Traveling to Denmark and want to learn more about this very hygge country? We’ve compiled 50 of the most interesting, surprising, and unique fun facts about Denmark just for you!
Let’s kick off our fun facts about Denmark with a very welcoming fact — Denmark is the most visited country in Scandinavia, with more than 33 million arrivals in 2019. Velkommen!
… But while we may be the most visited country in Scandinavia, Denmark is also the smallest Nordic country!
Did you know that Disneyland was inspired by Tivoli gardens?
Walt Disney was in the planning stages of the original Disneyland park when he took his first trip to Tivoli Gardens in 1951.
One of his friends noted, “Walt walked through the amusement park scribbling down notes about the seats, gardens, rides, food, and every other detail he noticed.”
Walt Disney was extremely fond of Tivoli Gardens, and said that it was “what an amusement place should be.” He especially liked the music, the food and drinks, and the friendly employees, summarizing Tivoli as “everything combined for a pleasurable experience.”
… speaking of amusement parks, Denmark is also home to the oldest amusement park in the world!
Indeed, Dyrehavsbakken (simply known as Bakken for short) opened waaay back in 1583 (nearly 450 years ago!) and is still operating to this day. Best of all, Bakken makes for an excellent day trip from Copenhagen — it’s only 10 km (6 miles) away.
(Psst — Tivoli is the third-oldest amusement park, right behind Bakken and Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria!)
While we’re on the topic of old things, Denmark also takes the prize for having the oldest flag in the world. The Danish flag, also known as Dannebrog, dates back all the way to the 13th century and holds the world record of being the oldest continuously used national flag.
Did you know that Denmark is pretty flat? The tallest peak in Denmark is only about 170 meters (558 ft), although the actual location of the highest peak has been hotly debated between two contenders — Yding Skovhøj (172.5 m) and Ejer Baunehøj (171 m).
Another fun fact about Denmark’s geography is that you are never more than 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from the sea. Denmark is a seafaring nation, after all! 😉
9 out of 10 Danish people own a bike … and biking in Denmark is so popular that there is even a Cycling Embassy of Denmark!
The Danes bike a combined total of 8 million kilometers (5 million miles) per day!
Denmark is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites — including the Kronborg Castle in Helsingor, the Stevns Klint coastal cliff, and the famous Wadden Sea.
Denmark has one of the oldest monarchies in the world, which dates back to the first Viking kings of Denmark more than 1000 years ago!
Denmark’s current monarch is Margrethe II, who is also the longest-serving head of state in Europe, and the second worldwide (the first is the Sultan of Brunei). She’s been Denmark’s Queen since January 1972.
Actually, we can take the previous two facts and put them together: Queen Margrethe can trace her lineage all the way back to the Viking era, and she is related to the first king of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth.
Besides having a very historical lineage, another fun fact about the Danish royal family is that they’re also fashionable. The oldest grandchild of the Queen, Count Nikolai, is a fashion model.
He made his runway debut in 2018 at Burberry’s show at London Fashion Week, and has been featured in Vogue Scandinavia, ELLE, Tatler, and more.
Speaking of talent: Queen Margrethe is an avid illustrator, and her art was used in the Lord of the Rings books!
(Although you would never know at first, because she used the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer)
Her art has also been displayed in some of Denmark’s most popular art museums, like ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus
While we’re talking about books… One of the world’s most famous children’s authors, Hans Christian Andersen (also known as H.C. Andersen), was born in Denmark.
Odense, his hometown has many dedications to the author — including a museum in his original birthplace, a statue, H.C. Andersen Airport, and even a marathon in his name. You can check out our Odense City Guide for all the details!
April 2, Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day.
Disney’s famous animated film Frozen was loosely based on Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” fairytale…
… And, of course, Andersen’s famous Little Mermaid has her own statue along the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen. More than 5 million tourists come to see her every year!
However, The Little Mermaid Statue was voted the most overrated tourist attraction in the world according to Insider 🙁
The Little Mermaid Statue was commissioned by the Jacobsen family, who founded the world-famous beer company Carlsberg!
Carl Jacobsen saw a ballet about the Little Mermaid fairytale and was so inspired that he asked the lead ballerina, Ellen Price, to model for the statue.
There are more than a dozen viking traffic lights in Aarhus, as the city was originally a Viking settlement.
The Viking lights can be spotted in several locations along the Nørre Allé road, as well as the Dokk1 library and harbor.
Everyone’s favorite plastic blocks, LEGOs, were founded in Billund, Denmark, in 1932…
… Although the company was originally called Billund Woodworking Factory. It wasn’t until 1934 that it was renamed to LEGO, which combines two Danish words: leg godt, which means ‘play well.’
If you placed the number of LEGO bricks sold in one year end to end, they would circle the Earth five times.
That’s a lot of LEGO bricks!
Great Danes aren’t actually from Denmark. In fact, they don’t have any relation to the country at all!
The only reason why they’re called Great Danes is because a French naturalist traveled to Denmark and saw a tall, slim dog. Thinking it was a Danish breed, he dubbed it the Grand Danois, and the name stuck ever since, although the breed is originally from neighboring Germany.
… And neither are Danish pastries!
