2009 in Denmark

Incumbents

• Monarch: Margrethe II

  Events

January

• 16 January – Somali pirates release the Danish cargo ship CEC Future after receiving a ransom payment.
• 31 January – Niels Brinck wins Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2009.

  February

• 4 February – Intrusion by Russian aircraft into Danish airspace, requiring intervention from Danish fighter jets.
• 5 February – Asylum reopened in Ebeltoft and Grenå.
• 12 February – A Macedonian man is killed in Copenhagen.
• 16 February – China's Navy and Denmark's Navy rescue Italian and Chinese merchant vessels from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

  March

• 27 March – The Faroese singer Linda Andrews wins the second season of X Faktor.

  April

• 3–4 April – At the 21st NATO Summit, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is appointed as the new Secretary General of NATO.
• 8 April – Somali pirates hijack the Danish container ship in the Indian Ocean.

  June

• 7 June – A referendum on changing the Act of Succession is held.
• 13 June – Stein Bagger is sentenced to 7 years in prison for having embezzled 862 million dollars.
• 17 June – Three Danish soldiers are killed in Afghanistan. Denmark has lost a total of 25 soldiers in the War in Afghanistan.
• 21 June – As a step toward total independence from the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland assumes control over its law enforcement, judicial affairs, and natural resources. Greenlandic becomes the official language.

  September

• 2 September – Twenty-two Iraqis, whose asylum requests have been rejected, are on their way out of the country.
• 13 September – In tennis, Kim Clijsters of Belgium defeats Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark to win the women's singles at the US Open.
• 24 September – Nine North Koreans enter Denmark's embassy in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi to seek political asylum.

  October

• 25–29 March – Denmark wins two gold medals in Men's team pursuit and Men's Madison and a silver medal in the Men's points race at the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
• 2 October – The host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics will be announced at the 121st Session of the International Olympic Committee to be held in Copenhagen.
• 20 October – Nine North Koreans who entered the Danish embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month leave for South Korea.
• 29 October – Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says a deal at a UN climate change summit in December is unlikely.

  November

• 15 November – APEC leaders say a deal on global warming will not be possible before next month's United Nations summit in Denmark.

  December

• 7–18 December – The UNFCCC's United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 conference is held in Copenhagen.
• 12 December – Police in Denmark detain 900 people after thousands gather in Copenhagen to demand more action on climate change and global warming by leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
• 15 December – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Danish hosts urge countries on to compromise to salvage agreement on a new U.N. pact aimed at averting dangerous climate change and global warming.
• 16 December – Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen replaces Connie Hedegaard in a "procedural move" as president of the U.N. climate talks, as further clashes take place around the perimeter of the summit.

  The arts

Architecture

• 21 May – The new Fuglsang Art Museum designed by Tony Fretton receives a 2000 RIBA European Award at the Royal Institute of British Architects' annual awards ceremony in London.
• 14 July – 3XN's Saxo Bank HQ receives a 2009 RIBA International Award at another ceremony in London.

  Film

• 21 October – Lars von Trier's film Antichrist receives the 2009 Nordic Council Film Prize.

  Literature

Media

• 1 November – DR launches DR K and DR Ramasjang.
• 23 November – DR series The Protectors wins the Emmy Award for Best Drama Series at the 37th International Emmy Awards.

  Music

• 3 March – Judas Priest performs in Horsens.
• 14 March – Red Warszawa performs in Lyngby.
• 10 June – Premiere performance of Frederik Magle's symphonic suite Cantabile in Koncerthuset, Copenhagen.
• 20–27 July – Metallica performs four concerts in Forum, Copenhagen.
• 11 August – Madonna performs in Parken Stadium.

  Sports

Badminton

• February – Denmark wins gold at the European Mixed Team Badminton Championships after defeating England in the final.

  Football

• 21 May – FC Copenhagen wins the 2008–09 Danish Cup by defeating AAB 1–0 in the final.
• 6 June – Denmark defeats Sweden 1–0 away in Group 1 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
• 5 September – Denmark draws with Portugal in Group 1 of the World Cup qualification.
• 10 October – Denmark achieves another 1–0 victory over Sweden, this time on home ground, in Group 1 of the World Cup qualification and is now sure of winning Group 1 and thus qualifying directly for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

  Handball

• 1 February – Denmark comes in fourth place in the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship after being defeated by Poland in the bronze match.

  Other

• 11 January – In golf, Anders Hansen wins the Joburg Open on the 2009 European Tour.
• 29 March – Søren Kjeldsen wins the Open de Andalucia on the 2009 European Tour and becomes Golfer of the Month.
• 7 June – Golfer Jeppe Huldahl wins the Wales Open on the 2009 European Tour.
• 16 July – In cycling, Nicki Sørensen wins the 12th stage in the 2009 Tour de France.
• 20 September – Michael Maze wins gold in men's singles at the 2009 Table Tennis European Championship after defeating Werner Schlager of Austria.
• 21–27 September – World Cup's Wrestling Championship 2009 takes place in Herning.
• 10–13 December – Denmark wins 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 8 bronze medals at the 2009 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

  Births

• 4 May – Prince Henrik

  Deaths

• 1 January – Gert Petersen, politician
• 2 January – Inger Christensen, poet
• 21 January – Finn Kobberø, badminton player
• 24 January – Palle Jacobsen, ballet dancer
• 13 February – Lis Hartel, equestrian athlete
• 22 February – Erik Haunstrup Clemmensen, politician
• 3 March – Flemming Flint, ballet dancer and choreographer
• 24 March – Ebbe Lundgaard, politician
• 11 April – Gerda Gilboe, actress and singer
• 8 June – Aage Rou Jensen, footballer
• 10 June – Helle Virkner, actress and Danish First Lady
• 4 August – Svend Auken, politician
• 8 September – Aage Bohr, nuclear physicist and Nobel Prize laureate
• 19 September – Willy Breinholst, writer
• 7 October – Poul Anker Bech, painter
• 26 November – Lis Løwert, actress
• 27 December – Arne Vodder, furniture designer