Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

(uplifting music)

(gentle melodic music)

- [Narrator] Our journey begins of Kalundborg

on the west side of Zealand,

before heading south along the coast

to the Great Belt Bridge,

and on to the island of Tasinge.

From there it's north to Odense

and the birth place of Hans Christian Andersen,

before turning west to Jutland and Billund,

the home of Lego.

From there it's up the coast to a royal palace at Aarhus,

and then on to Ebeltoft and its historic ship.

Inland, we fly over the vast Limfjord,

before turning north to the very tip of Denmark,

at Skagen.

There are about 406 islands in Denmark,

of which 70 are inhabited.

This gives the country a coastline

of around 7,000 kilometers.

As a result, the Danes have a proud association

with the sea, stretching back to the days of the vikings,

who set sail in their longships to explore the world.

And around the coast are hundreds of harbors,

many of them hundreds of years old.

Kalundborg, on the west coast of Denmark's

main island, Zealand, is a port whose history

stretches back to the vikings,

though what we see today dates from the early 12th Century.

The Church of Our Lady is one of Denmark's

most important historic places of worship,

and dates from this period.

It can't be earlier, as brick was not used in Denmark

before the year 1170.

The plan is in the form of a Greek cross,

with four arms of equal length.

There are hints in the design of

the Church of the Sepulcher in Jerusalem,

not surprising as this was at a time of the crusades,

when knights would have been returning from the holy land.

One very noticeable sight in the town,

as well as across the whole of the country,

is the Danes' love of their national flag,

which can be seen fluttering from thousands of flagpoles.

Across the bay is Lerchenborg Palace,

a beautiful baroque house built in 1745

for General Lerche Lerchenborg,

a rich Danish land owner.

It's one of the finest examples of its type in Denmark,

and the general's descendants still live in the house today.

The symmetrical three sided house

stands opposite a set of magnificent farm buildings,

a testament to Denmark's agricultural heritage.

Except for towns and harbors,

the coastline is remarkably unspoiled.

Holiday houses are set in the trees,

away from the beach, where no building is allowed

to spoil the natural landscape.

And it was in this landscape, Trelleborg,

that the vikings bought one of their ring castles.

This rare example, which was first excavated in the 1930s,

was probably constructed towards

the end of the 10th Century.

Within the circular fort are two roads

connecting the fort gates.

One entrance has been reconstructed,

to show how it might have looked.

The circular fort is divided in quarters,

and in each quarter were four longhouses.

At the entrance to Trelleborg,

one of them was reconstructed in 1948.

A building like this would've housed about 50 warriors.

This means the site probably had a population

of around a thousand people,

as several other buildings have been unearthed

outside the fort.

At the time the fort was built,

the river would've been navigable,

and it's not hard to imagine the viking longships

moored up along the bank.

Today, it's small ferries that set sail from harbors,

as they carry passengers and vehicles between the islands.

This is the only connection they have

with the main towns on the larger islands.

The sea has been the lifeblood of Denmark for centuries,

as ships, large and small,

ply the waterways around the country.

One of the main sea lanes is the Great Belt,

which divides the islands of Zealand and Funen.

But in 1997, they were joined together

by one of the world's greatest engineering feats,

the Great Belt Bridge.

(triumphant music)

This is the world's third longest suspension bridge,

and incidentally contains the highest point in Denmark.

At the western end it drops to a lower level bridge,

carrying the railway line as well.

The complete link between the islands is 18 kilometers,

construction took 10 years,

and at the time was the biggest building project

in Denmark's history.

In the middle is the island of Sprogø,

where the railway line splits away from the road

and enters the eastern tunnel,

which is the second longest bore tunnel in Europe.

The vertical clearance under the suspension bridge

is 65 meters, which means the world's largest cruise ships

would just fit through.

It is estimated that around 30,000 vehicles

pay to use the crossing every day,

and on the east side are the 22 toll booths.

Before the bridge was built and the ferries operated,

only 8,000 vehicles were able to cross each day.

(gentle music)

Nowhere in Denmark is very far from the sea,

so it's not surprising that it's played

such a large part in Danish history and culture,

stretching back to the great age of the vikings.

And this love of the sea can be seen at weekends,

when waterways between the islands,

like here off the island of Tasinge,

offers safe sailing for thousands of boats,

all shapes and sizes.

And overlooking the sea from the island of Tasinge

is Valdemar's Castle.

This magnificent house was built by King Christian IV

in the mid 17th Century for his young son, Valdemar.

The kind had a love of architecture,

and as a result left a legacy of many

beautiful buildings across Denmark,

and also a mountain of debt.

