Grant: CBS re­search­ers will turn the streets of Copen­ha­gen into a story of the his­tory of Dan­ish cap­it­al­ism

Copenhagen is filled with traces of the economic history that has shaped Denmark. They are hidden in warehouses and mansions, along waterfronts and public squares, in banks, stock exchange buildings and the former trading companies. Most people pass by without realising the stories they hold,

but a group of researchers from the Centre for Business History at CBS aims to change that. Thanks to a grant of DKK 140,000 from the Carlsberg Foundation Memorial Grant, they will develop a free audio walk that adapts to the route the audience takes, bringing 400 years of business history into the streets of Copenhagen.

“Business history is about much more than companies. It is about how trade, finance and entrepreneurship have helped shape the society we live in. That is why I believe our research should reach the public rather than circulate only in books, science journals and classrooms,” says Anders Ravn Sørensen, Associate Professor of Business History at CBS and one of the researchers behind the project.

A walk through 400 years of business history

The project has been developed by researchers at the Centre for Business History in the Department of Business Humanities and Law at CBS and builds on decades of research into Danish and international business history.

The walk is expected to begin at Asiatisk Plads in Copenhagen, where the Danish Asiatic Company had its headquarters in the 18th century.  From there, the route passes the Old Stock Exchange, Christianshavn, Kongens Nytorv, the Inner Harbour and Amalienborg Castle before ending at the waterfront.

Instead of reading about the Old Stock Exchange or the Danish Asiatic Company, participants can stand in front of the buildings as the stories unfold. The city itself becomes part of the research dissemination, connecting history to the places where companies made decisions, built fortunes, took risks and left their mark on Denmark.

“Learning often happens through activity and movement. We remember and understand things differently when we experience them in the places where history actually unfolded,” says Anders Ravn Sørensen and adds:

“It is one thing to hear about the Old Stock Exchange or the West-Indian Warehouse in an auditorium; it is quite another to stand in front of the buildings and see how they continue to shape the city today. I am inspired by the idea that walking in itself can be a form of learning, where the location becomes an active part of the story. In that way, history is not simply something you are told about – it is something you experience,” says Anders Ravn Sørensen.

CBS research for a wider audience

The audio walk will be produced in both Danish and English and made available free of charge on the international platform VoiceMap, which means it will not only be available to students and Copenhagen residents but also to international visitors looking for a different perspective on the city than the familiar stories of kings, palaces and architecture and instead bring the Copenhagen of business, trade and capital to life.

For Anders Ravn Sørensen, the ambition is that the audience will not only learn about the past but also see the present in a new light.

“I hope they take away an understanding that Danish capitalism, which is often discussed in abstract terms, is also a social and political story that has shaped our path towards prosperity, democracy and global engagement, for better and for worse.”

“When you see the city through this lens, you begin to recognise the historical developments that laid the foundations for the Denmark we know today.”