Welcome! 
This is our blog about our trip to Copenhagen. First, we'll present the Medical Museum of Copenhagen and its history. Hope you'll enjoy it.

The Museum was founded in 1970 for the 50th anniversary of the Danish Medical Association. At first it was a private museum and was made public in 1918 when it was taken over by the University of Copenhagen.The collections were donated by a circle of doctors in Copenhagen in 1906. Actually it's a part of the university and a research unit which belongs to the Departure of Public Health.

We found the museum interesting and diverse; it shows amongst other things the evolution of the different medical equipment. It's like a time travel through the history of medicine. Also, there are videos of operations depending on the different exhibitions. On the first floor was also an open laboratory "Biohacking - Do It Yourself".



When we were at the museum we had the opportunity to go upstairs and enjoy a free tour guided by an employee of the museum. There we saw two dentist surgeries dated from the 19th century with a time difference of twenty years.  We could notice that the second room had advanced technology and equipment and far more hygienic working conditions. Within twenty years they could work more efficiently and it wasn’t so painful for the patient anymore. Also, the second room contained an X-ray installation and the guide explained that it has been one of the best ways to cure the patient. However, it was still very harmful at that time so the dentists as well as the patients had to bear the consequences of the damaging X-rays.

Here a few pictures that we've taken at the museum:

 

inlaid human brain

 birthing chair

 siamese twins

old pharmacy

 the Open laboratory "Biohacking - Do It Yourself"

 

evolution of a toothbrush

 

diverse pills

  our group

  

Our opinions

Megi : I think that only if you are really interested in medicine should you visit this museum, if this is not the case just leave it out.

Ewa: I think the topic of the exhibitions was very specific, yet they were animated and if you are interested in them this is the right place to go.

Marie: I found it really interesting, but I expected more; the museum was in my eyes very small and there weren't that many exhibits.

However, in general we were very satisfied with our trip, we had a really good time and a lot of fun. We would recommend this city to other classes even though it's a bit expensive. Copenhagen is worth it.

Den Blå Planet - Aquarium

“Den Blå Planet“is the national aquarium of Denmark. With 7.000.000L of water and more than 20.000 different fish from all over the world, it is known to be the largest aquarium in Northern Europe. In March 2013, the aquarium opened in Kastrup, in a suburb of Copenhagen after the closing of the old one.

History

Denmark's Aquarium opened in 1939 in Charlottenlund. The Second World War was a difficult time for the aquarium because it was impossible to import fish. In 1974, there was a need for renewal and two new branches opened. Therefore, the buildings in Charlottenlund became too small in the 1990s and modern facilities were needed. In 2007, they decided to build a new aquarium, The Blue Planet.

In March 2013, 3000 animals moved from the old Danish Aquarium in Charlottenlund to the Blue Planet in Kastrup, where 17000 new animals have been added.

Description

The aquarium, with its special architecture, is divided into different areas according to the origins of the various fish. Corresponding plants, artificial climate and other animals (for example birds or snakes) emphasize the atmosphere of the area. In the Amazonas-area, for example,it is sticky and hot and there's exotic vegetation and a waterfall.

Moreover, there are different shows during the day, which you can visit, like the piranha-feeding or sea-lion training.

To exit the aquarium you have to pass the souvenir shop, where you can buy different keepsakes from “The Blue Planet”.

Even though, you can’t make it to the aquarium by foot from the city center, the aquarium is nicely situated, next to the sea.

Experience

After our arrival at the aquarium, an employee guided us to a side entrance, so that we could skip the queue. This is one of the advantages of being a group, just like the discount that we got on the admission price.

In there, we got into groups and roamed through the building. There were plenty of fish and even some kind of petting zoo, where you could touch starfish, hermit crabs and sea urchins. The employee next to it was able to answer our questions and gave us additional explanations. This was a new experience for us because it is not an ordinary attraction in an aquarium.

Moreover, we saw sea lions, which were trained to follow the movement of your finger if you stroke over the glass.

In the aquarium there was even a jungle-area with artificial tropical climate, where we observed the Piranha-feeding.

Furthermore, it was very dark inside the aquarium and there were only some blue lights that projected waves on the floor and the walls, which made the atmosphere even better.

