Newsweek magazine sings Copenhagen’s praises

After calling Borgen the “best show you’ve never seen”, the American weekly has now declared the Danish capital one of ten “world class cities”

If Copenhagen finds itself overrun by an unexpected flock of American tourists in the coming months, Newsweek magazine will probably be the one to blame.

The American weekly seems to have embarked in an all-out serenade to sing the praises of all things Danish.

In its August 20 issue, the magazine included Copenhagen in a section inviting readers to discover what it described as “ten new world class cities”.

Newsweek foreign editor Louise Roug Bokkenheuser toured her readers around the best sights and products of our fair city, which sat in this flattering ranking alongside cities such as Rome, Istanbul and Sydney.

The Louisiana Museum, the Lagkagehuset bakery in Christianhavn and the “alternative pleasures” of Christiania were among Bokkenheuser’s recommendations.

The magazine also included a more unexpected piece of advice to its readers: keep an eye the television dramas produced by the Danish national broadcaster, DR.

This is the second time in a month that Newsweek praises Danish dramas.

In its August 6 issue, the weekly included an unconditionally positive review of the Danish series Borgen, calling it nothing less than “The best TV show you’ve never seen” and deeming it better than many American shows such as the lambasted Newsroom.

Newsweek wasn't the only American news outlet to turn its eyes to Copenhagen this summer. One of the most remarked pieces set in the Danish capital was a video by the New York Times on the city’s “cycling superhighways”. On a lighter note, National Public Radio (NPR) recently aired a short history of the Tivoli Gardens and the way they “beckon” visitors on summer nights.




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