Mary Fran: You do need a minimum of three days to do any kind of justice to Copenhagen and you would spend the better part of a day on ferries and the road to get to Arhus from Copenhagen. Arhus has a very large and complete Skansen (old restored village) which is very interesting and fun. There are several restaurants on the grounds and you can easily spend the better part of day at the facility. There is a bit of an old city center and an enjoyable canal walk with outdoor restaurants, cafes and entertainment. That's about it. A pleasant stop if you are passing through the area. Not really a destination location IMHO. Perhaps the chance to see the old farmstead would make it worth while.

Hi MF,

Arhus is a reasonable daytrip - 2:45 hr by train.

You might also like the Frederiksborg castle in Hillerod - under 1 hr by train.

See http://wictor.dk/wictor/frederiksborg/frbslotGB.html

Don't miss Elsinore/Kronborg Castle in Helsingor (end of commuter train from Copenhagen) -- interesting as possible setting for "Hamlet" and, if you read Harry Potter, there's also a surprise there in the "real" Hamlet's family tree.

And along the way, 10 min. walk from the Humlebæk/Louisiana stop on the same commuter line, is the fabulous Louisiana art museum. The modern art is good, the cafeteria is quite good, and the setting is really lovely.

I agree that Copenhagen should be given a minimum of 3 days. Visit the Tivoli gardens, some of the great museums (especially the Carlsberg Glyptotek), shop along Stroget,and if you have time, visit the Carlsberg brewery for their tour. However, I think a trip outside of Copenhagen to Arhus would be great. You will get to see the Danish countryside and get a better impression of the country.
When you are in Copenhagen, have lunch at "Ida Davidsen" for the most incredible open faced sandwiches in the world. Danish smorrebrod in this restaurant are truly works of art, and even though the prices are high, the experience is worth it!

Do you know exactly where the farm of your ancestors is? If so, I would absolutely visit it. That would be a priceless memory to have seen where your family came from. To me, that would me more important than anything else in Denmark.

But, if it isn't that important to you, I would stay in Copenhagen and do some of the trips suggested above. Another one is to Karen Blixen's home (Isak Dinesen who wrote Out of Africa) north of Copenhagen.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. Kristinlaine, you are right. It is important to me to visit the place from which my family came. We'll keep Arhus on the itinerary.

We don't know where the farm is. My cousin, who has researched our Danish ancestors a lot, visited Mammen many years ago and was never able to find the farm, which seems strange to me, because the farm was the site of an important archeological discovery, being the burial site of a Viking chieftan in the late tenth century and yielding many wonderful relics of Viking life. One would think the site would be marked in some way ...

However, I could find some connection with my ancestors in the church at Mammen, where I understand the bones of generations of our ancestors are stored, their graves having been disinterred and reused by later Danes, with the bones being moved to the parish church.

We plan to rent a car when we arrive at Copenhagen airport and drive 3.5 hours to Arhus. We might be able to make a stop at Odense on the way, and in any event, we'll see some of the countryside.

I don't think you will be sorry. I was fortunate enough to visit the farm in Pommern (then Germany, now Poland) where my great-grandparents lived before immigrating to America. I felt like I was truly walking in their footsteps and it was wonderful. It might not matter to some people, but it mattered to me.

Have you googled Mammen? There is a lot of information. I agree with Kristinelaine. I found family graves and homes where my grandparents lived at Fjelstrup which is south of Mammen. I met a professor on a bus there who put an ad in the paper asking about my relatives, and when I returned a month later, he took me to see five different families. The pastor of the church also was able to supply information. I think you could put an ad in the Mammen newspaper and/or write to the church for information. It was a wonderful experience for me. The area is not as interesting as Copenhagen, but because my grandparents came from there, it has a special meaning for me. In my opinion, the prettiest part of Jutland is Skagen on the north coast where the turn-of-the-century Danish Impressionists lived and painted. A good museum of their paintingscan be found on Stockholmsgade in Copenhagen.
Good luck with your search. Boots

kristinlaine, this is really off topic, but I want to stand on the shores of the Skagarak Sea off Jutland. My mother used to tell about a story her immigrant father told her when she was a little girl. Mom's family had a hired hand named Crhis on their farm near Frenchtown Montana. He used to get drunk regularly, but the kids all loved him. Chris moved on eventually, and the kids missed him sorely. Grandpa told the kids Chris had gotten a job hoisting the moon up in the sky over the Skagerak every night, so they would think of Chris when they looked up in the night sky and saw the moon.

On nights when the moon was hidden, Grandpa would tell them Chris had gotten drunk and dropped the moon in the Skagarak.

As I said, way off topic, but it makes me smile to think of my Mom believing so firmly that it was Chris who was responsible for the moon glowing in the night sky.

