KOEBENHAVN OG FREDERIKSBORG KOM - Geography and history
Copenhagen and Frederiksberg occupy an area of 97 km2, representing 0.2% of the total area of Denmark.
The two cities are surrounded, although not included, in the county of Copenhagen and have both a municipal and county status.
Copenhagen is Denmark's only major city and is also the country's capital, with the parliament, government and monarchy all situated in the heart of the city. The city is also home to headquarters of large commercial and financial enterprises as well as a number of organisations.
The city of Copenhagen was founded in 1167 with the building of a fortress by Bishop Absalon to protect the trading centre that had developed along the coast of the Øresund during the Viking age. The international trade through the Øresund developed Copenhagen into Denmark's leading city during the Middle Age and an important pawn in the political battle for supremacy in Scandinavia and the Baltic region. From 1417 Copenhagen also became the seat of royal power and the headquarters of the army and the navy. Copenhagen's development was influenced by defensive considerations as late as the 20th century and underwent expansion several times over the years. The City of Copenhagen assumed its present dimensions in 1901.
The city of Frederiksberg, which lies in the heart of Copenhagen, is a modern, metropolitan local authority. Frederiksberg's history dates back to 1651 when Frederik III gave 20 peasants of Dutch origin from Amager the right to settle in "New Holland Town" and cultivate the previously royal land. King Frederik IV built Frederiksberg Castle between 1700 and 1703 as a country residence for the royal family. At the same time the town at the foot of the castle hill became known as Frederiksberg. Frederiksberg was given its local self-government in 1857, and it rapidly began to grow in population. From 1919 onwards, the Frederiksberg authority appointed its own mayor and municipal corporation.
The climate is a temperate coastal one, with cool summers and mild winters. The average temperature in January is just above the freezing point, whereas in July it rises to over 17 °C. July and August are normally the warmest months. The most precipitation occurs in the summer and autumn months, whereas spring is the driest period, however there are large variations from year to year.
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