Leisure in Denmark

Cycling

Denmark is an active cyclist country. In Denmark’s capitol, Copenhagen, 36% of the population commutes by bicycle to work or school. Riding bikes is known, in Denmark, to be a healthier, more environmentally conscious and cheaper form of transportation. By 2015, Denmark hopes to raise the number of commuters by bike up to 50%. There are very well engineered bike paths through the cities and the countryside of Denmark. Some people even take weekend vacations on their bikes.

Film

The history of film dates back to the late 1800s in Denmark. Before Hollywood was established and dominated the film industry of the late 1920s, Denmark was one of the major exporters of silent short and feature films. Since then, Danish filmmakers have been some of the most daring and technically proficient filmmakers in the world. Danish films were some of the first films to address sexuality; ever since the silent era, Danish films were frank, sexually.

The 1960s introduced more explicit features, some of which were even banned in the United States. The contemporary film movements of Denmark are still relevant to the world community. Along with Lars van Trier and other prominent Danish filmmakers of the 1990s, the style of film known as “Dogme” was created. This style focuses on low-budget films with a look of gritty realism and has influenced such American filmmakers as Larry Clark and Harmony Korine.

Cuisine

Lunch is an important, and sometimes, overstated meal in Denmark. The traditional lunch is made up of open sandwiches on a thin piece of rye bread. The meat used for the sandwich is layered and usually starts with a seafood base; either marinated herring, smoked eel, or crab. The second layer is a cold cut or pork, beef, ham, or liver pate. The sandwiches are then topped with onion rings, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and mayonnaise.

A beer or chilled schnapps is typically served with lunch, and interestingly enough, in Denmark, teens are allowed to begin drinking alcohol at 13 or 14 years of age, depending what region on the country you are in.