History of Tivoli

by Annette Lind

In 1874 one of the best known buildings in Tivoli was built, the Peacock Theatre. Pantomime had been a part of the Tivoli experience from the beginning. The new theater was built in a Chinese style. It replaced a small theater that had been there since the opening. This original building was made of all timber and painted canvas. It went through a series of major updates and repairs but in 1873 it was decided it needed to be replaced. Architect Vilhelm Dahlerup was commissioned to submit a proposal (at the time he was already working on the design for the Royal Danish Theater.). Dahlerup had never been to China, but he had seen pictures of Chinese buildings taken by a fellow architect. He drew up the plans for the present day Peacock Theater and submitted them. It was designed with bright colors to go along with the philosophical symbolism of the Chinese. Chinese letters above the stage can be translated as “Shared joy with the people.” The audience stands or sits in the open with the stage inside the building. The curtain is a mechanical peacock tail which, according to an article on the internet, requires 5 men to operate. Pantomime means a play where performers use gestures rather than their voice to put on the performance. Italian pantomime was introduced in Denmark by Guiseppe Casorti, It includes the characters Cassander (the old father), Columbine (his beautiful daughter), Harlequin (Colombine’s lover) and the “clown” servant, Pierrot. The children especially love Pierrot. A statue of this clown was erected in Tivoli in 1896. It commemorates Niels Henrik Volkersen who played the part of Pierrot at Tivoli for nearly 50 years. Danes commonly use this statue as a place to meet friends in the park. The name Nimb has been associated with Tivoli since 1877 when Vilhelm and Louise Nimb took over their first Tivoli restaurant named Divan 2 on Tivoli Lake, popularly known as Nimb’s Terrace. Divan 2 was the first restaurant to introduce the open-face sandwich form. The famous Moorish-inspired building erected in 1909 in the park came to be called The Nimb. Through the years it has housed various establishments but in 2008 after a major rennovation it opened as the Nimb Hotel, with several gourmet-oriented establishments. It was awarded the hotel of the year in 2015 by the Small Luxury Hotels organization, being selected out of 520 small luxury hotels throughout the world. There are 17 rooms, 12 suites and 3 restaurants in the building. Make your reservation early and bring your pocketbook.

In the early 20th century Tivoli like many places throughout the world, hosted human exhibitions. The idea of displaying living human beings began in Germany in the middle 1800’s. The intention was to create a history of mankind by showing how humans had progressed. Sadly what may have been a “noble” idea quickly became a way to show Europeans as humans who had evolved—superior to other humans in the world.

By the 1870’s exhibition of “exotic” populations became popular in many countries. “Human zoos” could be found in Europe and in the United States. This type of human expositions persisted in various forms into the 21st century. The exhibitions in Tivoli were meant to show foreign races and their way life to the Danes. The first exhibition was held in 1901 showing “exotic” human beings from India and included coolies with their rickshaws, snake charmers and much more. It was a great draw as crowds of Danes filled Tivoli to see these “strange sites” and, hopefully, learn about othe cultures. As the years have passed, Tivoli has grown and changed. That was the original intention of Georg Carstsensen. In 1844 he was quoted as saying, “Tivoli will never, so to speak, be finished.” He was right. In 1890 the main entrance to the park was changed to the now well-recognized structure. At night lights illuminate the entrance. A new entrance across from the Copenhagen Central

Station opened in 1912. A new roller coaster opened in 1914. It is known as the Rutschebanen, or as some people call it, Bjergbanen (The Mountain Coaster). It is today one of the world’s oldest wooden roller coasters and one of just 7 worldwide operated by a brakeman on each train. There are now 4 roller coasters in the park and 2 water rides as well as 13 other “adult” rides and 16 “children’s rides.” The newest ride is Fatamorgana, which opened in 2016. This ride “offers two separate seating arrangements, one milder version with two-seater gondolas, and a thrilling version in which riders are slung around at high speed while seated in a ring and facing away from the center.” Cafes and restaurants have changed as people’s tastes have changed. By my count there are around 60 places to get food in Tivoli. No matter how many kroner you have to buy food and pretty much no matter what satisfies your appetite, Tivoli can meet your needs. World War II brought destruction to Tivoli. The night of June 24, 1944 Nazi sympathizers sneaked into the garden and placed fire bombs in the Concert Hall, The Glass Hall and the Arena in addition to other locations. There was extensive damage. The Arena Theater was destroyed and a new dance hall, Dansetten was built in its place in 1948. The Concert hall was also destroyed and musical events moved to the Glass Hall Theatre until a new concert hall was built in 1956. Determined not to let the Nazi’s triumph, within two weeks Tivoli was again open. Visits to Tivoli have greatly impressed people. Walt Disney paid several visits to Tivoli before opening Disneyland in California. It is said that after Michael Jackson visited Tivoli he wanted to buy it. His offer was not accepted. In 1952 The Alley opened. Built like a Danish market town it offers some shopping for visitors. New expansions, renovations and additions continue in Tivoli. Formerly only open in the summer, since 1994 it has been open for the Christmas season. Since the opening of Tivoli for a Halloween season, the attendance has increased every year. In celebration of the 175th year in operation, in 2018 Tivoli added the Winter Season in the month of February. The summer season runs from the beginning of April to sometime in late September. Entertainment continues to be a big part of the Tivoli experience. It is a venue for a variety of the performing arts and is an important part of the cultural life of Copenhagen. From classical music, to rock and roll, from pantomime to ballet, from band concerts to American country music and jazz, all can be found in Tivoli. Hear the word amusement park and for anyone who has not been to Tivoli, something totally different comes to mind. But Tivoli is a very different experience. Go early and you just might be in time to catch a bit of dew on the thousands of beautiful flowers. Find a seat in one of the many cozy corners and you have found a place to relax and let the world go by. Jump on some of the rides and experience the thrills of whirling and flying or dropping. Get on the ferris wheel and get a spectacular high view of Copenhagen. Walk amid the free-range peacocks and enjoy the age-old theater of pantomime. Stay until evening and watch the 120,000 lights of Tivoli come on, turning the park into a visual delight. On weekends stay for the fireworks. Whatever you do, it will supply you with memories for a lifetime. When Carstensen sold the idea of Tivoli to the King, it was as a way to distract the people from politics. Little did he know how very much we would need a place like Tivoli to distract us in the 21st century. If you have never been—don’t hesitate—go.

The first and second installments of "Tivoli: One Man's Vision" were featured in the July and August 2021 issues of the DSN.