Nyhavn, Canal district in Indre By, Denmark.
Nyhavn is a canal district in Indre By with colorful gabled houses lining a narrow waterway where old wooden ships lie moored. Cafés and eateries line both sides while pedestrians stroll across the cobblestones between the house fronts and the quay.
King Christian V ordered the construction of this canal in 1671 to connect Copenhagen harbor to the city center and promote maritime trade. In the 18th century the district developed into a rough harbor area with taverns and quarters for sailors before being restored in the 20th century.
The name means "New Harbor" and recalls the time when sailors and merchants lived and worked here. Today locals and travelers sit on the wooden planks by the water, drinking beer and watching boats pass by in the evening sun.
Visit in the early morning or late evening when fewer people are around and the light illuminates the facades nicely. Canal tours depart from several docks along the waterway and usually last about an hour.
All buildings on the north side bear the numbers 1 to 71 and date from 1681, with the original structure preserved to this day. The writer Hans Christian Andersen lived in three different houses along the canal and wrote some of his best-known fairy tales there.
Location: Copenhagen Municipality
Elevation above the sea: 6 m
Address: Nyhavn 41,1051 København, Denmark
Phone: +4533127141
Website: https://nyhavn41.dk
GPS coordinates: 55.67987,12.59041
Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:45
Earth displays its color range at numerous sites, from geological formations to human-built environments. The selection includes locations on six continents, where natural processes or cultural traditions have resulted in prominent visual displays. The Danxia mountains in China's Gansu province show layered sedimentary rock formations in reds, oranges and yellows, while Arizona's Painted Desert derives its colors from iron oxides and other minerals. Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring owes its concentric bands of color to heat-loving bacteria that thrive in different temperature zones of the water. The Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize reaches a depth of 407 feet (124 meters), providing a deep blue contrast to the surrounding turquoise shallows. Various communities have marked their built environment with distinctive color palettes. Chefchaouen in Morocco's Rif Mountains displays blue walls throughout its medina. Jodhpur in Rajasthan uses blue paint that originally marked Brahmin residences. Cape Town's Bo-Kaap presents houses in yellows, pinks, greens and blues, while Buenos Aires' La Boca neighborhood has corrugated metal facades in bright colors. Copenhagen's Nyhavn shows 17th and 18th century townhouses along the canal in reds, oranges, yellows and other hues. Scarborough's beach huts on the English coast offer a smaller scale of residential color. Water features contribute to the variety. China's Jiuzhaigou lakes display blues and greens due to calcium carbonate and algae. Tanzania's Lake Natron turns red to pink because of microorganisms living in its alkaline water. Pena Palace on a hilltop near Sintra, Portugal, combines yellow and red facades. Copacabana on Bolivia's Lake Titicaca offers whitewashed buildings with colorful accents. Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu presents fields of phlox in pinks, whites and purples, while Kitakyushu's Kawachi Fuji Gardens feature wisteria tunnels. Even Longyearbyen on Svalbard displays colored wooden houses against Arctic landscapes.
From Nyhavn's harbor houses to the modern architecture of The Blue Planet aquarium, Copenhagen contains varied photographic perspectives. The city combines historical palaces, new buildings, urban parks, and cultural sites across all seasons.
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