Churchillparken (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: Churchill Park) is a

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to re ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, occupying a tract of land between Kastellet, a 17th-century fortress, and the street Esplanaden. Located on the former

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

which used to surround Kastellet, the area has a long history as a greenspace but received its current name in 1965 to commemorate

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

and the British assistance in the liberation of Denmark during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. St. Alban's Church, the Anglican church in Copenhagen, and the

Museum of Danish Resistance A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

are located within the boundaries of the park. Access to Kastellet through its main entrance, The King's Gate, is also reached through the park.

History

The grounds were originally part of the

which surrounded Kastellet. In 1761 it became part of a tree-lined promenade, known simply as ''Esplanaden'' (English: ''The Esplanade''), which was established between the Northern Custom House and the

Eastern City Gate Eastern City Gate of Belgrade оr Istočna Kapija Beograda ( sr, Источна Капија Београда) is a complex of three large residential buildings situated near the E-75 motorway in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and is among the ...

along the southern and western margin of Kastellet. In the 1880s, after Kastellet had lost its strategic role in the defence of the city, St. Alban's English Church was built in the grounds. After

the site was also chosen as the home of the

which was completed in 1957. Over the next few years, several war memorials were erected in the area which finally, in 1965, received its current name.

Monuments

War memorials

The namesake of the park,

, is commemorated with a bust designed by

Oscar Nemon Oscar Nemon (born Oscar Neumann; 13 March 1906 – 13 April 1985) was a Croatian sculptor who was born in Osijek, Croatia, but eventually settled in England. He is best known for his series of more than a dozen public statues of Winston Churchill, ...

from 1955. Another bust, designed by Svend Lindhard and placed outside the Resistance Museum, commemorates Major

Anders Lassen Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau Lassen, VC, MC & Two Bars (22 September 1920 – 9 April 1945) was a highly decorated Danish soldier, who was the only non-Commonwealth recipient of the British Victoria Cross in the Second World War. He was p ...

, the only Dane to have received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for his efforts in World War II. Lindhard is also the artist behind a Memorial to fallen Danish soldiers in the Allied Forces, which stands on ''Sjællands Ravelin'', the ravelin in front of the main entrance to Kastellet. It depicts a soldier in English uniform. Valkyrie, Copenhagen

The Valkyrie

The park also features a bronze statue of a

valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

, a female figure in

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

who chooses who will die and battle and brings her chosen to

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat e ...

, an afterlife hall of the slain. It was designed by

Stephan Sinding Stephan Abel Sinding (4 August 1846 – 23 January 1922) was a Norwegian-Danish sculptor. He moved to Copenhagen in 1883 and had his breakthrough the same year. In 1890 he obtained Danish citizenship. In 1910 he settled in Paris where he lived ...

and executed in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1908 but is based on a sketch from 1872. A smaller version in painted wood, metal and coloured stone was exhibited in 1901 and another version from 1910, in bronze and ivory, is in the collections of the

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("ny" means "new" in Danish; "Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root ''glyphein'', to carve, and ''theke'', storing place), commonly known simply as Glyptoteket, is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection ...

. A gift from

Carl Jacobsen Carl Christian Hillman Jacobsen (2 March 1842 – 11 January 1914) was a Danish brewer, art collector and philanthropist. Though often preoccupied with his cultural interests, Jacobsen was a shrewd and visionary businessman and initiated the tra ...

's Albertine Trust which was created to provide statues and monuments for the parks and squares of Copenhagen, the present statue was originally placed at

Langelinie Langelinie (English: Long Line) is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of ''The Little Mermaid'' statue. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen. Most cruise s ...

close to the waterfront but was moved to its current park setting when the Kastellet was reconstructed in the 1990s.

Cultural references

Benny (

Morten Grunwald Walter Morten Grunwald (9 December 1934 – 14 November 2018) was a Danish actor, stage director and theatre manager. Early life and education He was born in Odense, Denmark, attended Odense Theatrical School in 1958, and graduated from the Roya ...

) and Kjeld (

Poul Bundgaard Poul Arne Bundgaard (27 October 1922 – 3 June 1998) was a Danish actor and singer. He is probably best known for his role as the henpecked Kjeld in the ''Olsen-banden'' films. He also appeared in the 1966 spy film '' Strike First Freddy'' as t ...

) are seen being chased through the park at 0:48:36 in the 1972 ''

Olsen-banden The ''Olsen Gang'' ( da, Olsen-banden, no, Olsenbanden, german: Die Olsenbande) is a Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's ...

'' film ''

The Olsen Gang's Big Score ''The Olsen Gang's Big Score'' ( da, Olsen-bandens store kup) is a 1972 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the fourth in the ''Olsen-banden''-series. Cast *Ove Sprogøe as Egon Olsen *Morten Gru ...

''.

Image gallery

Image:Kastellet - Churchillparken.jpg, Image:Kastellet moat - Gefion Bridge.jpg, Image:Churchillparken - Søkortsarkivet.jpg, Image:Churchillparken - English church.jpg,

References

{{Copenhagen parks Parks in Copenhagen World War II memorials in Denmark Danish military memorials and cemeteries