Medieval shipwreck found off Copenhagen, New Year’s Eve weather, Christmas break-ins up and more news from Denmark this Monday.
What will New Year’s Eve weather be like?
This New Year’s Eve is set to be a windy affair with people in West Jutland in particular likely to find it tricky to light fireworks amid the prevailing blustery conditions.
Meteorological office DMI is forecasting some rain in the west of the country in the early hours of 2026, while the rest of Denmark is likely to be dry and windy.
“People in West Jutland will probably have to put up with wet firelighters, but the rest of the country will easily be able to go out and enjoy themselves. However, they should still be careful, because it will be windy,” DMI’s meteorologist Klaus Larsen told news wire Ritzau.
The week leading up to New Year begins today with dry and partly sunny weather. Temperatures could peak at 7 degrees Celsius.
600-year-old shipwreck found off Copenhagen
A quite remarkable discovery in the form of a medieval shipwreck has been made off the coast of Copenhagen, the Roskilde-based Viking Ship Museum has announced in a press release.
The 28-metre long, 9-metre wide cog – a medieval merchant vessel – was built in 1410 according to investigations of the wreck, which was found 13 metres under the water between Amager and Saltholm during current construction work on the Lynetteholm project, which involves reclaiming land from the sea.
The ship could transport a cargo of up to 300 tonnes and its discovery was described as a milestone by excavation leader Otto Uldum.
“It’s the biggest known cog, which gives us a unique opportunity to understand its construction and life on board the biggest Medieval trade ship,” he said in the press release.
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Number of Christmas break-ins up for second consecutive year
The number of break-ins reported to police over the Christmas period has exceeded 1,000 and increased for the second consecutive year, according to National Police figures released on Sunday.
The data covers the period from December 12th until January 4th, so this year’s set is not completed, but it had reached 1,008 break-ins by December 27th.
That compares to 830 by the same date last year and 796 in 2023.
Carsten Hvass-Nielsen, head of claims at the insurance company Tryg, suggested the apparent increase in incidences this year could be related to the Christmas holidays falling on weekdays, and people therefore being away from their homes for longer.
“It very much comes down to how the public holidays fall, how many days off people have, and how long they are away from their homes. Burglars are observant and prefer to work undisturbed,” Hvass-Nielsen told Ritzau.
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A quarter of Danes likely to exchange Christmas presents
The national phenomenon of exchanging Christmas presents is likely to begin in earnest today with many stores reopening after Christmas.
A Danish Chamber of Commerce estimate predicts that one in four people will exchange at least one of their Christmas presents. The value of the exchanges could reach 600 million kroner.
Clothes are the most likely type of present to be taken back to the shops, followed by home accessories, electronics, shoes and cosmetics.
“We don’t ask about the colour, size or particular item, but we can see that 39 percent have said [in a past survey, ed.] that they will be exchanging clothes],” head of department Bo Dalsgaard at the Chamber of Commerce told Ritzau.