01.04.2005
Hans Christian Andersen in transit at Copenhagen Airport

As from 2 April, Copenhagen Airport will add a fairytale twist to passengers’ travelling experience. The airport has decided to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, who was a dedicated traveller, by story telling, theatre performances, exhibition objects and a completely new fairytale playground.

‘To travel is to live’, said Andersen. Had he lived today, we are sure he would have been a frequent visitor to this airport. That is why it is very logical to celebrate him here. Each day 50,000 passengers pass through Copenhagen Airport. About one third of them are only here on transit, and we want to give them a special experience by showing them a facet of Denmark they would not otherwise have a chance to see, while at the same time enlivening their waiting time with some of Hans Christian Andersen’s fantastic fairytales,” says Carina Fatum Carlsen, project manager at Copenhagen Airports.

Mermaids and flying trunks

On the actual day of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen, Eventyrteatret (The Fairytale Theatre Company) will perform ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ at the airport, but there will also be more permanent attractions in connection with the celebrations.

The Little Mermaid statue by Edvard Eriksen which you can see in Copenhagen harbour had several ’sisters’ made by the same artist. Copenhagen Airport would like to tell the story of Eriksen, Andersen and the mermaid to passengers who are in transit and will have to continue to their destination without having time to pay a visit to the mermaid in the harbour. Instead, those passengers can see an original working model of Eriksen’s Little Mermaid in Terminal 2.

In 2003 the airport bought the trunk Hans Christian Andersen used to bring along on his journeys. It will now be displayed at the airport for the first time ever. All Andersen’s journeys to other countries began in Copenhagen, and the big leather trunk will symbolise this fact in the exhibition.

Tivoli artist makes Andersen figures

Artist Richardt Branderup, who is the artist behind the ‘Flying Trunk’ attraction in Tivoli Gardens, the Tivoli restaurant at the airport and many other Tivoli decorations, had in fact retired when Copenhagen Airport asked him to make new figures based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales. Richardt Branderup decided to take up the challenge, the result being fifteen different wood figures of natural size based on The Princess and the Pea, Clod Hans and The Tinder Box.

You will find these figures in various places at the airport. As from 2 May, there will also be listening stations where you can listen to fairytales in several different languages. The final creations by Richardt Branderup can be seen as from 1 June, when the Airport presents a playground exclusively composed of figures and scenes from Andersen’s fairytales as interpreted by Richardt Branderup.

Most of the activities will take place in the terminal area. The working model of The Little Mermaid will be on display at the start of Pier B in Terminal 2, while Andersen’s trunk can be seen at the stairs leading to the baggage reclaim area by Pier C in Terminal 3. Some of Richardt Branderup’s Andersen figures will be placed near the baggage belts in the baggage reclaim area and will later be scattered throughout the terminal area and the playground area by Pier A in Terminal 2.