Højbro Plads

The man on the horse above you is Bishop Absalon, and notice how he is shown. He sits in full armour on a rearing horse, and what he holds in his hand is a battle axe. That is not the usual way to depict a bishop. But Absalon was no usual bishop. He was the king's closest man, a commander and a politician, and in 1167 he built the castle that became Copenhagen. He points that axe straight across the canal, at the islet where the castle stood. The statue dates from 1901, seven hundred years after his death, and the plinth beneath him was designed by Martin Nyrop, the same man who designed Copenhagen City Hall. Where you stand is the line between two Copenhagens. Behind you is Strøget and the merchant town, where the money was made. In front of you, across the bridge, is Slotsholmen, where it was spent. And one last thing that almost everyone walks straight past. Go to the edge of the bridge and look down into the water. Below the surface lies a bronze mermaid. She has no sign, no queue and no tour buses, and she is visible only when the water is still enough. She is not the famous mermaid out at Langelinie. She is another one, lying down here waiting for somebody to look.