The Copenhagen Denmark Temple is celebrating its 15th anniversary since its dedication.
Originally dedicated as a meetinghouse on June 14, 1931, the building was later converted into a temple and was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on May 23, 2004. Its unique architecture includes a front porch and four large pillars in the front reminiscent of Solomon’s Temple in the Bible.
Similar to the Provo City Center Temple and the Vernal Utah Temple, the building was extensively renovated for temple work.
In the dedicatory prayer, President Gordon B. Hinckley expressed gratitude for those early converts in the Church who emigrated to Zion. He also asked Heavenly Father to watch over the Scandinavian people who would be blessed by the presence of the temple.
"Now Thy people are urged to remain and build Zion in this good land," he said. "That they might have every blessing, and that they might extend these blessings to those beyond the veil of death, this beautiful temple has been constructed in their midst."
According to a Church News article covering the event, some 3,400 Latter-day Saints were in attendance across the four dedicatory sessions on May 23, 2004. They gathered from Denmark, Iceland and parts of Sweden to witness the momentous occasion in the Lord’s work in Scandinavia.
Latter-day Saint missionaries first landed in Copenhagen in 1850. The building of the temple was a symbol of the strength and growth of the Church in the area since its early beginnings.
Currently, the temple serves stakes in Aarhus and Copenhagen, Denmark; Goteborg and Malmo, Sweden; and Iceland District.
