The hills, the plains, the Hermitage Hunting Lodge and more than 2,000 deer give the Deer Park a grandiose character that is not found anywhere else in Denmark.
For more than a century, the easy access combined with the great natural experiences has made the Deer Park Denmark's most visited and loved wood. There is a direct relationship between the 19th century - when the annual picnic to the Deer Park was the most important event of the year for many Copenhagen families - to our time when seven million people visit the park every year.
The park of the middle classes
The Deer Park, as it looks today, is the result of the efforts of Rudolph Rothe, the first Royal Garden Inspector, to transform the area from forestry and hunting grounds to a park for modern citizens.
In 1843 it was decided that the Deer Park should no longer be used for forestry, but be treated as a "recreational forest". The idea was now primarily to preserve and strengthen the picturesque beauty of the area. The trees were left to become ancient, fall down and go through a natural rotting process.
The epitome of idyll
Since then, with its oaks, deer and small lakes, the Deer Park has represented a picture of Denmark which is seen by many as the essence of what is genuinely Danish, and the park has been portrayed by numerous painters and poets over the years.
In addition, the woods surrounding the Deer Park have given rise to the development of some of the country's most attractive residential areas - with regard to both architectural and landscape qualities. In particular, Arne Jacobsen's buildings from the 1930s and 1940s have helped to create a special area reflecting a Denmark that was heading for a new, light, modern and more liberal era.
Jeppe Villadsen is a freelance journalist and editor of the magazine KBH.
Jaegersborg Deer Park (Dyrehaven), Photo: Simon Ladefoged