Welcome to Copenhagen!
SHOT 2012
Welcome to Copenhagen!
4-7 October
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and has a history of a little more than a thousand years which is not unusual in Europe. You have probably heard about the Little Mermaid and Tivoli, two of its attractions – you might even have heard about some of Copenhagen's most famous inhabitants: Fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen, Nuclear Physicist Niels Bohr, Physicist Hans Christian Ørsted (Ø = O + E in Danish), author Karen Blixen, and Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.
Today, many of the 1.2 million people living in urban Copenhagen prefer travelling around the city by bike. It's faster and more fun than public transportation or going by car (parking is expensive)! Copenhagen is one of the few locations where you can see a line of bicycles more than 100 meters long at a stop light!
Copenhagen used to be the country's main industrial city but its industry – and the city – declined in the third quarter of the 20th century. Carlsberg's industrial production of beer moved to a town far from Copenhagen and many production and office jobs moved to the suburbs. But the Maersk-Moller company – then Denmark's largest – is still located in Copenhagen. It owns Maersk Line which is one of the world's largest shipping container lines. The last 2 or 3 decades have seen the city's regeneration as an attractive residential city with significant business neighborhoods and extensive cultural activities. Most of Copenhagen's houses were built before the Second World War, and the city and its inhabitants are doing a lot to maintain and improve their surroundings. Many asphalt courtyards have been converted to green gardens – you can get a feeling of this by walking around the neighborhoods near the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) where SHOT 2012 will be meeting. Another new attraction is the residential and recreational harbor area. It used to be filthy and noisy, a purely industrial shipping harbor, but now you can even go swimming there! This area is well worth a visit.
We look forward to welcoming you to Copenhagen!