However, Valdemar never moved in,

as he was killed in battle in Poland

shortly after the house was finished.

The king then gave the house to an admiral,

who'd won a victory over the Swedes,

as payment for the ships captured in battle.

His descendants still live in the house today.

And it was this admiral who,

wanting to improve his estate in the mid 18th Century,

decided to enlarge the village of Troense

and built a series of thatched cottages for his tenants.

Remarkably, over 30 half timbered houses

have survived the centuries and are now heavily protected.

These beautiful picturesque cottages

have become part of Danish architectural history

and feature in paintings, books, posters and greeting cards.

From small cottages to a mighty fortress

on the island of Funen,

and one of Europe's finest renaissance castles,

Egeskov.

The castle was built for defense in the late 16th Century,

and constructed on oak piles in the lake.

The name, Egeskov, translates as oak forest.

The legend that it took a forest to build Egeskov

cannot be far from the truth,

as it's not hard to imagine how much timber

would have been required to hold the weight

of this vast building.

The castle is basically two long houses,

joined together by a double wall,

which is so thick that it contains

secret staircases and a deep well

to secure a water supply.

In its history, this historic castle has been lived in

by several different families.

And in 1784 it was sold to Henrik Bille,

whose descendants have lived here ever since.

The gardens have been laid out in a renaissance style,

including this circular maze,

where it can take 15 minutes to find the center.

Egeskov is a very popular place to visit,

and one of Denmark's top attractions.

Another popular place to visit is the Funen village.

This is an open air museum dedicated to preserving

everyday buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

By the early 20th Century,

many old buildings were beginning to be lost,

and the establishment of an historic village

would be a way of preserving them.

To begin with there were only eight buildings,

which were brought to the site and re-erected.

Today, there are 26.

The museum was founded by the Danes in 1942,

during the German occupation of World War II,

as a way of communicating and reminding the people of Funen

of their history and culture.

It was also used as a place to congregate

and sing patriotic songs during those dark days of the war.

The main city on Funen is Odense,

and with a population of around 170,000 people,

it is the third largest city in Denmark.

Its history stretches back to the days of the vikings,

and is also the burial place of Denmark's patron saint,

King Canute IV, after his murder in one of

the city's priories in 1086.

But perhaps Odense's most famous resident,

who was born here in this small cottage in 1805,

is the writer of children's stories

which have traveled the world,

Hans Christian Andersen.

His birthplace is now a museum

and a center for people to study his work.

By the 1830s he had become a successful writer,

and in 1835 began to publish his famous fairytales.

They were not an instant hit, but gradually,

over time, they became more and more popular,

and today they are read by millions.

The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling,

The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen,

and Thumbelina are just some of his best known stories.

The island of Funen is joined to Jutland

by the old and new Little Belt Bridges.

Jutland is the only part of Denmark

which is joined to mainland Europe

and shares a border with Germany.

The New Little Belt Bridge was built in 1970

and is one of only a few in the world

that actually has heating in the road deck

so that it can be kept clear of ice and snow in the winter.

The church at Jelling in Jutland

has a very important place in the history of Denmark,

as it was here in the 10th Century

that the old pagan religion of the vikings

gradually gave way to Christianity.

The Danish king, Gorm the Old,

followed by his son Harald Bluetooth,

erected two large stones carved with

early Christian symbols.

Also in the churchyard are two enormous burial mounds

which were built around the same time

as the stones were put up.

Perhaps more impressive is that laying

under the ground between the two mounds

are a series of stones in the shape of

a great 350 meter viking longship.

In 1994, this important historic location at Jelling

was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A few miles to the west is Billund Airport,

the second busiest in Denmark,

with a car park full to capacity.

And the reason for this popularity

is that on the end of the runway

is Denmark's top attraction outside

the capital city of Copenhagen,

Legoland.

(upbeat playful music)

It was in 1932 that Ole Kirk Christiansen

founded the Lego company.

The first toys were made of wood,

but it was in 1958 that the molded plastic brick

used today was patented.

In 1968 the first Legoland opened its doors to the public.

Since then they have opened in Britain,

Germany, and the United States.

The mission of the company is to inspire

and develop the builders of tomorrow,

and the vision is to pioneer new ways of playing.

As we can see from the crowds

rushing to get in at opening time,

the theme parks are highly successful

and cater for children of all ages,

as well as their parents.

There are rides and activities to suit everyone,

including LEGOREDO, a wild west area,

Pirate Land, the Knight's Kingdom and their castle,

and perhaps best known of all is Mini Land,

where a complete town, city, is built of millions

of these iconic little bricks.

Lego estimate that in 50 years

the company has sold around 400 billion bricks.

