A sandwich is a sandwich – but not in Denmark, where it is a symbol of Danish pride and culinary heritage, a staple that has evolved through time and still lords it over every table inside or outside the home. Smorrebrod (pronounced as “smur-er-brewth”) is at its basic form an open-faced sandwich made with buttered rye bread and an assortment of toppings, called “paalaeg.” It is said that the sandwich dates back to the 17th century when farmers and workers would pack lunch baskets with bread, butter and typically sausage or smoked fish.

If you think that the term “eco-village” is a concept that is just recently being bandied about or that it is merely a passing fancy for environmental activists, then take a closer look at Dyssekilde. Tucked in between Frederiksvaerk and Hundested is a small community that has been successfully living on the essential principles of an ecological society for over 25 years. Okosamfundet Dyssekilde is one of Denmark’s oldest eco-villages, made up of 74 unique and sustainably-designed dwellings built on an old potato field in Torup Town.

Welcome to Hamlet’s hometown, the idyllic Helsingor (or “Elsinore” as Shakespeare called it) in North Zealand. Visitors come to this city located 45 kilometers north of Copenhagen mainly for its royal jewel, the Kronborg Castle, the setting of William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Hamlet and the burial grounds for Denmark’s legendary hero Holger the Dane. But there is more to this historical area that dates as far back as 70 A.D.

It has been a favorite subject of many landscape painters and photographers and one of the most popular outdoor attractions in Europe. The white chalk cliffs of Mons Klint are part of the breathtaking natural wonders in the southern island of Mon in the Baltic Sea.

Functionality, simplicity and excellent craftsmanship are some of the words that characterize Danish design – be it in furniture, electronics, jewellery and metalsmith, medical technology, industrial design and many other industries. Denmark may be a small country but it has made a name for itself by producing some of the world’s best known names in design.

One of the two safari parks in Denmark is the Givskud Zoo, a widely popular attraction in the Jutland region. Founded in 1969 by Jacon Hansen, it was originally known as Loveparken (“The Lion Park”) as it only featured free-roaming lions in its large safari-like enclosures. It was the first of its kind in the country and it did not take long until it gained massive interest and attention. Over time the zoo started to accommodate other animals and it became more than a lion park.

There are several exciting events taking place in Denmark during the months of September and October. Visitors to the country, particularly those staying in the capital city of Copenhagen can add these entertaining activities to their itineraries: Copenhagen Blues Festival 2012.

Bertel Thorvaldsen was a prolific Danish neoclassicist sculptor who envisioned a museum building that will one day house all his works and private art collections in his native city of Copenhagen. Unfortunately he died four years before the building was completed in 1848 but it has gone down in Denmark’s cultural annals as the country’s first art museum and is today one of the city’s most visited attractions.

It is hard to imagine that a serene and lovely place such as the Citadel was once the site of violent battles and sieges in Denmark. But visitors to this popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen can still see the many structures that have served to protect the city. The Kastellet was started by King Christian IV in the early 17th century and was completed by his son and the successor to the throne King Frederick III.

What was originally intended to be a burial ground for Copenhagen’s lower class and by definition an area used to assist other cemeteries that were already full became by circumstance a cemetery for the country’s elite and intellectual. Today, Assisten’s Cemetery is known as the biggest burial site in the city, a public park used for picnics, open-air concerts and other purposes and a popular tourist attraction for its notable “residents.”