To me personally, one of the most visible evidences of the history of Denmark are the many medieval parish churches, and the many Manor houses and castles spread all over Denmark. In total you'll find close to 1000 manor houses and castles in Denmark. The most amazing fact though, are the ancient burial mounts which can be seen scattered all over Denmark. These burial mounts have been erected through ancient times, and the official count stays at a astonishing 86.000 burial mounts of which 22.000 are protected by preservation laws and legislations. The tradition of using burial mounts begins as far back as 2800 b.C. in the middle og the early stoneage, and continues until the late bronzeage around 1700 b.C. Some of these late burial mounts, which were graves for just one person, measures 60 metres in diameter and are app. 10 metres high. 

 
2 of a total of 86000 ancient burial mounts in Denmark

 

Did you know ?

-that Denmark has got the largest solar power plant in the world ?. It is situated on the small island of Aeroe and the solar panels are 19.000 square metres big, which generates enough power to supply 600 homes with heating all year around. Every year the solar plant saves app. 800.000 litres of oil.

 

  -that is was the danish piano builder C.C. Hornung that invented the cast iron frame for pianos that are standard in all pianos today?.  The first time ever a cast iron frame was used in a piano, was in a C.C. Hornung piano build in 1844. 

 

-that Jacob Gade’s Tango Jalousie is the best known piece of music ever written by a Dane. As late as the 1970s it was estimated that every minute of the day someone somewhere in the world was playing Tango Jalousie; only the Beatles’ Yesterday could for a time match its popularity. The income from Tango Jalousie - and his many other compositions - made Jacob Gade a very wealthy man and provided (and continues to provide) the capital for the Jacob Gade Foundation, which annually since his death on 20th February 1963 has granted considerable sums to talented young Danish musicians. 

-that the Danish Flag, a white cross on a blood-red background, is the oldest Flag in the world, first flown at the battle at Lyndanisse in Estonia on June 15 in 1219. The danish king Valdemar Sejr fought the Estonians The legend has it, that the flag dropped from the sky, and a voice was heard from the heavens above promising victory in the battle if the flag was raised. This raised the spirit and courage, and the battle was won. This event is even today celebrated in Denmark as Valdemars Day.

"Dannebrog falls from the sky during the battle at Lyndanisse in Estonia 1219.

 

Dannebrog is however not the oldest Danish flag. According to historian Flemming Rickfors the oldest Danish flag was "Ravnefanen" "roughly translated to "The Flag of the Raven". This flag was used by the Danes during their raids against the Normans, and all through the Viking period. It is known that King Knud the Great flew Ravnefanen during the fierce battle at Ashington in the year 1016. Ravnefanen was a red cloth decorated with the image of Odins holy Raven in black emboidery, and the flag was feared in many parts of the world because it was only used in wartime.

"Ravnefanen". The flag of the Vikings
Courtesy of Flemming Rickfors

 

 

 
The Viking age fortress "Trelleborg" build app 980 AD. The inner court consists of a perfectly circular earthen rampart, approximately 180 meters in diameter. Four gates pointing towards the four corners of the world give access to the inner court, and the gates are connected by two wooden walkways crossing in the middle, and by a narrow road following the rampart. The inner rampart is approximately 17 meters wide, 5 meters high, and contains about 25.000 square meters of earth, stone and timber.The inner court has traces of 16 longhouses. Outside the ramparts You can see remains of 15 longhouses.
 

-that the danish astronomer Tycho Brache(1546-1601) and Copernicus in Poland were the first to realize that he sun did not rotate around the earth but rather the Earth rotated around its own axis and in turn circled the sun.

-that the danish scientist Ole Roemer (1644-1710) discovered the "Speed of Light".

-that is was a dane, Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) that discovered Electromagnetism, enabling us to have electric motors and numerous other devices utilizing Electromagnetism

-that the worlds first oceangoing ship powered by a diesel engine was the danish "Selandia", launched in 1912, and built by the "Burmeister & Wain" shipyard in Copenhagen.

 
The "Selandia"

-that 77% of all cement making equipment, used all over the world is made by "F. L. Smidt Company", a Danish company. Furthermore 80% of all windmill driven generators in the world are made by of Danish manufacturers. Finally 78% of all the worlds' hearing aids are produced in Denmark.

  

 -that danish inventor Peter Laurits Jensen, (1886-1961).together with a colleague, invented the world's first loudspeaker, which they called "The Big Voice". The Big Voice was tested in public for the first time in 1915.

 

-that is was the danish inventor Valdemar Poulsen, who invented not only the arc transmitter, but also the method of storing informations on magnetic material, which makes him the inventor of the taperecorder, and the principles reaches into our time in evry computer harddrive, disc and creditcard.. 

Valdemar Poulsen
 

 -that the famous danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875) wrote 168 fairytales which have been translated in 145 different languages only surpassed by the Bible ?. No author at that time travelled more that he did, and during 29 travels he went to Italy, France, Spain and other european countries, and he even travelled to Africa. He was so afraid of fire, that he always travelled with a piece of robe in order for him to be able to escape through a window. By the way, did you know that he also made the most wonderful and exquisit paper clippings ?.