Like the fairytales it's home to, Copenhagen is full of surprising twists.
Once upon a time in Scandinavia, a country emerged where the Covid restrictions that many other nations are still living under were completely lifted.
And anyone encountering performer Torben Iversen could be forgiven for thinking Andersen is very much alive in person.Iversen, who can regularly be found dressing and speaking like Andersen, along with a band of fairytale enthusiasts have taken it upon themselves to keep the author's stories alive for future generations.
It's a reputation that flamboyant artist, designer and photographer Jim Lyngvild is trying to change, attempting to shift perceptions and showcase the Vikings' Norse beliefs and pagan rituals.For Lyngvild, this is personal. He is descended from Viking royalty and has the family tree to prove it.
"We have this very conservative, 'you have to do this in a very strict old way' [approach]. But we also love the cracks in the canvas where the wild horses can run through," he says.DNA scientist Eske Willerslev has uncovered some surprises about Vikings.While Lyngvild's proud take on Denmark's Viking history is challenging stereotypes, new research suggests that much of what we know about these plunderers and empire builders may not be as concrete as once thought.
It appears that Viking was more of a job description, a way of life rather than a quirk of birth. These skeletons were buried using Viking rituals, with the same swords and shields you'd expect to find in Scandinavia. The Danish capital's famous freetown dates back to 1971, when a group of free minded settlers broke into the Bådmandsgade military barracks and set up what has become one of the world's most famous experiments in collective living.