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Buildings you probably didn’t know existed in Copenhagen

Discover the city's different and odd buildings

Get to know some cool buildings with a breathtaking background

Some visit Copenhagen just to be inspired by outstanding architecture. And the most famous buildings are easy to find, but there should probably be more unknown buildings that still shine a little? So I found a number of them that caught my interest, and just had to find out more. Read on.

Osram House

This is the former headquarters of the Osram company. It was one of the first buildings to be built using the shock concrete method. Shock concrete is a way to remove water to make it even stronger. The architect saw endless possibilities for spectacular buildings using this new technique, but wanted to work more restrictively. Built in 1952-53.
Valhalsgade 4

The Osram company is famous for it´s light bulbs

Linoleum House

This quite anonymous house was built in 1931and Its name comes from the resemblance to the linoleum flooring of the time. However the architect´s inspiration was found in the venetian style.
Åboulevard 84-86

Made with the most common brick colors in Denmark, red and yellow

The Balloon Hangar

Away by Islands Brygge you will find this strange building with a very large gate. Nowdays it is used as a riding hall, but was built by the military back in 1917 to store large balloons.
Artillerivej 73

Large doors reveal its history

Zeppelinerhallen

This building originally comes from Germany. Because after WW1 restrictions were imposed on arms production and the hall was dismantled and sent to Denmark. To sum up, the facade has been changed to better suit the requirements of today and now it looks more like a modern building.
Islands Brygge 55

Here in Copenhagen the hall was first used as a machine shop

Culture Tower on Knippels Bridge

The tower is a unique building and also a culture cafe unknown to many. In fact, here in the tower you can have your coffee, eat healthy food, see exhibitions and listen to a lecture. Live music also occurs. All with a spectacular 360 view of the canal. The tower was built in 1937 and has never before been regularly open to the public. Get updated info at their website.
Knippelsbro 2

The tower is anonymous on the outside but on the inside the culture is sprouting

Onkel Toms Hytte

This is a rather strange house. In short, it has been moved a few times, and its unique shape, only 3 meters wide allowed it to sway in strong winds!
Also Some rumor claims that the house was on the grounds of the Tivoli in 1905 for a colonial exhibition. Moreover, in the house two children from the Danish West Indies were kept for public viewing. Here you can read about one of the children’s fates.
Bjerregårdsvej 15

Note the dragon heads on the roof of this building

The round houseboat at Kalvebod Brygge

A beautiful example of a spectacular house on water. And its exclusive location among modern buildings makes it even more interesting.
Kalvebod Brygge

Just walk along the canal and you will soon see this floating luuxury house

The Yellow Palace

This is far more than just a another yellow palace. In fact, it is financed by the slave trade. The palace was built in 1764-67 by the slave trader Frederik Bargum. And like the other colonial powers, he bought slaves from the Africa inland and shipped them to the West Indies, where they were sold to the sugar plantations on all the Caribbean islands.
Amaliegade 18

More buildings in the city have been financed by the slave trade

The floating church

In Sydhavn there is a rather unusual houseboat. Actually it is a church anchored in the canal. And churchgoers have to walk across the gangway when mass is called. So we have to hope there aren’t too big waves that day.
By the way, You can learn more about Sydhavn here.
Abel Nobels Bro, Sydhavn

In the background the highest church towers seem to be the chimneys at H.C. Ørstedsværket

The house with a tree through the roof

Over at christiania there is this strange house. So aware of the tree’s inner power has probably led the homeowner to let it live on in harmony with man.
Christiania, the path along the water, south side, near Øresundsmiljøskolen

We will certainly see more of this in the future

Østre Gasværk Teater

Formerly just Gasværket, a Danish theater housed in the closed Gasværk on Østerbro in Copenhagen. The theater hall is located in the round brick shell, which housed the old gas tank until 1979, and is one of Copenhagen’s most magnificent theater rooms.
Nyborggade 17

