Rome has its Corso, Naples its Toledo, [...] but Copenhagen has its East Street

The Danish writer, H.C. Andersen authored several novels and plays that were successful in their own time; however, his fame is chiefly due to his ‘Fairy Tales and Stories’, which was written between 1835 and 1872 and was targeted at children and adults alike. The collection, which was translated into many languages, includes the well-known tales of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Emperor's New Clothes’, ‘The Tinderbox’, ‘Little Claus and Big Claus’, ‘Princess and the Pea’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Nightingale’ and ‘The Little Match Girl’. Drawing much of his inspiration from the grand tradition of ‘Arabian Nights’ and the ‘Household Tales’ by the brothers Grimm, Andersen’s stories labelled him as the father of the modern fairytale.

Niels Bohr was one of the most eminent theoretical physicists of his day and a man who greatly contributed to our appreciation of quantum mechanics. He assisted in developing the theory of nuclear fission and ceaselessly called for the peaceful use of atomic energy. In 1913, Bohr issued three papers of immense significance on the theory of the atom that influenced, among others, Albert Einstein. In fact, Bohr's research gave the entire scientific community a more clear picture of the inner structure and different processes of an atom. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize for Physics and the first U.S. Atoms for Peace Award, which was presented to him in 1957.

Thorvaldsen was not only the sole Danish visual artist to have achieved a European reputation, he was also a remarkable representative of neoclassicism in sculpture. The themes for his statues, reliefs and busts came principally from Greek mythology. In addition, he portrayed important figures of the period. Among Thorvaldsen's works are ‘Eros’, a few versions of ‘Ganymed’e, ‘Shepherd Boy with Dogs’, the bas relief of ‘Hylas and the Nymphs’, the statue of the resurrected Christ (made for the Copenhagen Lutheran Cathedral). He also created an enormous series of statues of Christ and the twelve Apostles for the renovation of the Copenhagen Cathedral between 1817 and 1829, which had been bombarded by the British in 1807. So famous was Thorvaldsen that a museum in his name was built during his lifetime. Upon his death, he donated a collection of artwork and all the models for his sculptures to the museum.

Kierkegaard didn't become widely known outside of his native Denmark until the 20th Century. Only then was he recognised by the Western intellectual world as the father of existentialism, a brilliant philosopher and a religious thinker. With his pen and ink, he magnificently articulated his opposition against the established Church of Denmark and against the depersonalisation of people. Kierkegaard's writings can be divided into six categories: criticism (‘Early Polemical Writings); fiction (‘Either/Or’); philosophy of religion (‘The Concept of Anxiety’); pastoral theology (‘Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses’); polemical theology (‘The Sickness Unto Death’); and autobiographical works (‘The Point of View for My Work as an Author’).

Then came the stay in Copenhagen, where I, in communion with Nordic art and Nordic artists, in the study of Nordic sagas and Nordic folk life, learned to know and find myself.

Norway has produced several great men, but none greater than Edvard Grieg. Along with Finnish composers, Jean Sibelius and the Dane Carl Nielsen, Grieg is acclaimed for his melodious and lively compositions and is regarded as the most distinguished representative of Nordic music of all time. In 1863, he moved to Copenhagen, as there were no opportunities for musicians in his homeland. Grieg's music has as much appeal today as it did the first time it was played. One of his particularly compelling pieces is the 1868 Piano Concerto in A minor that brought him out of obscurity and made him a celebrity. Yet he is most famous as a composer of incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's play, ‘Peer Gynt’. It was first presented in 1876. ‘Peer Gynt Suite I’ and ‘Suite II’ stand very high in the canon of orchestral music and are recognised throughout the world. In 1874, he settled back in Norway, in the city of Bergen.

This Danish industrialist and philanthropist, known as J. C. Jacobsen, is particularly remembered as the founder of Carlsberg Brewery. Although he didn't receive a formal academic education, he is claimed to have attended some lectures by Hans Christian Orsted. In the 1840s, he started producing beer and Carlsberg Brewery (named after Jacobsen's son, Carl) was established in 1844 in Valby, just on the outskirts of Copenhagen, which is where the brewery stands today. In 1868, Carlsberg successfully began export with one barrel of beer sent to Edinburgh, Scotland. To secure a high quality of beer, J.C. Jacobsen opened the Carlsberg Laboratory in 1875. To manage the laboratory and support scientific research, Jacobsen invested a substantial amount of the brewery’s capital and the Carlsberg Foundation was created. Concerned about public affairs, Jacobsen backed up the National Liberal Party for many years. He was also art lover, and after the Frederiksborg Palace was destroyed by fire, he financed its restoration upon the condition that it would be turned into a museum. Jacobsen's extensive art collection is now located at the New Carlsberg Brewery.

Everyone in Denmark wants to be a good cop, but the bad cop is someone who is needed. As soon as you go to the UK or US, the bad cops are there because they are needed, but the Danish people are very, very afraid of conflict.

Lars von Trier is an ambitious and visually distinctive Danish film director who has gained international renown due to such productions as ‘Breaking the Waves’ (1996), ‘Dancer in the Dark’ (2000) and ‘Dogville’ (2003). Born in Copenhagen as Lars Trier, he was raised by nudist communist parents. Since the moment he received a Super-8 camera at the age of eleven, he has been fond of making his own films. In 1983, he graduated from the Danish Film School. Afterwards, he worked on the ’Europe Trilogy’, starting with ‘The Element of Crime’, which was acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival, and continuing with the ever-successful ‘Epidemic’ (1987) and ‘Europa’ (1991). Lars von Trier is also known as the co-founder of Dogme 95, an avant-garde filmmaking movement. Moreover, he made a TV miniseries, ‘The Kingdom’ (Riget, 1994) and its sequel ‘The Kingdom II’ (Riget II, 1997).

Dexter Gordon was my godfather. I used to play with Neneh Cherry when we were little kids. Her stepfather, Don Cherry, lived like six houses from where we lived in Copenhagen.

This Danish-born musician is world-famous as the drummer and co-founder of the American heavy metal band, Metallica. He was raised in Gentofte, a residential district of the city, in an upper-middle class family. His father, Torben, ran a small jazz club in Copenhagen before he became a professional tennis player. Lars followed his father's steps as a tennis player and pursued his training in California after the family moved there when he was seventeen. However, inspired by his idols, such as Deep Purple, Iron Maiden and Saxon, Lars chose to focus on music and began playing the drums. Willing to start a band, he published an add in a local Los Angeles newspaper and met James Hetfield, with whom in 1981, he established Metallica. One of his hobbies is scuba diving. He is a father of three sons. Involved in charity, he appeared on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' in 2001, and won 32,000 dollars for his foundation.