A relectant love to Copenhagen

Copenhagen is Norway’s closest continental city, and the advert says it is “Good to be Norwegian in Denmark.” However, that is meant as a tourist, not so much if you move there permanently. Growing up as a gay teenager in Oslo, I thought Copenhagen could offer everything Oslo did not have. Without the internet and easy access to all kinds of information, my knowledge was quite limited. I had read that Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, and even London were supposed to be “heaven for a gay life.” But my closest harbour should be Copenhagen. I will tell you about my early thoughts, experiences, and general love of Copenhagen. The pictures in this post may not be so related to the story I am telling, but rather, they are a tribute to the places I like to share from “Kongens by” (the city of the King).

Copenhagen versus Oslo

This is common knowledge for Scandinavians, but not the rest of the world. Norway was a province under Denmark from 1537 to 1814, governed by Copenhagen. After that, Norway was in a union with Sweden from 1814 to 1905, with a Norwegian government but a Swedish King. During all the years under Denmark, only one king, Christian IV, bothered to come to Norway. On the other hand, he significantly influenced Oslo and even named it Christiania.

Kongens by ( the city of the King)

Since Denmark governed everything for about 300 years, all higher education and government buildings were in Copenhagen. Very little development happened in Oslo and Norway. That is why it is striking to see the skyline of Copenhagen, with its baroque and Gothic towers, wide boulevards, and more continental vibe. In Oslo’s defence, the lack of classical buildings is compensated for by a city that embraces the fjord, and you can see forests and hills from almost everywhere in the city.

My awakening

I was pretty young when I realised I was gay, and started to come out when I was 14 years old. I did not meet many of my age, but a bit older. This was in the seventies and still an early stage of the openness in Norway, legalisation of gaysex was only since 1972. Very little Norwegian literature was given out in those years; what existed was left-wing and somewhat political. Remember, this is all my personal experience. However, it was possible to get hold of some magazines from Denmark, which were rather pornographic, but they had some real stories, and adverts for clubs and places to meet in Copenhagen.

All this led to my fantasies that Copenhagen must be fantastic, and I longed for the day when I could go there. I was there for the first time when I was 22. I had been on Interrail in southern Europe, and my final stop was in Copenhagen. Finally, I could visit all the places I had read about, and I think Madam Arthur was my favourite. It was a club that also had weekend drag shows. It had opened in 1973 and was A Danish equivalent of Studio 54. I did see several good shows there. The 1980s were terrible years for the gay community with the AIDS epidemic, leading to the club closing in 1989.

A short study in Copenhagen

In 1989, I started a new study in Oslo, which led to a six-month course in Copenhagen in 1991. This was before I took a BA in London. I was excited to live in Copenhagen, “my dream city” for a while. The course was good, and my fellow students were friendly; however, most were Swedish. I discovered that the Danes were just as tricky to get close to as we Norwegians. I did not make one Danish friend while living in Copenhagen, but I still keep in touch with some Swedish ones.

Language issues

I understand Danish well; the three Scandinavian languages are so close that we should have no problems talking together. I had no problem counting in Danish and started using words that meant something completely different from Norwegian. And here comes one of my issues. I have known Danes who have lived in Norway for 20-30 and 40 years, and most of them have never considered trying to speak Norwegian. However, I had not been in Copenhagen for many weeks before they started to say, “Are you not going to start to speak Danish soon”? The fun part is that Danish have quite a poor ear for languages, and many of them can not hear the difference between Norwegian and Swedish. Young people start to speak English to us right away.

Good luck

Fifteen years ago, I tried to sell myself into the Danish market. At that time, I knew I could offer something to the Danish film business which they could not produce themselves. I knew they bought everything from London, and, by being trained in London, I knew all their skills. I thought, being Scandinavian, we should be able to work together. How wrong could I be? When I went down there, I met up with one of my Swedish friends, and I told her my plans. And all she could say was “good luck, you know, for Danes, it’s a defeat to have to buy from Sweden or Norway. And she was right, the Danes liked what I showed them, but no orders came in. I knew I could deliver the same quality; they still purchased from London.

The shameful tourist spot, Christiania

Christiana is a “free town” within Copenhagen. Christiania was established in 1971 when a group of residents in Christianshavn broke down the fences of an abandoned military area to create a playground for their children. Hippies, socialists, and others who wanted an alternative society occupied the empty houses. It still exists, and until recently, in here you could buy soft drugs. It is a very relaxed atmosphere here, and walking around the lake and seeing all the home-made houses is a thrill. When my sister came and visited me while I was studying in Copenhagen, my landlady was very annoyed that I had shown her Christiania, “that is something we Danes are not proud of”.

Conclutions

Copenhagen is maybe not the paradise I dreamed of in my younger years, but it has captured a bit of my heart. I love their architecture, and not least their classical furniture design. As a “second hand junky” my home is full of danish design, though, I have not adopted their love of white walls all over. I like my colours. Therefore, I swallow my pride and ignore that the Danes think Norwegians are “unsophisticated mountain monkeys”. And find comfort in that they pretend to dislike the Swedes more than us.