If there’s one defining image of Copenhagen – or even Denmark – it’s probably Nyhavn.
The lineup of perfectly pastel portside townhouses seems like it could have been created with the express purpose of looking phenomenal on a postcard. In reality, King Christian V had this "New Harbour" dug by Swedish prisoners-of-war in 1673, to connect more easily to his newly cobbled plaza, Kongens Nytorv (King's New Square).
Nyhavn’s oldest surviving building, No 9, dates from shortly afterwards in 1681. Ironically, the southern side – which tends to mostly see tourists’ backs these days – was long considered the "good" side of Nyhavn, as the other was for years a notorious strip of sailor’s bars and brothels; a far cry from the photogenic terrace cafes of today.
Nyhavn was also a favored address for Hans Christian Andersen, who lived not only at No 20, where he wrote The Tinderbox, Little Claus and Big Claus and The Princess and the Pea, but also at Nos 18 and 67.
