See the Copenhagen of The Danish Girl

Nyhavn

Gerda and Einar live in Nyhavn, which in the movie is transformed into the old fish market, and this is also where Einar goes out alone as Lili for the first time. Nyhavn is the oldest part of Copenhagen harbor and many of the houses were built in the 17th century. Nowadays home to restaurants and bars, they’ve seen everything over the years. Hans Christian Andersen was also to be seen around here for a while, when he lived at no. 20.

Nyhavn

The Stock Exchange

The movie shows Gerda going past the distinctive dragon-tail spire of the Stock Exchange on the way to see an art critic, with a stack of sketches under her arm. The Stock Exchange was built by King Christian IV, who is also the man behind such Copenhagen classics as Rosenborg Castle and the Round Tower.

Børsen

Magstræde/Snaregade

On the way home after a pleasant evening, Einar and Gerda walk arm-in-arm through the streets of Copenhagen. More specifically, they walk down Snaregade and Magstræde, two of Copenhagen’s oldest streets, which like the neighboring streets have preserved the cobblestones and old buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Soak up the atmosphere and take a break at one of the many cafés in the area.

Nyboder

Nyboder’s characteristic yellow rows are yet another creation of Christian IV, who had them built to house the navy’s sailors and their families. It’s in Nyboder that Einar, as Lili, seeks out Henrik, who has long been courting her.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg

Charlottenborg Castle (Kunsthal Charlottenborg) is where Einar first appears publicly as Lili at a ball. It’s also where he’s first courted by a man.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg

The Royal Danish Theater (The Old Stage)

One of Gerda Wegener’s favorite models was ballet dancer Ulla Poulsen and in the movie we see how both Einar and Gerda spend time behind the scenes at the Royal Danish Theater. It’s among the costumes here that together they find the clothes for Lili’s debut in society, and it’s also here where Einar returns alone, when he can no longer suppress the fact that his inner Lili is stronger than Einar.

The Royal Danish Theater

The Marble Church/Frederiksstaden

Gerda and Einar/Lili lived in Paris for a number of years and Frederiksstaden (the area around the Marble Church and Amalienborg Palace), which has a very Parisian appearance, had the honor of playing this city of cities in the movie. So if you think you can see the dome of the Marble Church outside Gerda and Lili’s apartment, you’re absolutely right.

The Marble Church

City Hall

City Hall Square is one of Copenhagen’s most iconic locations, although few people actually go into City Hall itself. They’re missing out, because entrance is free and the building and its interior are a study in the Skønvirke style typical of the period. In The Danish Girl, City Hall played the hospital where Lili has her sex reassignment surgery.

Rådhuset

The University Library

While Gerda and Einar are living in Paris, Einar seeks out a Parisian library to learn more about his condition. The reading room where he sits is in the University Library in Fiolstræde, which is in the extension to the old main buildings of Copenhagen University.

The University Library