Gallica's Tour de France 2022 - Stage 1: Grand Départ in Copenhagen!

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This is a first for a Scandinavian country and it has a special flavour for cycling aficionados in Northern Europe, perhaps even more so because there is something sportive in the Kingdom of Denmark since Bjarne Riis’s victory in 1996.

The history of Copenhagen is fascinating, though it is often unknown. A small fishing village in the 10th century, strategically located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Købmandshavn (“the traders' harbour”) has taken advantage of its strategic position. Copenhagen faces the Øresund Strait, which belongs to the Kattegat maritime area between Denmark and Sweden; to the south of the Øresund opens the Baltic, to the north the sea which bears the same name.

Denmark has long ruled over large areas of Scandinavia and western Germany. It was the prevailing force in the Kalmar Union (1387) and dominated Sweden until 1523, as well as Norway until 1814. Denmark also had authority over Iceland until 1944, and still partly administers the Faroe Islands and Greenland today. Copenhagen is heir to a tradition of power that is reflected in buildings such as Christiansborg Palace on Slotsholmen (Castle Island).

Palais de Christiansborg, by Eugène Trutat (1840-1910). 
Rosalis digital library (Public library of Toulouse), num. de phot. 3034.  
 

Copenhagen became the capital of the Kingdom of Denmark in the early 15th century when Eric of Pomerania (1392-1459) decided to establish the throne there. Founded in 1479, the city’s university is the flagship of a Danish scientific tradition embodied by the astronomer Tycho Brahe (1545-1601) and his famous observatory located on the island of Ven.

The 17^th century was a time of strong economic development for Copenhagen, as shown by the construction of the Stock Exchange building.

The country pursued an expansionist policy during the reign of Christian IV (1577-1648): economic reforms, expeditions to Greenland, the Kalmar War against Sweden, and participation in the Thirty Years’ War, first against the Holy Roman Empire, then on its side.  

The monarch also built Rosenborg Castle and the Rundetaarn observatory, the “round tower”.

Trade, and especially herring fishing, made Denmark's fortune. The city of Copenhagen was a target of the Hanseatic League in the 14^th century and was bombed twice in 1428 during the Danish-Hanseatic War (1426-1435).  

It continued to strengthen its position as a major trading centre during the 16^th and 17^th centuries, despite regular conflicts between European powers in which Denmark was involved: for example during the Danish-Swedish War (1658-1660), when the army of Charles X Gustav of Sweden attacked Copenhagen on the night of 11 February 1658.

 
The city continued to develop in the 18^th century, despite the plague epidemic that swept through Europe and two major fires.
 
The 19^th century corresponds to the Danish Golden Age (den danske guldalder). Copenhagen was home to a large number of intellectuals, including Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (1779-1850), author of the Danish national anthem Der er et yndigt land (“There is a lovely land”), and the illustrious Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) whose fairy tales and stories still enchant readers of all ages.

If the Danish 19^th century was a Golden Age, it is also thanks to the neo-classical revival that architects and artists offered. The most famous of these artists was undoubtedly Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844), a sculptor trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, who worked mainly in Rome. His home town made him an honorary citizen in 1838.

The Danish 19^th century was also a period of scientific development. The experimental sciences were enlightened by research works such as those of the physicist Hans Christian Ørsted (1777-1851). The humanities were marked by the figure of Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a philosopher and theologian whose work developed a Christian existentialism that had a great influence on contemporary Western philosophy.

 
Kierkegaard, by Pierre Mesnard. PUF, 1970./ Kierkegaard en France : incidences et résonances. BnF (ed.), 2016.

Modernity and its comforts burst into the daily lives of Copenhageners: 1843 saw the opening to the public of Tivoli, one of the oldest amusement parks still in operation.

 
1892 saw the arrival of electricity in the capital, which led to the appearance of the electric tramway 5 years later. Below, a horse-drawn tramway, the animal is visible on the right side of the poster.

 Culture is becoming more and more accessible to citizens. The poster above reads: 

« Stor Sommerfest afholdes paa Etabl. "Wodrofflund"
(...)
Af de mange forskellige Forlystelser fremhæves : 
Det japanske Thehus / Revyteatret / Pantomimeteatret / Sportspladsen »

Meaning : 

“Great summer party organised at the "Wodrofflund" establishment.
(...)
Among the many attractions: Japanese tea house / revue theatre / puppet theatre / sports ground”

  
The fine arts are becoming increasingly important in the life of the city.

Den Frie Udstilling / Raad:hus Plad:sen / Dagl:Aaben fra 9 til 6 (≈ 1895-1900) [« The free exhibition / City Hall Square / Every day from 9 to 6 »] Éd : Chr. J. Cato Lith. [Copenhagen].
Département Estampes et photographie, FT 6-ENT DP-63. 
 

As in all over Europe, urban lifestyles differed from those of the countryside with city costumes and dress gradually replacing traditional clothing.

  

Some of the Albums universels that take you on a tour of Copenhagen in the early 20^th century can now be browsed online. 

 

Although the consequences of the First World War were limited for Copenhagen, the tragedies of the 20^th century hit Denmark in 1940, with the establishment of a German protectorate. The Nazis occupied the capital, and although there were acts of resistance and collaboration as elsewhere, the rescue of Danish Jews remained famous, as most of them were smuggled to Sweden. On 4 May 1945, Copenhagen was liberated.
 
After the War, civil society emancipation movements progressed in the country as in the rest of the world. In 1971, Christiania, a district in the east of Copenhagen, was proclaimed a “free city” (Fristaden Christiania) by its inhabitants: a self-managed system of community life was set up.

View on the sea, Copenhagen, by Eugène Trutat (1840-1910) 
Rosalis digital library (Public library of Toulouse), num. de phot. 3040. 

 
Copenhagen has a rich history, from a small medieval port to a European capital, and its development is a source of inspiration for many urban planners. Like other cities of the “Nordic model”, the bicycle occupies a place that is as common as it is important in the evreyday life. It is, however, a very special place that what the French call “petite reine” (little queen, i.e. bicycle) will have on 1 July as the Tour sets off from Scandinavia for the very first time.

 

 

Humbers Danske Cycler..., by Frode Hass. Lithograph, 1897.
Département Estampes de photographie, ENT DO-1 (HASS, Frode)-FT 6.  
Humber. Ene-Udsalg : Humber-Cyclelageret..., Lithograph, 1895.
Département Estampes et photographie, ENT IF-1 (2)-FT 6.
 

After racing through Copenhagen on the first stage, the riders will leave Roskilde for Nybord on 2 July, then Vejle for Sonderborg on 3 July.  

Lad Tour de France begynde!
Let the Tour begin!