Kastellet Fort is our favourite place in Copenhagen for getting away from it all. It’s a bit like an oasis of calm and it dates back to the 1600s. You enter over one of two bridges over the moat which surrounds the pentagram shaped outer walls. Once inside, the most striking thing about it is just how attractive the multicoloured buildings are as they sit along the various traditional cobbled walkways. You’ll enjoy just walking around and looking at the different structures, but bear in mind that this is still a military operated facility. As such, you’ll see guards at the entrances and on occasions it can be closed for military purposes.
The Commander’s House is one of the main buildings here. It’s a large ‘mansion’ which was built in 1725 for the commander of the fort and is still used as a military residence today as it houses the Danish ‘Chief of Defence’.
The church stands right at the heart of Kastellet, which means Citadel in Danish, and the red building attached to it is the former prison. This was built 20 years after the church in 1725 and enabled prisoners to follow services through ‘peep holes’.
Other notable buildings are the gatehouses at each end, the military housing known as ‘rows’, the storehouses which had everything you’d need to feed 1800 men if the fort were under siege and the windmill which is up the hill behind the church and helped the fort to be self sufficient.
Another way to see the fort is to walk along the high banks all around it. Simply follow the walkway and you’ll get a great view of the fort, the harbour and notable bits of Copenhagen too.
Admission to Kastellet fort is free and the gates are opened to the public from 6am to 10pm daily.
More Things To Do In Copenhagen
LOCATION & MAP
Address: Kastellet (Citadel), Gl. Hovedvagt, Kastellet 1, 2100 København
Kastellet fort is near to the Little Mermaid in the harbour area of Copenhagen. We walked the scenic way from Copenhagen City Centre along the harbour wall footpath from Nyhavn out towards the sea. Alternatively, follow the road called Bredgade from Nyhavn.
MORE ON KASTELLET FORT
More Things To Do In Copenhagen
Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour – Use the Little Mermaid stop for Kastellet
Copenhagen Kastellet – Wikipedia
Hotels near the Kastellet/Little Mermaid – We recommend Hotels.com for the best rates
Copenhagen Walking Tour – passes Kastellet