Boots, we were posting at the same time. How interesting your family was from the Mammen area also.

I have googled the web for Mammen and found a ton of stuff, because of the richness of the archeological find which was reportedly discovered on my great-grandfather's farm. I wish I'd known when I was growing up of my connection to the Vikings!

What was your family's name? My grandfather was Rasmus Kjeldsen, born in 1872. His father was Anton (Kjeld) Krissen (or) Christssen, forn 1790.

I apologize for digressing and for staying off travel topic, but I misspoke. Anton was my great-great grandfather, rather than my great-grandfather. My grandfather's father (my great-grandfather) was Peter Jacob Kjeldsen, born in 1836. The dates of birth I gave for father and son weren't adding up!

I love the story about Chris and the moon! No wonder you want to visit your ancestors' home.

One thing I would caution you about -- the story about the archeological finds being on your family's farm. That may well be true, but it might also be kind of a family myth. I have run across a couple "family myths" in my genealogical research. Of course, it would be nice if it were true, since it should help you find the right place.

If you could make contact with someone there ahead of time who might be interested in helping you find the right place (or living relatives) that would make the trip even more worthwhile for you.

Good luck and be sure to report back after your trip.

Recommend the unique, spotless and comfortable Ibsen's Hotel...walking distance to the Stroget...managed and owned by women...excellent Italian Restuarant, also, on bottom floor.
Second the motion on the Ida Davidson experience...be careful of exhorbitant prices...otherwise lunch can easily reach $100 for two...food outstanding and very special. Limit to four slections and it will be around $40...this can feed two people.
Heartily recommend both Friedrichsborg Castle and Lousiana (Humulbaek)... the Museum Louisiana is one of a kind..the setting is quite beautiful, too. Tivoli, in my opinion , is hokey but worth a quick visit. The crown jewels at Rosenborg Castle (in town Copenhagen)) is a good visit...and the Danish Resistance Museum, near the Little Mermaid (has the statue been replaced after it was vandalized?) is an important place to visit. A canal boat ride is colorful, too...and take in the changing of the guard at Amelienborg Palace. Have fun...
stu

Author: BootsN
Date: 11/12/2005, 01:42 pm
Hi Mary Fran,
My families' names were Hagedorn and Bossen. There is some question about the spelling of the latter, and I have not found anything about that family, but the Hagedorns were well known in the Haderslev-Fjelstrup area. My paternal Swedish family came to the U.S. because of bad economic conditions in Sweden, but I think the Hagedorns came because they were under German rule for a time and never wanted to fight again on the German side in a war. Though I am married, I have retained my Swedish name Nyström/Newstrom. Keeping track of those names is sometimes difficult. I note that Kjeldsen is the son of Kjeld whose last name was Krissen.
Do you happen to be from the Midwest? Many Danes, including my family, settled in Iowa, mine at and near Royal and Spencer. My grandparents later moved to South Dakota where I still live. I am lucky enough to go back to Scandinavia yearly.
My apologies to those who are looking for info on Denmark. I know my personal life cannot be interesting to you.
Good luck with your search.
Boots Newstrom

Yes, boots, my grandfather Kjeldsen did make a pass through the midwest, Reinbeck, Iowa, to be specific, before moving on to Montana. Please feel free to d-mail me at deerlodgebaby.com if you have any questions.

Absolutely go visit your family's homestead. My family comes from the island of Fuur, further north in the Limfjord. I've been there twice. Standing in a 1200-year-old church and looking at the font where my grandfather was christened was awesome. We walked around the churchyard and found the grave where my great-grandparents are buried. A woman raking the churchyard came up to us and said she noticed us looking at the grave and wondered if we were relatives. It turned out we were like fifth cousins. Pretty cool. Everyone in the area was SO nice when they foundout who we were. We learned lots more family history. Generally in Denmark the pastor of the local church can be the most help in locating local family, as the records of brths, deaths, and marriages are all kept in the church.
Don't miss Tivoli, but go at night and just stroll around under the lights and people-watch and listen to the music. It's a magical place at night. If you must ride any ride in Tivoli, the oldest continuously-operating roller coaster in the world is there. I can't remember the name, but it's the one that looks like a little train with an engineer sitting in the front car. Have fun.

Mary Fran, I don't know what d-mail is, and I was unable to get you at the address you gave. Please send me a note at boots.newstrom@sdsmt.edu. Thanks

Hi Mary Fran, just want to add my 2 cents about Tivoli. It is gorgeous at night (you'll need a sweater in May) with the trees all lit up with little twinkling lights. There are (or used to be) several places to eat in the Garden itself, including a rather nice restaurant whose name escapes me. Bon voyage!

Thanks to you all for your help!

