Is it April Fool’s? Halloween? No, just an open casket viewing on the street

Undertaker’s off-premises service for bereaved relatives causes offence to baffled city resident

Bente Kierbye Jensen, a 58-year-old resident in the city district of Østerbro, could not believe her eyes when she looked out of her apartment window on Sunday, reports Politiken newspaper. Right below her was a coffin, complete with a corpse – Jensen’s first instinct was that a movie shoot was going on, but this scene wasn’t fictional.

“An old lady, dressed in a bathrobe, was just lying there,” she told Politiken. “Her mouth was open and she had purple feet. Good thing no children saw it. It’s quite unprofessional on the undertaker’s behalf.”

Once it became clear that the corpse wasn’t going to be zombified or kissed by Prince Charming, Jensen caught sight of an undertaker and yelled at him to cover the body up. However, he refused, explaining that he was on a stopover waiting for the deceased woman’s relatives to say their goodbyes … in the street.

Ten minutes passed before the undertaker’s colleague emerged from the house with the relatives.

Christina Gauguin, the owner of the offending undertakers, Elholm Begravelse, conceded that it was a regrettable incident.

“We try to the fullest extent possible to fulfil the family’s wishes, but we will take note that somebody was offended,” she said. “We are going to have to learn from that: it was never our intention to make anybody upset.”




  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.

  • Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Most parents in Denmark reject using social media parental controls despite knowing about them. A new study questions the effectiveness of these tools in ensuring children’s online safety.

  • Analysis: we need a different education system for international children in Denmark

    Analysis: we need a different education system for international children in Denmark

    Data analyst Kelly Draper Rasmussen highlights that Denmark sees peaks in international migration during early childhood and high school years. However, with only one international education option, many families are forced to leave to secure different opportunities for their children.

  • Danish Refugee Council to lay off up to 2,000 staff

    Danish Refugee Council to lay off up to 2,000 staff

    After the anticipation from The Copenhagen Post, a press release by DRC has confirmed the plan to lay off thousands of employees in response to the recent halt of foreign aid spending by the Trump administration.