With their promise of secret gardens, open-air food and morning walks, the region’s museums are moving outside and inviting everybody to enjoy the fresh air of the first summer month. Here are four examples of outdoor experiences in Copenhagen and north of Copenhagen where you can combine history, art and architecture with flowers, fresh air and food. The fresco is going al fresco!
Secret Garden
The art museum Gl Holtegaard is currently presenting 12 contemporary artists in its popular outdoor exhibition Secret Garden. Since 2012, young Danish contemporary artists have brought new life to Lauritz de Thurah’s 1757 baroque garden in the form of innovative sculptures and installations. Move around at your own pace and take in the experience of a secret garden that is more than 250 years old. The participating artists are: A Kassen, Lisbeth Bank, Anders Bojen & Kristoffer Ørum, Peter Callesen, Nanna Debois Buhl, Jesper Dalgaard, Anja Franke, HuskMitNavn, Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Mogens Møller, Kasper Sonne and Thomas Øvlisen.
Attemosevej 170, Holte; open Tue-Fri 11:00-16:00, Sat & Sun 11:00-17:00; tickets 60kr
Open air summer kitchen
Sustainability, seasonal goods and local products are the keywords for the kitchen at Esrum Abbey and Millfarm. Here they combine the New Nordic Kitchen with the breeding methods of the Middle Ages, smoking and salting, and old spices from the kitchen garden − spices that were brought to the abbey in 1151 by French monks. Over the summer you can taste the food with friends and family outside under the apple trees, next to what was once one of the most significant Cistercian abbeys in the north.
Esrum Kloster og Møllegård, Klostergade 11-12, Græsted; open Thu (6 June) 18:30-22:00; tickets 198kr
Sunday Morning Walk
Explore the city’s architecture on a Sunday Morning Walk with guides from the Danish Architecture Centre. The tour provides a fascinating insight into the ongoing development along a substantial portion of the waterfront. In addition to the specific impact of new and upcoming buildings and public spaces, the walk also introduces the latest development of Copenhagen Harbour.
Meeting point at the harbour bus stop, Søren Kierkegaards Plads, Cph K; 11:30-13:00 on June 2, June 16, June 30; tickets 75kr; register at www.dac.dk
Visit the blossoming landscapes of historical Denmark
North of Copenhagen you’ll find one of the oldest and largest open air museums in the world, Frilandsmuseet. The museum has just opened for the season. It contains over 50 farms, houses, smallholdings and mills from the period 1650-1940. It also features more than 20 historical gardens, unique landscapes and old Danish breeds of livestock. Take in the scenic views while you breathe in summer’s sweetly scented flowers.
Frilandsmuseet, Kongevejen 11, Lyngby; until 16 June, open Thu-Sun 10:00-16:00 from 17-27 June, open Tue-Thu & Sun 10:00-17:00, Fri & Sat 10:00-19:00; free adm
See Copenhagen on the run
No more than 15 years ago, Copenhagen was still a seaport with polluted water. In fact, you could fall quite ill if you went for a swim. Today you can go swimming in the entire harbour! Put on your headphones, go for a run and hear about the significant change from industrial harbour to a recreational zone.
Download podruns at www.dac.dk
Find out more at http://www.cphmuseums.com/.
