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August 15, 2024 10 mins

On this day in 1843, the Tivoli Gardens amusement park opened its gates for the first time.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio
Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a
show that raises the curtain on everyday history and lets
it take a bow. I'm Gabe Lucier and in this
episode we're talking about the famous Tivoli Gardens, a cultural

(00:22):
icon of Denmark and a world class playground for kids
of all ages. The day was August fifteenth, eighteen forty three,
the Tivoli Gardens amusement park opened its gates for the
first time. Located in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, Tivoli

(00:46):
was inspired by the parks and gardens of other European cities,
most notably by the Vauxhall Gardens in London and the
Tivoli Gardens in Paris. The park boasted a variety of
attractions from the very beginning, including manicured flower gardens, bandstands
for live music, a theater for pantomime plays, and mechanical

(01:08):
rides such as a carousel and an early type of
roller coaster called a scenic railway. More than three thousand
visitors attended on opening day, and ever since then the
crowds have kept right on coming. The park still operates today,
with annual attendants now stretching into the millions. That makes

(01:29):
Tivoli Gardens the second oldest operating amusement park in the world,
ranking right behind deer Hesbacken or deer Park Hill, which
is also located in Denmark. The founder of Tivoli Gardens
was Georg Carstensen, a Danish entrepreneur who had fallen in

(01:49):
love with the pleasure garden concept while traveling abroad. He
received permission to build his park by reminding King Christian
the Eighth that when the people are amusing themselves, they
do not think about politics. The king granted Carstons in
a five year charter to use roughly fifteen acres of

(02:10):
land just outside the Copenhagen city limits. The area had
once been the site of the city's old fortifications, including ramparts,
city gates, and a series of moats, one of which
would later be incorporated into Tivoli as a lake. Copenhagen
expanded throughout the nineteenth century, and the gardens eventually became

(02:31):
part of the city proper. Today, the location is right downtown,
just a few steps from Copenhagen Central Station and within
walking distance of city Hall. When Tivoli Gardens opened in
eighteen forty three, The locals were awe struck by just
how much the familiar grounds had changed. In place of

(02:51):
barren fields, they found lush gardens filled with exotic plants
and flowers. There were no run down forts in sight,
but instead the grounds were littered with ornate buildings and
pavilions modeled after the architecture of faraway places like China, Turkey,
and Pompeii. Strolling through the beautiful parkland was entertaining in itself,

(03:14):
but there were also stylish cafes and restaurants for people
to dine at, as well as modern amusements to pass
the time, including a shooting gallery and a collection of
whimsical rides. The park's enchanting atmosphere was heightened after dark,
when thousands of colored lamps would light up, adding to
the fairytale effect. Tivoli Gardens had been carefully crafted to

(03:37):
appeal to people from all walks of life, rich or poor,
young or old. There was something for everyone within its gates.
That was certainly the case for one of the park's
earliest and most famous proponents, Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
He visited Tivoli Gardens during its first season, and his
favorite part was the fanciful Chinese pavilion, which had been

(04:00):
designed by the Danish architect H. C. Stilling. Anderson was
so inspired by his visit that he wrote an original
fairy tale set in China called The Nightingale. He used
the Tivoli Gardens pavilion as the model for the Emperor's Palace,
and in later years the park would return the favor
by incorporating Anderson's fairy tales into its programming and attractions.

(04:25):
Guests at Tivoli Gardens can now routinely watch a stage
show based on the author's work, or even board an
immersive dark ride called the Flying Trunk, which takes riders
on a whirlwind tour through thirty two of Anderson's stories.
The picturesque scenery and unique attractions of Tivoli Gardens were
integral to the park's early success, but just as crucial

(04:48):
was the sound of Tivoli as provided by live musicians
who performed there daily. Popular composer Hans Lumbai served as
the park's musical director for its first thirty se He
wrote roughly eight hundred pieces of music in his lifetime,
many of which were composed exclusively for Tivoli, including this

