Denmark

Discover Denmark

Fun Foods

Smørrebrød, Frikadeller, Pølser, Æbleskiver, Wienerbrød, Kanelsnegle

Vikings from Denmark reached North America 500 years before Columbus. And that was just one of their adventures.

Denmark is a small Scandinavian country between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Over 400 islands make up the nation. Copenhagen, the capital, has more bikes than people.

Those Vikings weren't just warriors. They were traders, explorers, and settlers too. They left their mark on England, France, Russia, and even founded Dublin in Ireland.

King Harald Bluetooth united the Danish tribes in the 900s. His nickname came from a dead tooth that looked blue. The wireless technology on your phone is named after him.

Denmark once controlled a huge empire including Norway, Iceland, and parts of Sweden. But wars with Germany in the 1800s went badly. Denmark lost and had to give up land.

Nazi Germany occupied Denmark during World War II. Soldiers marched in on April 9, 1940. But Danes resisted quietly, and in 1943 they pulled off something incredible: smuggling almost all Danish Jews to Sweden in fishing boats. Around 7,000 people escaped.

Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen opened in 1843. It's one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. Walt Disney visited and got inspired.

LEGOLAND in Billund brings millions of visitors every year. The LEGO company started here in 1932. Those little plastic bricks changed playtime forever.

Hans Christian Andersen wrote The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and dozens of other fairy tales. He was Danish. A statue of the Little Mermaid sits in Copenhagen harbor.

Food here means smørrebrød: open-faced sandwiches piled with fish, meat, and toppings. Danish pastries are flaky and famous. Street hot dogs might be the best you'll ever have.

Danes celebrate midsummer by lighting bonfires on beaches. Fastelavn is their carnival: kids dress up and whack barrels until candy spills out.

They also invented "hygge," the feeling of cozy contentment. Denmark ranks among the happiest countries every year. Not bad for a nation of former Vikings.