A former gas holder that has become a theater

Konsistoriehuset

This house is one of the oldest preserved buildings in Copenhagen – perhaps even the oldest. In fact, it is dated back to around 1420. The Konsistoriehuset escaped unscathed through both the Copenhagen fire in 1728 and the English bombardment in 1807. Nowadays, the building is used as a meeting room for the board of the University of Copenhagen.
To see the house you have to go through the big gate at Frue Plads. The gate is open on weekdays.
University of Copenhagen, Frue Plads

konsistoriehuset
Probably the oldest house in Copenhagen

The petrol station in Skovshoved

At Skodshoved Harbor north of Copenhagen there is a unique petrol station. In fact, It was built in 1936 in the Funkis style according to drawings by Arne Jacobsen.
It still serves its purpose with petrol sales, but inside the building ice cream and burgers are served. The station was renovated back in 2002.
Kystvejen 24

The ceiling can be traced to Jacobsen’s famous chairs

The buildings with the unusual chimneys

Just outside Copenhagen you will find an abandoned airbase. Scattered in nature just close to the runway, you can’t miss several strange, massive concrete buildings with really odd chimneys. Indeed, they are actually hangars for storing F-16 warplanes. And still the buildings are in very good condition.
You can get here via S-train from the city (Måløv Station).
Værløse Air Base, Sandet 91

Bring a bike because this area is quite large

The red house

Artist Thomas Dambo (also known for his large wooden trolls) and a number of volunteers created this house together in a few days. It is made entirely of recycled material from the nearby recycling station.
The house can be used freely and there is both a barbecue area and a pizza oven available.
Borgervænget Genbrugsstation

Around the house there are more interesting details

The smallest house in Copenhagen

This is said to be Copenhagen’s smallest house. And strangely enough, there is actually nothing more exciting than that to tell about it. Because usually when it comes to older buildings, there is usually some interesting anecdote or maybe a celebrity who lived here back in the day, but no, not in this little yellow house.
Sølvgade 32

Unfortunately the scaffolding hides most of the house, but new pictures will be forthcoming

Metropol Building

The Metropol building is a rare example of Art Nouveau in Copenhagen. The building was formerly a cinema but ceased as such in 1980.
Fredriksberggade 16 (Strøget)

Massive columns and large windows characterize Art Nouveau

H/F Frederikshøj

An interesting area where small simple houses are really close together and their design breathes creativity and personal freedom. You navigate around the area thanks to a number of footpaths. The green well-grown hedges along the plot boundaries mean that the view to the houses is somewhat limited.
So take a bike ride out here and walk around and enjoy the tranquility and the alternative way of living.
Frederikshøj (just close to Sydhavn)

There are plenty of imaginative windows here…

Carlsberg Lighthouse

In 1882, J.C. Jacobsen’s brewery Carlsberg got electric light, which happened at a time when it was not yet widespread in Copenhagen. As the brewery was located at the top of the high Valby Bakke, it was decided to combine the guard building with a real lighthouse. And it still stands here, despite the fact that the surrounding buildings are in many cases significantly higher. Today, an international art gallery is housed in the premises.

The old lighthouse is an interesting feature among new buildings

Løvenborg

Copenhagens probably most interesting house built in Art Nouveau style. The large windows facing the street were built, for the first time in Denmark, with the so-called curtain wall technology, where glass and window frames make up the load-bearing part. The country’s first elevator was also in the building.
Also, In 2003, it was awarded the “European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage”.
Vesterbrogade 34

The name Løvenborg comes from an earlier tavern that used to be here

The Glyptotheque on New Carlsberg

Most of us who visit Copenhagen find our way to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
But the first Glyptotek was in a completely different place in the city. Yes, actually in a private villa where the brewery’s founder J.C. Jacobsen lived.
Valby Langgade 1

Today, the building is not open to the public and can only be viewed through the gates

Nyborggade transformerstation

A transformer station from 1960. And this particular one is unique given that the materials used are significantly cheaper than most others. And precisely in the 60s, the prices for materials increased significantly, so it was with great curiosity that the architect here took on the task.
I still think it feels really exciting even though many years have passed.
Nyborggade 13

The architect’s name is Hans Christian Hansen (1901-1978)

The house on the roof

I caught sight of this house just recently. And the fact that I haven’t seen it before is probably due to its location. And it’s not very big either, only 60 square meters in total. However the view from that height must be just outstanding.
The corner of Gl. Kongevej and Tullinsgade

You have to look high in the sky to see this odd house

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Specialty shops not to miss when in Copenhagen

Nordhavn