From the Vikings to the Hanseatic City

The first settlements at the site of present-day Copenhagen emerged around 800 AD as a fishing village. The name København means "merchant's harbor" (Køpmannæhafn) — trade was the city's DNA from the very beginning.

Bishop Absalon & the Founding (1167)

The official founding date is 1167, when Bishop Absalon built a castle on the island of Slotsholmen — where Christiansborg Palace stands today. The ruins of his castle can still be visited in the palace's basement. Absalon transformed the fishing village into a fortified trading post that quickly grew.

Hanseatic League & Rise

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Copenhagen competed with the Hanseatic city of Lübeck for control of Baltic trade. In 1376, Copenhagen became the residence city of the Danish kings, and in 1443, it was officially made the capital of Denmark. The Kalmar Union (1397–1523) united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under one king — with Copenhagen as the power center.