jason

Oh how I envy you! I should like to travel around the world once in awhile like you - it's such a perfect oportunity to learn about other cultures while you're there anyway :)

Yeah? Do you have any preferences or would you like me to recommend a country or two? :p