A toilet that was likely used by Hans Christian Anderssen.
The 17th-century observatory (link rundetaarn) in central Copenhagen was a state-of-the-art facility when it was completed in 1642, and it remained so until the 19th century. Part of this modernity was the comfort of two toilets in the building, one at the level of the library and one higher at the level of the observatory.
These toilets were nothing special compared to the standard of today, as they were simply wooden platforms with a hole in the middle that led down to the bottom of the tower, into the empty column that was used as the geodesic midpoint of the country (link) for a long time. The fact that it was not completely hygenic can be gleamed from the smoke marks on the walls and ceiling above the toilet, which indicates that it was common for people to sit on it while smoking, most likely to mask the smell.
On top of that, there was no easy access to the cesspit below, which at some point led to a complete abandonment of cleaning. In fact, it is said that in 1865 it was discovered that the last time the toilets were emptied was at the beginning of the century some 50-60 years ago!
Another deep cleaning was performed in 1921, but this time with an archeological undertone, as 9 loads of dung were extracted from the building and searched for historical items.
Today the toilets are no longer in use and only open for historical reasons. You can enter the room and even look down the shaft, but a plastic sheet will prevent you from using it (hopefully). Fortunately, there is a proper modern toilet in the library wing.
The toilet has been used by many famous people, but perhaps the most famous user is Hans Christian Andersen, who was known to visit the library very often as a child.
Know Before You Go
The toilet is accessible with a ticket to the rundetaarn.
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