Tivoli
Copenhagen,
Denmark
Opened
15 August
1843
Size
8 hectares
Scariest ride
Aquila is
a new ride for 2013 that
promises 4G centrifugal
forces and the chance
to experience the
world upside down at
11m in a giant eagle.
One for kids
The
classic Little Pilot ride
has been redesigned
so kids can control the
height of their plane.
Landmark attraction
At 99, Tivoli’s 625m
roller coaster is one
of the world’s oldest
wooden roller coasters
still in operation.
tivoli.dk
Norwegian flies
to Copenhagen
from more than 60
destinations
I’ve been working here since 2004 and it’s amazing
to be part of something that’s such a big part of
Copenhagen life. And it’s not just Copenhagen –
Tivoli Gardens are a national symbol of Denmark
and known throughout the world. I think lots of
Danes feel that in some sense they own part of it.
The Gardens take up 82,000m
2
in the centre of
Copenhagen and we have 14 gardeners and between
us we plant a lot of bulbs, around 100,000 tulips every
autumn, which bloom from the end of the April to
the end of May. We close for two and a half weeks
on the third Saturday of September to prepare for
Halloween, which involves around 20,000 pumpkins.
Tivoli’s founder, Georg Carstensen, said Tivoli will
never be finished and that inspires us. Even after 170
years, Tivoli is always developing, expanding and
growing in different ways. From a horticultural point
of view, we can have far greater variety throughout
the year than in the past because nurseries have
developed new ways of growing plants.
The Tivoli Flower Show [which takes place on
25 August this year] is a highlight of the summer.
We get 30 to 35 of the best floral decorators in
Scandinavia to compete for the prize – they start at
8am, three hours before the park opens, and every
year they’re set a different challenge. I can’t give
much away but this year’s competition will involve
models, and lots of movement and colour.
The key thing about Tivoli is that sense of
creating another world, one right in the heart of the
city. Of course some people come here for the rides,
but many others buy season passes and just come
here to relax in a beautiful environment. It’s our job
to keep it that way.
The Tivoli gardener
TomKnudsen
is the head gardener at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, which celebrates
its 170th anniversary this month. He says Tivoli’s magic goes beyond the rides
“The key thing is
that sense of creating
another world”
This picture
⁄
The
Demon (
background
)
reaches 28m at its
highest point
Below
⁄
Tom Knudsen
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