Boots, I've obviously made a typo in my e-mail address. I'll reply to you separately.

Thanks again all. I'm so looking forward to our visit to Denmark!

When in Denmark we looked up the village
(Faaborg) where my husbands great grandmother emigrated from. We walked the streets she lived on, attended a church service in the church she was baptized in and searched for ancestors in the Faabor Byhistoriske Arkiv. Perhaps Mammen also has a Byhistoriske Arkiv. At the Arkiv we found names with newspaper references. We then went to the library and got copies of articles about Great-Great Grandfather Hans Larsen opening up a wood shop in 1871, and Golden Wedding Celebrations. It was too cool.

Take one day and drive there. It is a small country, you could drive there in 2 1/2 to 3 hours. We stayed at a small farm between Arhus and Sikeborg. It was a quiet beautful countryside. Nice change from Copenhagen.

Note; it is more expensive to rent a car at the airport, I think there was a $50 airport tax.

To Wilbur and Company: Thanks for your nice post. I inadvertently posted my reply on the thread about the DanHostel in Arhus. Didn't want you to think I was ignoring you here.

I'm noticing on this thread that the Danish fodorites seem to share a warmth about their ancestral home. It's such a small country. Heck, we're probably all just cousins a couple of times removed.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you Danes have a "Svend" in the family tree? I Svend Kjeldsen was my favorite uncle.

The following about Copenhagen may be of interest to a first-time visitor:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2001/11/18/AR2005041500369.html?referrer=email

Dyrehavn, just outside of CPH, is a beatuiful park . . . Kronborg Castle and Fredriksberg Castle are outstanding . . . Fredensborg Castle isn't much inside the grounds are beautiful . . . Danish kings are buried in Roskilde at the Cathedral there . . . Nyhavn is "colorful" particularly in the evenings . . . I agree that Tivoli is "hokey" but it's a pleasant and warm sort of hokey and when the fireworks go off around midnight you have to be a total loser not to enjoy yourself . . . changing of the guard at noon in Amelienborg Palace . . . Grabrodor Torv (or some such - Gray Friars Sqaure) is quintessential Europe, so quiet you hear the tinkling of glass and quiet conversation at restaurants across the square . . . and if you like beer (and can tolerate huge volumes of cigarette smoke) the best beer in the world is served at 90 Gammel Kongevej at '90 Vin Stue, it takes about 5-10 minutes to hand pull a draft beer, they used to serve a small sherry to patrons waiting for a beer but I guess that became too expensive to continue . . .

May, June and July are my favorite months in Denmark. Seems like 3-1/2 hours is a little quick to get from CPH to Arhaus . . . it's about an hour to Korsors to the bridge and at least 2 hours across Fyn . . . I could certainly be wrong.

Have fun!!!!

These posts are just so helpful! Thanks!

Do any of you have photos online that I could look at for further inspiration?

Copenhagen is nice during the winter as well. Its climate is surprisingly mild, not freezing at all. My 85 year old mother, teenage son and I visited my daughter there last February and all of us loved the ancient city. We were surprised at how different it was from London which we had visited many times. It really feels Scandinavian, we had expected more of a homogenous european feel.

It is also a very walkable city, thanks to its small size and the Stroget - the pedestrian walkway that runs through the heart of the shopping district. We had no language problems to speak of, everyone seems to speak some English and does their best to be helpful and understanding. Don't miss the crown jewels, they are far and away better and of a higher artistic quality than the British crown jewels. My son and I liked walking up the long coblestoned spiral of the old Round Tower to see the view over the city.

Tivoli was closed when we were there, but looked small, crowded and tacky from the outside. Not, what I expected. However, my daughter told me that at Christmas time it was adorable. Danes make an extraordinarily big deal out of Christmas, far more than here. She said the whole city was decorated way over the top and looked like a gingerbread wonderland. I am sorry to have misssed it. For those who drink, they also brew special beers for Christmas - believe it or not - a different flavored one every day.

Try to stop at La Glace, an elegant tea shop just steps off the middle section of the Stroget, for a slice of one of their astonishingly decadent cream cakes, very different from our own cakes. It's expensive and only accepts cash, however for a brief time you will feel like the Danish upper crust as you refresh yourself along side impeccably dressed Danish aristocrats. It is worth the splurge.

Yes, to whomever asked, the Little Mermaid is back in her place on the rock and fine. Just beyond her, in the distance across the harbor, is a graceful line of slowly turning white windmills generating power for the city. Denmark is committed to generating clean, renewable power.

I would love to visit Denmark someday.

I first became interested in Denmark from a book I read in high school called Bright Candles (A Novel of the Danish Resistance) by Nathaniel Benchley. Good to know that there really is a Tivoli Gardens, it sounded fun.