Current production is 20 billion a year,

which means if all the Lego bricks ever made

were shared out with every single person on Earth,

that each of us would have about 60 bricks.

The name Lego is derived from two danish words;

leg godt, meaning play well.

And millions of children around the world

have been doing just that for over half a century.

Time to head north, up the east coast of Jutland

and to Marselisborg Palace,

the royal summer residence of the Danish royal family.

The 18th Century house was built for the Marselis family,

and in 1898 it was bought for Prince Christian

and Princess Alexandrine,

as a wedding present from the people of Denmark.

He would later become King Christian X.

This means that the palace is the property

of the Kingdom of Denmark,

and can be used by all future monarchs.

Present queen is Margrethe II,

and she and her family began using the palace

as a summer residence in 1967,

and also spent Easter and Christmas holidays there.

The house and park are open to the public

when the queen is not in residence.

Heading across the sea to the east, past Kalø bay,

is the harbor town of Ebeltoft,

and in a dry dock is one of the world's largest

wooden ships and the last screw propelled steam frigate.

This is the frigate Jylland,

built in 1860 and a perfect example

of the transition between sail and steam power.

In 1864 she saw action against the Austrian-Prussian Navy,

in the first battle fought between fleets

without the use of sails for the entire engagement.

By 1908 the Jylland was close to being scrapped,

but was eventually saved for her historic importance.

However, it was only in the 1960s

that she was towed here to Ebeltoft

where restoration could begin.

20 miles to the west is one of Denmark's

finest country houses, Clausholm Castle.

(orchestral music)

In the 1690s, the Chancellor of Denmark,

Count Conrad Reventlow,

took over the estate and inherited

an old, dilapidated building.

He promptly pulled it down and began building

what we see today.

He designed it in such a way that he

and his family lived on the ground floor,

leaving the upper floor for visiting royalty,

with larger rooms and more sumptuous decoration.

The house is one of the earliest and most complete

baroque buildings in Denmark.

And it remained in this way, frozen in time,

until the 1960s.

There was no electricity, running water, or central heating,

so it was only occupied during the summer months.

It was in 1964 that the present owners

began a massive restoration and modernization program

to bring Clausholm up to date.

And in the process they have succeeded in retaining

all the charm and style of the early 18th Century

for the many visitors to appreciate.

To the north is Denmark's largest fjord, Limfjord,

which stretches across Jutland,

joining the North Sea to the Baltic.

It consists of many broads or lakes,

joined together with narrower sections of water.

In the past it was used by viking raiders

who set sail from here across the sea to Britain,

and today, used by coastal cargo ships

as a passage between the various towns.

And on the east side of one of the waterways in Limfjord

is a reminder of past times, Spøttrup Castle.

(dramatic music)

This is one of Denmark's best preserved medieval castles.

It was designed in the early 1500s with defense in mind,

not comfort.

The double moat and enormous earth wall

or bailey around the castle would make

any attackers an easy target as they tried to get across.

During one failed attack, an upper story

where the soldiers lived caught fire

and was not replaced.

Spøttrup was restored back to its original form

in the 1940s, and opened as a museum.

Back on the east coast and vast approaching

our final destination,

peat colored rivers flow into the sea

and over ridges of sand,

clearly visible in the still water.

(gentle music)

From 4,000 meters it's possible to see

the whole of the Skagen peninsula.

This strip of land is considered the boundary

between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

The area is sometimes referred to as the land of light,

as it is sunnier here than anywhere else in Denmark.

This light attracted painters in the 19th Century,

many of whom settled in the town of Skagen,

where they formed the Skagen school.

This is the most northern town in Denmark,

and the arrival of artists as well as notable visitors

such as Hans Christian Andersen,

saw Skagan grow into a thriving resort.

The original building style of yellow houses

with red roof tiles has been copied ever since

as the town expanded.

It was also in the 19th Century that

the moving sand dunes on the west side of the peninsula

were brought under control with large scale planting

of grasses, bushes and fir trees.

And in the new grass, summer houses began to appear

in the early 1900s.

At first they were fairly basic

and had no electricity or mains water,

but more modern versions have all the style

that has become associated with Danish design.

The tip of Jutland, here at Grenen Promontory,

is where west and east coasts come together

at Denmark's most northerly point.

This is where the North Sea meets the Baltic.

It's also one of the most popular places for Danes to visit.

And they can avoid a long 30 minute walk to the point

by using tractor buses called sand worms.

Skagen has become a special place for the Danes.

Come to Grenen Promontory to stand on

the thin sand bar between the two seas.

And on the northernmost point of not only Denmark

but also mainland Europe as well.

A fitting place to end this journey.

(uplifting orchestral music)