Nyhavn Quiz: Copenhagen's Colorful Canal and Old Harbor

This Nyhavn quiz strolls the painted quay of Copenhagen's most famous canal. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on its digging in the 1670s, Swedish prisoners of war, King Christian V, sailors' taverns, colorful 17th and 18th-century houses, Hans Christian Andersen's three addresses, the memorial anchor, wooden ships, canal tours and the bridge opened in 2016.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city is Nyhavn in?
Name
What does Nyhavn mean?
Dug
When was the canal dug?
Workers
Who did much of the digging, according to history?
King
Which king ordered the canal?
Sailors
What was Nyhavn once known for?
Writer
Which writer lived at three Nyhavn addresses?
Anchor
What does the large anchor at the canal's end honor?
Tours
What starts from Nyhavn for many visitors?
Bridge
Which bridge for cyclists and walkers opened nearby in 2016?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city is Nyhavn in?
Answer: Copenhagen
It is Denmark's capital.
Q2: What does Nyhavn mean?
Answer: New Harbor
It was new in the 1600s.
Q3: When was the canal dug?
Answer: In the 1670s
It took a few years.
Q4: Who did much of the digging, according to history?
Answer: Swedish prisoners of war
Denmark and Sweden had fought wars.
Q5: Which king ordered the canal?
Answer: Christian V
Kongens Nytorv square is at its end.
Q6: What was Nyhavn once known for?
Answer: Rowdy sailors' taverns
Bars lined the quay.
Q7: Which writer lived at three Nyhavn addresses?
Answer: Hans Christian Andersen
Plaques mark his homes.
Q8: What does the large anchor at the canal's end honor?
Answer: Danish sailors lost in World War II
It is a memorial.
Q9: What starts from Nyhavn for many visitors?
Answer: Canal boat tours
Boats glide past palaces.
Q10: Which bridge for cyclists and walkers opened nearby in 2016?
Answer: Inner Harbour Bridge
It is nicknamed the kissing bridge.

Painted Townhouses and Old Sailors' Taverns

Nyhavn, meaning New Harbor, is a canal in central Copenhagen dug in the 1670s on the orders of King Christian V. Swedish prisoners of war did much of the digging. It linked the sea to Kongens Nytorv square, letting ships unload goods in the heart of the city.

The quay is lined with colorful townhouses from the 1600s and 1700s. For centuries Nyhavn was a rowdy area of sailors, taverns and tattoo parlors. Hans Christian Andersen lived at three addresses on the canal, including number 20, where he wrote some of his early fairy tales.

Today restaurants and cafés fill the old houses, and wooden ships are moored along the quay. A large anchor honors Danish sailors lost in World War II. Canal boat tours start from Nyhavn, and since 2016 the Inner Harbour Bridge has linked it to the other side of the harbor.

What This Quiz Teaches

Travel fans will enjoy these questions.

When the canal was dug
Who dug it
What it was once like
Which writer lived there
What happens there today

Did You Know?

Nyhavn 17 is one of the oldest taverns on the quay.
Locals sit along the canal edge on summer evenings.
Some houses date back to 1681.
The Royal Danish Playhouse is nearby.
Christmas markets fill the quay in December.