Vor Frelsers Kirke

Description:

• The architect of the 1752 staircase of the "Church of Our Savior" was Laurids de Thurah. A legend still persists about him. It is said that he constructed the staircase encircling the building the wrong way. Climbing to the top, and belatedly realizing what he'd done, he jumped to his death. A good story, but it's not true. According to more reliable reports, he died poverty-stricken in his sleep in his own bed in 1759. The green-and-gold tower of this Gothic structure is a Copenhagen landmark, dominating the Christianshavn area. Inside, view the splendid baroque altar, richly adorned with a romp of cherubs and other figures. There are also a lovely font and an immense three-story organ from 1698. Four hundred vertigo-inducing steps will take you to the top, where you'll see a gilded figure of Christ standing on a globe, and a panoramic view of the city. Warning: Those steps grow narrower as they reach the pinnacle.

• © Frommer's 2012