Psst … wanna buy a lake?

City Council puts an entire lake on the block, but don’t start planning that dreamhouse just yet

The City Council wants to sell the almost 280,000 square metre Gentofte Lake to the highest bidder. The council wants to save the 10,000 kroner it spends each year maintaining the lake, which was at one time Copenhagen’s main water supply. The lake has not functioned in that, or any other official capacity, for the city since 1859.

“It is a pure cost for us on a property that we have nothing to do with," Lasse Kvist Johansen, a consultant at the centre for urban development in Copenhagen, told Lokalavisen.

The most obvious buyer for the lake is Gentofte Council, but negotiations between authorities in Gentofte and Copenhagen have been stalled for years. The two sides disagree on the drainage expenses charged by energy company Københavns Energi. Gentofte officials have said that the water treatment costs may be too high.

“I honestly am not sure what Gentofte is afraid of,” said Kvist. “It is my understanding that they will not pay more in drainage fees than they do now, but they seem to want to be able to discharge the water from Gentofte Lake free of charge, and we cannot give them that.”

Any potential buyers should give up their dreams of a cosy lakefront cottage, however. Even though a couple of nice islands on the lake are included in the deal, the entire area is protected and any sort of building is prohibited. According to the City Council's website, the property is worth about 420,000 kroner.




  • Greenland, Danish life science, and the future of US-Danish relations

    Greenland, Danish life science, and the future of US-Danish relations

    The US is the biggest market for the Danish life science industry, the country’s currently most important. Despite the situation, Denmark is not alone. There is also room for compromise, and promises of such jobs and additional investments are likely to at least reduce the tensions in US-Danish trade relations.

  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.