Population, Culture

The Royal Theater in Copenhagen presents drama, opera, and ballet under the auspices of the ministry of cultural affairs. The Royal Theater was founded in 1748, and an annex, the New Stage, was opened in 1931.

Denmark is famous for beautifully designed ceramics, silverware, porcelain, and home furnishings. Copenhagen has a permanent exhibition of arts and crafts where artisans from all over the country may display and sell their work.

All major cities and most provincial towns have public libraries, with about 50 million volumes on the shelves. The Royal Library, in Copenhagen, founded in 1673, serves as the national library of Denmark. It contains collections of music, manuscripts, maps, and pictures. Among the collections are 5,000 incunabula, books printed in the second half of the 15th century.

Of about 25 major museums, the most important is the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle (in Hillerod), mainly built between 1600 and 1620. It contains some 10,000 exhibits. The Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, also a 17th-century building, holds a collection of arms, apparel, and furniture, as well as the crown jewels. The Thorvaldsens Museum, also in Copenhagen, contains the works of famous 19th-century Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Also of note are the National Museum in Copenhagen, displaying exhibits on Danish history; the Louisiana Museum, a museum of contemporary art located north of Copenhagen; the Natural History Museum, in Arhus; and the Viking Ship Museum, in Roskilde.