The most famous resident at Copenhagen's Rådhus (City Hall) is the curious Jens Olsen's World Clock, designed by astromechanic Jens Olsen (1872–1945) and built at a cost of one million kroner. Not only does it display local time, but also solar time, sidereal time, sunrises and sunsets, firmament and celestial pole migration, planet revolutions, the Gregorian calendar and even changing holidays!
Jens Olsen's World Clock
Copenhagen
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.26 MILES
Best known as the Elsinore Castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this Unesco World Heritage Site is a vast Renaissance masterpiece topped by baroque green…
20.78 MILES
One of Denmark's most impressive buildings, this gigantic, Dutch Renaissance–styled fortress-palace rises proudly out of photogenic moat-lake Slotsø…
0.15 MILES
Dating from 1843, tasteful Tivoli wins fans with its dreamy whirl of amusement rides, twinkling pavilions, carnival games and open-air stage shows…
1.09 MILES
Escape the capitalist crunch and head to Freetown Christiania, a hash-scented commune straddling the eastern side of Christianshavn. Since its…
0.76 MILES
A 'once upon a time' combo of turrets, gables and moat, the early-17th-century Rosenborg Slot was built in Dutch Renaissance style between 1606 and 1633…
0.97 MILES
Denmark's National Gallery straddles two contrasting, interconnected buildings: a late-19th-century 'palazzo' and a sharply minimalist extension. The…
0.86 MILES
There are few nicer places to be on a sunny day than sitting at an outdoor table at a cafe on the quayside of the Nyhavn canal. The canal was built to…
25.21 MILES
Ingeniously built into a dry dock beside Kronborg Slot, this subterranean museum merits a visit as much for its design as for its informative multimedia…
Nearby Copenhagen attractions
0.01 MILES
You can climb the 105m city hall tower for a commanding view of Tivoli Gardens and the city centre.
0.01 MILES
Completed in 1905, Copenhagen's national Romantic-style city hall is the work of architect Martin Nyrop. Inside is the curious Jens Olsen's World Clock,…
0.05 MILES
Influenced by the architecture of northern Italy, City Hall's courtyard features a central fountain.
0.05 MILES
The square outside Copenhagen's Rådhus (City Hall) unites the busy thoroughfare of Vestrobrogade and the bustling Strøget pedestrian street. While the…
0.15 MILES
Dating from 1843, tasteful Tivoli wins fans with its dreamy whirl of amusement rides, twinkling pavilions, carnival games and open-air stage shows…
0.16 MILES
Built in 1815, Copenhagen’s neoclassical courthouse was designed by CF Hansen, also responsible for Vor Frue Kirke. It's linked by its own ‘bridge of…
0.2 MILES
Named for the Goddess of Charity, this lovely fountain was built in 1608 by King Christian IV, when Gammeltorv was the city's main square, and is the…
0.22 MILES
Fin de siècle architecture meets with an eclectic mix of art at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. The collection is divided into two parts: Northern Europe's…