Who says you can’t climb a stairway to heaven? One of the first things Mike and I did after we arrived in Copenhagen was climb the stairs of the incredible Vor Frelsers Kirke.

First things first, “kirke” is the word for “church” in Danish and Vor Frelsers Kirke in English means “Our Savior’s Church.”  Many of the Copenhagen city maps have the tourist spots in Danish (which is only natural) and if you go looking for Our Saviors Church, you are not going to find it on the map in English. However, if you are anywhere in or near the Christianshavn neighborhood, all you need to do is look up at the massive black and gold spire and you will find the majestic Vor Frelsers Kirke.

The spire has something magical about it that draws you in with its golden spiral staircase and the large gold globe at the top of it.

It has a magnificent presence towering over the streets of Christianshavn.

According to the church’s website, the red brick facade of the church was built in 1680 in the baroque style and consecrated in 1696.  The tower wasn’t consecrated until 1752 and it’s imposing presence stands over 300 feet (95 meters) high.  The wooden steps leading up to it are a little shaky and worn and lend to the excitement as you climb the 400 steps to the top.

The last 150 steps are outside and wind around the tower. The day we went there was ice on quite a few of them, so they were a little slippery, thus with the wind made the climb even more scary.  Here are the different views of the city that you are able to see as you ascended:

This is not a climb for the faint of heart, but it is so worth it if you are able to muster up the courage and energy to attempt it.  I did see some older people (older than me, that is!) climbing the stairs, so if you visit right before the church closes like we did and have the stairs pretty much to yourself, you could probably take your time to get to the top.  It was one of my favorite things that I did in Copenhagen, so I highly recommend you get over your fear and go for it if you can.

Along the way up the countless steps there were some interesting sights to say the least to keep you occupied.

First,  a few jailed stone cherubs. This fellow was about five feet tall, so he was pretty impressive:

An incredible mess of gears with a Ferdinand the IV emblem on it.  I’m not sure what this was for (perhaps for the clock on the bell tower?), but it was very interesting:

A fluorescent array of teacups were also seen on the way up on a large shell-type display.  Either that or somebody had a wild tea party the night before and left their dishes:

Before you enter the outside steps there is a large carillon, which is musical instrument consisting of a number of bronze bells, housed in the tower.  We heard the bells chiming as we ascended and it was quite eery.

I found this church extremely inspiring thus I dedicated the whole post to it. I didn’t even see the incredible organ inside because the building was closing so we had to rush to the top then leave.

The photo below is Mike and I at the top of the tower with the incredible view of Copenhagen below us. If you visit Copenhagen, climb your way up to the top and be inspired.