By chance, we all met outside the aquarium to enjoy the good weather, on the shore of the sea, sitting on rocks and taking pictures.

Personal opinion

In my opinion, the aquarium is a modern building with interesting expositions. The visit of the aquarium was better than I expected. The petting zoo is amazing and the variety of fish is enormous. The atmosphere inside the aquarium is fascinating.     - Jerome

I think that the aquarium was really worth to visit. Especially because I had never been to a real aquarium before. I was fascinated by the diversity of the fish. The different areas with their corresponding vegetation and climate also gave me the feeling of actually being in the animals’ 'country' of origin.       – Lucille

The Blue Planet was amazing. Most of the fish were interesting and the atmosphere was great. Furthermore, I had neither seen piranha before, nor a ray with a diameter of 1m. I would advise the aquarium to others.      – Annick

http://www.denblaaplanet.dk/in-english

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark's_Aquarium

Little Mermaid

In 1909, the statue was licensed by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg. Later on, he asked Ellen Price, who was the prima ballerina of the same-named play, to model in the nude for the statue’s body. After she refused, the sculptor’s wife, Eline Eriksen was used for the body. The story behind the “Little Mermaid” is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

The “Little Mermaid” in Copenhagen is sitting on a rock in the harbour of Langelinie promenade. It has a height of 1.25 meters. Only a very small amount of people know that the “Little Mermaid” in Copenhagen is not the original one. The original one is located in a secret place...

The statue has been damaged and demolished many times but was renovated each time. The Mermaid has survived many offences. Those go from decapitation over disguise to explosive damage.

The path towards the mermaid is nice to walk on foot especially when the weather is good. Fortunately this was the case during our trip. After having seen the mermaid, you may be a little disappointed as the statue itself is rather small and you might have expected something bigger or more spectacular.

 David: Very nice to see.
 Nigel: It was a bit disapointing but i don't regret to have seen it.
 Gaspard: A little disapointing but a must.

A note for the next generation: If you don’t want to spend too much money on food, you better bring your own lunch pack for this visit since you can only find one restaurant next to the mermaid which is quite expensive...but good.

Amalienborg

The first palace was called Sophie Amalienborg and was built in the early 17th century. But it burned down in 1689 as a nearby theater took fire, and nearly every part of the palace was destroyed. King Christian V started to rebuild the castle. However, he never finished it and the “borg” was abandoned for nearly 60 years. The new King, Frederick V, then decided to add a new district in baroque style. He distributed the terrain to the four most influential noble families of Denmark. They had to build four identical palaces. And so they did. The royal family bought the palaces of and now it is the royal residence of

Denmark.

The palace is made up of four identical houses, in front of which you can see royal guards. In the middle of these there is a square with a statue of Frederick V.

The palace is made of four identical houses. In front of which you can see royal guards. In the middle of these there is a square with a statue of a riding Frederick V.

There are not many shops around the palace but you can find the medical museum and an amazing looking church. Furthermore, there is a river just next to the castle on which you can see the royal yacht of Denmark 200 meters further along the river.

We think that visiting the Amalienborg is a must when you go to Copenhagen. It doesn’t take a long time to look around and it is especially worth to visit this place for the royal guards who are much too serious.

David: Great place, a shame we missed the main act.

Nigel: The buildings were really impressive. 
Gaspard: Very impressive place.

Planetarium Tycho Brahe

Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe

The planetarium was named in honor of the famous Danish Astronomer Tycho Brahe from the 16th century. His work was of great importance to astronomy for many centuries, ours included.

Thanks to the donation of Bodil and Helge Pedersen in 1983, who donated 50 million DKKs, the planetarium could be established. That way, the building was constructed between 1987 and 1989 which was designed by the architect Knud Munk.

The Planetarium opened on 1 November 1989 and the foundation stone was laid on 22 February 1988. This wasn’t a coincidence because on that exact day Uranus and Mars, which are two planets of our solar system, were in rare close conjunction. So observing the two planets from the Earth, they were very close to each other, which is usually not the case. Furthermore, this day had been chosen because especially Mars played a very important part in the astronomer's work with the determination of the positions of the stars.

