Flea Market in the Round Tower, Copenhagen

It's spring cleaning time, and for me, that also means flea market time, as in going to one as a seller rather than a purchaser (that happens often enough, for the rest of the year!). So I am packing up bags and boxes to go to the annual Flea Market in the Round Tower, here in Copenhagen. 

Now this place is a slightly crazy venue for a flea market, but that is just what I like about it. The tower itself is - as perhaps you know - a very unusual renaissance church tower, at the Trinitatis Church smack in the middle of central Copenhagen. It was built between 1637 and 1642. If you have been here, you will know it:

The tower is unusual because it has a spiral ramp instead of a staircase, and one of the better explanations for this, is that it made the building of the church itself much easier (the tower was built first), because building material was easy to cart up the ramp. It has a still working astronomy observatory at the top deck (which you can visit - I saw Halleys comet there!), and that too was easier to finish via the spiral ramp, because the equipment needed there was so heavy and fragile.

The flea market is held in the large attic space over the church, but the only way to get there, is via the ramp, and vendors carry all their knicknacks up on foot. So you don't sell very heavy items on this market!

The tower is truly a fun and magic place, every child from around here has done this, several times:

You would just bolt down at full speed, and man, could you run fast, down that ramp! Do you see the niche in the wall, in the right side of the picture? The tower has several of these, and my dad used to hide in them and pop out and go 'BOO!!' at us running kids.

Here is another fun story: in 1971 legendary Danish racing cyclist Ole Ritter made a bet (one thousand Danish Kroner!) with colleague Leif Mortensen about ascending the tower on bike - fastest man won. Ole Ritter won at 55,3 seconds, and if you have been there, this will really impress you!

Well, I am glad I don't have to race my stuff up on bicycle, I will take it at a leisurely stroll. And people do manage to fill the space up rather impressively well, as you can see here, in an image from last year. It is open Saturday from 10.00 to 16.00, stop by!