Did you know…?

The Copenhagen Post gives you three fun facts about Copenhagen and Denmark

By Uffe Jørgensen Odde Editor-In-Chief uffe@cphpost.dk

The cycling capital

In Copenhagen cycling is a preferred way of transportation. The Danish capital has often been mentioned among the best - if not the best - city to ride a bike in. And as late as February this year, CNN reported that Copenhagen is one of the 10 best cities in the world to ride a bike. According to VisitDenmark, Copenhageners cycle an average of three km a day, and more than 50 percent of Copenhageners cycle to and from work.

Flag fell from the sky

The Danish flag, Dannebrog, is the oldest flag in the world. According to the myth the ‘flag fell from the sky’ during a battle near Tallinn in Estonia in 1219. The myth continues that King Valdemar got his hand to it and showed it to the fighting troops, who got more courage and later won the battle. For hundreds of years Dannebrog was the Kings' flag. It was not until the 19th century that it began to be linked to the people and the nation.

Meet Æ, Ø and Å

The Danish language can be a challenge and difficult to learn. Silent letters and complex pronunciation are among the reasons. But it doesn’t stop there. The Danish alphabet contains three letters that you don’t find in the English alphabet: meet Æ, Ø and Å. In other Scandinavian countries they have similar letters. For non Danes - or non Scandinavians - these letters are often tough to pronounce.

Sources: CNN, Danmarkshistorien.dk, Visit Denmark.