To begin, the planetarium is located at an easy accessible spot.You can get to it by walking a few minutes from the town hall square or the central station. Besides that, the building of the planetarium can be seen easily while walking down the´Gammel Kongevej´ street in which one it

is located. The inside of the building is huge, the ceiling and the walls have a slightly round form and they are colored in a pretty dark way, which covers the planetarium in a mysterious atmosphere. The cinema room inside it is also very impressing. It was the first time for us all to see a movie in they way we did there. The round form of the screen gives a special touch to the  3D effects.

We’ve learned that human knowledge of astronomy has evolved a lot over the last few centuries. While we walked through the rather small exhibition area, we saw old measuring instruments and illustrations of former thoughts about the sky. Further ahead, we could examine the surface of our neighbor planet Mars. We even got to know the different densities of Earth, Moon and Jupiter by lifting a 5 kilogram (on earth) weight.

After watching an orb taking shape of our different planets, we observed different components of satellites and other spacecrafts.

Standing in front of a greenscreen, visitors are able to control a space shuttle through universe. Even if it’s just an animated game, it can be fun while you’re waiting for the film to start in the IMAX theater. There are different movies to watch, always introduced by a 3D presentation of our universe. It shows you how everything is linked and how big everything is and how small we are. After watching those different constellations just like Cassiopeia, we enjoyed a touching documentation about the motherly love of an ice bear towards its children.

Personal opinion:

Losch Maxim:

In my eyes, the planetarium was very disappointing. Not because of the fact that I visited an impressive planetarium a few years ago but because of the fact that I’ve been addicted to astronomy since my childhood and so I expected a lot of this exhibition. In the end, I did not learn anything I hadn't know before. The only thing I liked, was the IMAX theater, I never saw a 3D animation of the universe in such an awesome way even though it gave me a bit of a headache. But if you aren’t looking for complicated facts and just want to pass some time while having fun, it can be a great place to go. You’ve got, for instance, a green screen where you’re added into a game - this can be fun, not only for children but also for adults. After all, the worst thing about the planetarium is, that there’s a lot of information written in Danish without being translated into English. Thus you’re quite discriminated as a tourist.

Xavier Fisch

To be honest I was a little bit disappointed by the planetarium. It was very informative, meaning that there were a lot of panels explaining different things about astronomy. All the shown descriptions were written in Danish, so we didn't learn anything. I also expected to see more special things in such a big planetarium, like an artificial nightsky. However, there were some special tools, like the greenscreen where we could fly a spaceship through space by using our arms and legs in front of a camera to navigate. All in all I wouldn´t recommend to visit the planetarium as a tourist, but I would suggest to visit the cinema which is inside it. The large curved screen which extends itself over the walls and the ceiling mixed with the 3D effects of the movie really put you in the setting of the movie. So the cinema is definitely worth a visit.

Entringer Anne:

Personally, I had never visited a Planetarium before so this was a premiere for me. To be honest, I imagined the exhibition to be bigger than it was: There was one main room where we could see a lot about the different planets and around this room there were a few games (mostly for children I reckon) and also facts and videos from outer space and tips on how to behave out there. The games, especially the one with the green screen, were quite amusing. A few of us even 'immortalized' themselves in the high score of the game, which I thought was pretty cool. The exhibition was rather disappointing, I thought because it was so small and everything seemed to be compressed in that one room.

Otherwise, the film we went to see after the exhibition was quite impressive: This was mostly due to the big, curved screen which really gave you the feeling of being part of the actual movie. The tour through space as well as the polar bear movie were the highlight of the planetarium, at least for me.

Finally, I would recommend the planetarium, but rather for the IMAX theater than for the exhibition. For people who don't know that much about planets and space, they can learn a bit more but for those who already know a lot about it, I think they will leave with a feeling of disappointment. All in all, people shouldn't plan more than an hour for the exhibition, because there is not that much to see.

Maxim Losch, Xavier Fisch, Anne Entringer   3C1

The Botanical Garden

 The Botanical Garden is situated in the heart of Copenhagen. It contains the largest collection of living plants in Denmark. The main purpose of the garden is to maintain a  rich collection of plants to be used in research, for teaching and for public information. It holds one of the largest herbaria of plants and fungi from all over the world.

The Garden is a part of the National History Museum of Denmark. There is a large Palm House that was built in 1874 in which we can find tropical and subtropical plants. The glasshouse was built by J.C Jacobsen. The Garden as well as the Museum belongs to the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science.

