The View

The Most Charming View in Copenhagen

From the narrow stone staircase in the hollow core, Copenhagen’s most charming view opens at the top of the Round Tower. Centred by the Observatory, there is a 360-degree view all the way to Sweden. For centuries, the view of the city’s roofs and sights from the top of the Round Tower has been one of Copenhagen’s major attractions.

Caspar Fincke’s lattice surrounding the platform shows the royal cypher of King Christian IV and the initials of his motto, “Regna Firmat Pietas” or “Piety strengthens the realms”. From the platform you can explore the towers of the city and during the summer months, the Top Kiosk is open with ice cream, coffee and souvenirs.

Restoration in 2025/2026

The Round Tower Observatory, dome and telescope will be restored in 2026. Initial work will begin as early as November 2025, and during this period you will experience reduced access to the Viewing Platform and scaffolding at the top of the tower in connection with the work.

Follow the project and get more information here.

The Round Tower's newly restored kiosk at the top a day in May 2018

Trade at All Heights

Some of the most trendsetting Danish post-war architects have corresponded about the small kiosk at the top of the Round Tower, where visitors have been able to buy refreshments since just before World War II.

An Imposing Plan

Frogs, cats and birds hide in the ancient consoles at the foot of the Round Tower and tell of an imposing architectural plan that is now gone.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria depicted 1572. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Round Tower as a Lighthouse

There is something about the Round Tower and lighthouses, and a couple evenings in March and April 1750 the tower even had the chance to function as one. It happened when an advanced device with 168 glass panes and 56 whale oil lamps was tested before being shipped to Skagen.

It Happened at the Round Tower

The heart is pounding with giddiness in the cinematic comedy “It Happened at the Round Tower” with the famous Danish actors Dirch Passer and Ove Sprogøe in the main roles. And surely it is a long way down. So long in fact, that a replica of the tower was built, when the film was shot in 1955.

Confirmands in the Round Tower

The Round Tower has played a special role for newly minted confirmands from the churches in Copenhagen. For many years, it was a tradition that the young people climbed the tower as one of the very first things after their confirmation.

Christian IV and Peter the Great in the Spiral Ramp Illustration: Ida Gantriis

The Summit that Never Took Place

Generations of pupils have been told the story of the Danish King and the Russian Tsar that meet at the top of the Round Tower and battle over views of humanity. There is only the slight problem that the King was not in the Round Tower that day.

Sun over the Round Tower

When the plastic storks nest in the Danish town of Solvang in the United States, it also has sentimental causes. Exactly the same ones that lie behind the construction of the town's own Round Tower, where you can step in and order a pizza.