The origin of this delicious dessert goes back to the mid-1800s, when there was a major strike amongst Danish bakery workers. In order to keep the bakeries running, owners would hire Austrian workers. These new bakers started making a local Austrian dessert called Plundergebäck, which was a hit among locals. After the strike ended, Danish locals kept asking for the pastries, which is how the ‘Danish Pastry’ survived to this day. Fun fact: The locals still call it “wienerbrød” (Vienna bread)
While we’re on the topic of delicious food…. Did you know that Denmark’s national dish is Stegt flæsk?
A few years ago, locals were asked to vote for the Danish national dish, and the winning entry was none other than stegt flæsk. This dish consists of fried pork belly, and is usually served with potatoes and parsley sauce. You can find it in many traditional Danish restaurants around the country!
Danes have the largest Fourth Of July celebration outside the U.S
Every July 4th, thousands of revelers gather in Denmark’s Rebild region (just south of Aalborg) for the Rebild Festival. The festival has been going on for over 100 years, and is celebrated for two reasons: as a symbol of Danish-American friendship, and to honor the Danish who immigrated to the USA.
If you’re unmarried and turn 25 in Denmark, keep an eye out for flying cinnamon. There’s a unique Danish tradition where friends will throw cinnamon on the “lucky” birthday girl or boy on their 25th birthday. The tradition goes back centuries: Danish spice salesmen would travel around the country and, understandably, typically be bachelors due to the nature of their job. Many salesmen would never find a partner, which is where the connection comes from.
However, the cinnamon tradition is just a prank — the average age for Danish women to get married is 32, and for men it’s 34.
Cinnamon everywhere! 🙂
Did you know that Denmark is famous for some very Danish concepts? Let’s take a look:
- Hygge — Of course, one of the most famous Danish words is hygge! This is a concept that means to do something cozy and comfortable, like reading a book by the fireplace or having a heart-to-heart chat with a close friend.
- Janteloven — Translated to the Law of Jante, this is a type of ‘social rule’ that says everyone is equal, and nobody is better than the other. In fact, it’s considered a faux pas in Danish society to act ‘better’ than others.
- Friluftsliv — While not exclusively a Danish concept (it’s Norwegian/Nordic), Friluftsliv means ‘open air living’ and encourages people to get outdoors and embrace nature.
Speaking of the great outdoors: About 10% of preschools in Denmark are in the forest!
Called udflytterbørnehave, these schools are centered around taking children into nature (forests, countryside, etc) and teaching them about wildlife, how to respect the environment, and other useful life skills.
You’ve heard of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches), but did you know there’s a restaurant in Copenhagen that has a menu of more than 280 types of smørrebrød?
Make a visit to Ida Davidsen restaurant to try one or two sandwiches, but don’t be surprised if you see Queen Margrethe II — she’s been known to frequent the restaurant!
And now time for desserts: Danes are the world’s second-largest candy eaters per capita
According to a report that was released in 2015 by Sugar Confectionary Europe, Danes’ guilty pleasure is none other than the sweet taste of candy. It’s an especially popular treat when it’s time for hygge, as you curl up with a good book, a delicious drink, and a bowl of your favorite treats
About 25% of the Danish population lives in the capital, Copenhagen
Denmark was rated the least corrupt country in the world (for the 5th year in a row!)
Denmark was one of 12 member nations who founded NATO back in 1949
(The other 11 were Belgium, Canada, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States)
Denmark has more than 440 islands, but only 76 of them are officially inhabited.
Why not go on an island hopping adventure in Denmark? Some of the most popular islands include Bornholm, Samsø, and Ærø.
Denmark is known for its very unique architecture — for example, there’s the amazing Rounded Bridge (Den Uendelige Bro) in Aarhus!
Denmark takes the prize for The Most Expensive Coffee in the World
According to the Tall Latte Index (yes, that’s a thing), a small latte at Starbucks will set you back $6.05 (about 40 DKK).
Did you know that newborn babies must be given a name from a pre-approved list if they’re born in Denmark?
Thankfully, there are more than 40,000 names on the list. Parents also have to follow the ‘naming rules’ (Navneregler), and if they wish to name their child something not on the list, they’ll need to apply for approval at the local Family Court.
Speaking of new names… In 2021, one of the approved unique names in Denmark was ‘Viking‘
Perhaps a tribute to Denmark’s viking history?
Denmark also has ‘protected surnames’
If the surname is used by less than 2,000 Danish locals, then it falls under ‘protected’ status. The surname can’t be used if it is not from that person’s direct family!
Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet was inspired by Kronborg Castle
Although it’s debated if Shakespeare actually visited the castle, he was certainly inspired! Kronborg Castle is open to the public, and even hosts a Shakespeare Festival every summer
Skype was founded by a Danish entrepreneur (Janus Friis) along with his Swedish business partner Niklas Zennström.
It rains almost half the year in Denmark (170 days a year on average), but this doesn’t put a damper on the locals’ spirit…
Because Denmark was voted happiest country in the world numerous times!
In fact, the capital is home to The Happiness Museum — be sure to stop by and visit for little Danish life hacks to happiness. 🙂
Photo Credits: Tivoli Gardens courtesy of Tivoli Gardens PR | Royal family via Kongehuset.de | Little Mermaid statue by reza hoque | Book illustration via Stella Books | Hans Christian Andersen by Visit Odense | Viking light via The Local DK | Rebildfesten courtesty of Rebildfesten | udflytterbørnehave via Shutterstock | Copenhagen by Maksym Potapenko | Den Uendelige Bro by Hotels.com | Kronberg Castle by Nikki Jeffries