The Botanical Garden moved several times before it was placed in the city center where it has been since 1870. They found out that this place would be the best to grow medicinal plants. In 1977 the Garden became listed by the Danish conservations authorities.

When we went to the Garden the flowers began to bloom and the lawn was summerlike.We were lucky because we had sunny weather and we had the chance to enjoy it. There is a beautiful lake which reflected the sun in a charming way. We went into the Palm House in which it was very hot because the tropical plants growing in it.  Being in there you actually felt like being in a tropical area. We walked trough the wonderful alleys to get out again.

 Noami: I really liked the Botanical Garden. There were plenty of beautiful plants an the lake in the middle of the Garden  just looked awesome. I also think that the lake gives a romantik touch to the Garden.  I  loved to walk in this wonderfull natural area.
  
Clémence: I really enjoyed this Garden it is very beautiful and calm. Unfortunately the trees were nacked and there were no blossoms on it. I would either recommand to visit the garden during summer, if possible. It's also a really nice place to relax and to lie in the grass if it's shinny weather!

Gilles: The Botanical Garden was nice to see but not extraordinary. I'm not the biggest fan of nature. Despite there was a good-looking model taking nice pictures during our stay ;-) The Palm House was nice to visit because of the exotic plants.

University of Copenhagen - Frederiksberg Campus

Københavns Universitet

University of Copenhagen Frederiksberg Campus

On Wednesday, we visited the University of Copenhagen, Denmark’s oldest and second largest university and research institution. Founded in 1479, it is the second oldest institution for higher education in Scandinavia after Uppsala University.

The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen. We visited the Frederiksberg Campus, which harbours the university’s Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. The core service of those faculties is education and research in foods, veterinary and bioscience, natural resources, landscape architecture and planning, as well as economy and politics.

Several degree programmes are offered to the more than 37000 students, though only the master’s degree programmes are taught in English.

After arriving at Frederiksberg Campus, we met our guide Anna Kathrine, who is studying veterinary medicine at the university. She greeted us in a very friendly way and led us into one of the university’s classrooms. By means of a powerpoint presentation, she explained to us why she chose to study veterinary medicine in Copenhagen and presented us the university and its different programmes.

We then went on to the auditorium, a very beautiful, colourfully painted room with high ceilings and large windows. According to Anna, the room had once burned down and had to be redecorated. The walls were painted the exact same way they used to be, except for a little butterfly, which now serves as a distraction for bored students trying to find it. We also met one of the university’s professors who has been teaching since 1955.

Later on, the class was split into two groups guided by either Anna Kathrine or her fellow student Anna Plum, who studies economics on Frederiksberg Campus.



We were brought into the basement of one of the campus buildings where we were shown the university’s stock of malformed preserved animals. It was an interesting and fascinating though slightly disgusting experience. There was also a pin board with several objects found in animals’ stomachs, for example necklaces or fish hooks.

Furthermore, one group visited a room for practical classes in veterinary medicine. It harboured several metal tables for dissection as well as animal skeletons and preserved organs. Meanwhile, Anna Plum told the other group a story about a smithy that had been torn down, which upset a lot of students. In memory of the blacksmith and his smithy, a festival is organised every year at the place where the smithy used to be.

Afterwards, we went outside to see the Veterinary Hospital for small animals and the old stable where horses used to be accommodated.

On the way to the garden, we were shown the university’s café and library. The garden is a great place to relax, to study and to learn more about plants by reading their name plates. The same can be said about the library. Inside, there were several fascinating book sculptures. We even met their creator, who explained to us how they are made.


The garden also features some plants shrouded in legend, for example a tree that survived an atomic bombing.

We went then to a more recently built part of the University, whose entry is used for big events. We were shown a big chemistry auditorium and finally the two groups were reunited in the building’s marble hall.

In our opinion, the university is the place to go for Danish people who are interested in natural sciences and economy. However, as Luxembourgish students, we wouldn’t recommend it because you have to pay for your studies yourself while Danish students get money from the State. Furthermore, daily life in Copenhagen is quite expensive.

Additionally, only the master’s degree programmes are taught in English, which means that you would have to learn Danish or pass your bachelor somewhere else.