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.
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