Copenhagen Cityscape — 3D Map centred on Slotsholmen

Copenhagen grew from a single island. In the 12th century, Bishop Absalon fortified a small, uninhabited island in the harbour and in doing so laid the foundations of the Danish capital. That island — Slotsholmen, the Castle Islet — has been the seat of Danish power ever since, and remains one of the most architecturally layered and historically dense pieces of ground in northern Europe.

This model is centred on Slotsholmen at 1:5000 scale, with the canals and waterways that surround the island threading through the frame. Cast in white resin and mounted in an oak frame, the island's position — surrounded by water, connected to the rest of the city by nine bridges — reads clearly as a 3D object in a way that no flat map can convey.

The area

Slotsholmen sits at the heart of the model, dominated by Christiansborg Palace — the vast complex that houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Royal Reception Rooms. The old Stock Exchange (Børsen), built between 1619 and 1640 with its distinctive dragon-spire tower, sits on the eastern edge of the island. The inner harbour and the network of canals surrounding Slotsholmen are all visible in the frame, capturing a city that has always been defined by its relationship with water. The wider model takes in the dense historic fabric of Copenhagen's inner city, from the medieval street pattern around Slotsholmen to the more formally planned districts beyond.

Options and finish

• Frame: Oak frame, available in light or dark stain
• Acrylic case: Optional
• Waterways: Standard white or optional blue finish
• Display: Hanging system included — display vertically on a wall or horizontally on a desk or tabletop
• Scale: 1:5000

For more on how our cityscapes are made — the satellite data, the process, the thinking behind them — see our 3D cityscape art guide.