(05:09):
jaunty little number called the Champagne Gallop.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
Take a listen.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
Hans Lumby helped shape the character of Tivoli Gardens, and
his influence is still felt there today, as the Tivoli
Symphony Orchestra still performs many of his works. Alas, Georg
Carstensen's tenure at the park proved to be much shorter.
He was only the director of Tivoli for five years,
then in eighteen forty eight, he enlisted to fight in

(05:55):
the War against Prussia, prompting the park's advisory board to
dismiss him for breach of contract. Carstensen later returned to
Denmark and began building a rival pleasure garden in nearby Fredericksburg. Sadly,
he died from pneumonia at age forty four in January
of eighteen fifty seven, just a few months before the

(06:16):
park's opening. Tivoli Gardens continued to thrive in its founder's absence,
and even managed to remain open throughout the Nazi occupation
of Denmark during World War II. Unfortunately, the gardens didn't
make it through the war in one piece. In June
of nineteen forty four, a group of Nazi sympathizers forced

(06:38):
its way into the park and set off a series
of fire bombs. Many of the historic buildings burned to
the ground, including beloved landmarks like the Tivoli Concert Hall,
the Glass Hall, theater, and the arena. The roller coaster
was damaged as well, but at least one icon, the
Pantomime Theater, was spared. The bomb planted there failed to explode,

(07:01):
leaving the theater, which was erected in eighteen seventy four,
as the oldest original building in the gardens. After the attack,
Tivoli Gardens closed for two weeks, but then reopened with
new temporary structures. Ironically, the park's near destruction wound up
being its salvation. In the years between World Wars, the

(07:24):
Danish public had begun to view Tivoli as quaint and
old fashioned. There was even talk of relocating the gardens
outside the city and using the prime real estate for
something more modern. However, once the war was over and
it came time to rebuild, people found themselves pining for
the simpler days of the past, and it was decided

(07:46):
to rebuild Tivoli in a manner that was faithful to
the original concept. As a result, the park's architecture, gardens,
and attractions are now a charming mix of nostalgic throwbacks
and conceits. For instance, Tivoley's oldest and most popular ride
is a nineteen fourteen wooden roller coaster, one of just

(08:08):
a handful in the world to feature a live brakeman
on every train. This rickety thrill ride sits right alongside
its newer steel cousins, including a high speed, floorless looping
coaster called the Demon. Tivoley's postwar rebirth attracted a whole
new generation of fans, and one of its most ardent

(08:30):
admirers was none other than Walt Disney. In nineteen fifty one,
he made the pilgrimage to Tivoley Gardens with his good
friend and TV personality Art link Letter. Disney was said
to be fascinated by the happy, mood and inclusive atmosphere
of the park. It was a place where a couple
might go on a romantic date, but it was also

(08:52):
suitable for families, with attractions catered to both children and adults.
The grounds themselves were also immaculate, clean and orderly, with
an efficient team of employees to make sure they stayed
that way. In short, Tivoli had everything that was lacking
from America's cd amusement parks and everything that Walt Disney

(09:13):
hoped to include in his own. According to link Letter,
Disney spent all day taking notes about every aspect of
Tivoli Gardens, from the rides to the food to the
number of trash cans. He returned for several more visits
and seemed to take a particular interest in the mountain
themed Wooden roller coaster that I mentioned earlier. Although never

(09:35):
confirmed is the official inspiration, it bears a striking resemblance
inside and out to the Matterhorn Bob's LED's ride that
was added to Disneyland in nineteen fifty nine, a concept
that Walt pitched himself shortly after the park's opening. The
influence of Tivolly Gardens is all over the original Disneyland,

(09:57):
just as it is in many other modern theme parks,
which just goes to show that in the hyper real
world of theme park design, imitation really is the sincerest
form of flattery. I'm gay, blues gay, and hopefully you
now know a little more about history today than you

(10:19):
did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with the show.
You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at
TDI HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions,
feel free to send them my way by writing to
This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Kasby Bias
for producing the show, and thanks to you for listening.

(10:41):
I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day
in History class.

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