Copenhagen’s Round Tower includes time capsule in restored copper roof

A newly restored copper roof on Copenhagen’s 17th-century Round Tower will contain a time capsule with messages and artefacts for future generations, the tower’s operators announced in a video shared on Facebook.

The capsule, a copper envelope mounted on the roof’s wooden base, holds two newspaper front pages from Børsen and Berlingske—both dated to the day Denmark’s most recent parliamentary election was called. It also contains restoration documents listing contractors and advisors, grocery receipts, and a newly minted 20-krone coin featuring King Frederik X.

“We thought it would be interesting to include them,” said master tinsmith Jens Wolf in the video, referring to the election-day papers. The capsule will be sealed beneath the roof’s copper cladding as part of ongoing repairs.

The Round Tower (Rundetårn), built under King Christian IV in the 1600s as an astronomical observatory, has been undergoing restoration since January, when its dome was lowered for refurbishment. Work includes repainting the observatory’s telescope and replacing its lens. The project is expected to finish by late summer or autumn, with the observatory reopening to visitors in the fall.

Restoration is being carried out in a workshop set up beside the tower. The cultural institution Rundetaarn, which manages the site, has not disclosed when the time capsule is intended to be rediscovered.