The Copenhagen old map shows evolutions of Copenhagen city. This historical map of Copenhagen will allow you to travel in the past and in the history of Copenhagen in Hovedstaden - Denmark. The Copenhagen ancient map is downloadable in PDF, printable and free.

Recent archeological finds indicate that by the 11th century, Copenhagen had already grown into a small histrical town with a large estate, a church, a market, at least two wells and many smaller habitations spread over a fairly wide area as its shown in Copenhagen historical map. Many historians believe that the town dates to the late Viking age, and was possibly founded by Sweyn I Forkbeard. From the middle of the 12th century it grew in importance, after coming into Absolon possession, who fortified it in 1167, the year traditionally marking the foundation of Copenhagen. The excellent harbour encouraged Copenhagen growth until it became an important centre of commerce. However it did not become the nation's capital until the middle of the 15th century, and the archbishop still has residence in Roskilde.

The historical city of Copenhagen origin as a harbour and a place of commerce is reflected in its name. Its original designation, from which the contemporary Danish name is derived, was Køpmannæhafn, meaning "merchants harbour" or "buyer haven" (cf. German "Kaufmannshafen"). The English name for the city is derived from its Low German name, Kopenhagen as its mentioned in Copenhagen historical map. The element hafnium is also named for Copenhagen, whose Latin name is Hafnia, derived from the city original name, Hafnæ ("harbour"). The bacterium Hafnia is also named for Copenhagen, being coined in 1954 by Vagn Møller of the Statens Seruminstitut in Copenhagen.

As thehistorical town rose in prominence, it was repeatedly attacked by the Hanseatic League. In 1254 it received its charter as a city under Bishop Jakob Erlandsen. During 1658–59 it withstood a siege by the Swedes under Charles X and successfully repelled a major assault. In 1711 the plague reduced Copenhagen population of about 65,000 by one-third (see Copenhagen historical map). On 2 April 1801 a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker defeated a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored near Copenhagen. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Parker order to withdraw, destroying many of the Dano-Norwegian ships before a truce was agreed. Copenhagen is often considered to be Nelson hardest-fought battle, surpassing even the heavy fighting at Trafalgar. It was during this battle that Lord Nelson famously "put the telescope to the blind eye" in order not to see Admiral Parker signal to cease fire.

The Copenhagen vintage map give a unique insight into the history and evolution of Copenhagen city. This vintage map of Copenhagen with its antique style will allow you to travel in the past of Copenhagen in Hovedstaden - Denmark. The Copenhagen vintage map is downloadable in PDF, printable and free.

The Second Battle of Copenhagen (or the Bombardment of Copenhagen) (16 August – 5 September 1807 as you can see in Copenhagen vintage map) was from a British point of view a preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet. But from a Danish point of view the battle was a terror bombardment on their capital. Particularly notable was the use of incendiary Congreve rockets (containing phosphorus, which cannot be extinguished with water) that randomly hit the vintage city of Copenhagen. Few houses with straw roofs remained after the bombardment. The largest church, Vor frue kirke, was destroyed by the sea artillery. The battle is considered the first terror attack against a major European city in modern times by several historians. The confiscation of the navy, would later source the term to Copenhagenize.

The British landed 30,000 men and surrounded Copenhagen as its shown in Copenhagen vintage map. The attack continued for the next three days, killing some 2,000 civilians and destroying most of the vintage city of Copenhagen. The devastation was so great because Copenhagen relied on an old defence-line whose limited range could not reach the British ships and their longer-range artillery. Not until the 1850s were the ramparts of the city opened to allow new housing to be built around The Lakes (Danish: Søerne) that bordered the old defences to the west. This dramatic increase of space was long overdue, because the old ramparts were out of date as a defence system, and because of bad sanitation in the old city. Before the opening, central Copenhagen was inhabited by approximately 125,000 people, peaking in the census of 1870 (140,000); today the figure is around 25,000. In 1901, Copenhagen expanded further, incorporating communities with 40,000 people, and in the process making Frederiksberg an enclave within Copenhagen.

During World War II, Copenhagen was occupied by German troops along with the rest of the country from 9 April 1940 until 4 May 1945 as you can see in Copenhagen vintage map. The occupation was not a part of the Nazi German expansion, and in the first years German authorities wanted a kind of understanding with the Danish government. Even a general parliamentary election was granted in 1941, with only the Communist Party excluded. But in August 1943, when the government collaboration with the occupation forces collapsed, several ships were scuttled in Copenhagen Harbour by the Royal Danish Navy to prevent their use by the Germans. Around that time the Nazis started to arrest Jews, although many managed to escape to Sweden. After the Normandy invasion the Germans feared that the Danish police could become a problem, and in early September 1944 the entire Danish police force was meant to be arrested. But a majority of the Danish police managed to either hide or escape to Sweden. Out of 2,000 policemen captured and deported to Germany fewer than half returned after the war. During the last eight months of occupation Copenhagen suffered a high rate of common criminality.