Summer in Denmark | Aug 10-16

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

SUMMER IN DENMARK

Happy go wealthy Hellerup Museums for men

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Neighbourhood safari | Hellerup

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

Local lifestyles of the rich and famous Home to the upper crust, this tony area on the outskirts of Copenhagen offers much more than pricey property

By Elise Beacom

H

ELLERUP is where the other half lives. This well-to-do district north of central Copenhagen is a playground for the wealthy. The terrace houses are spacious, and there is likely to be one (or two) of the latest, hottest, fastest cars in each driveway. The area’s famous boulevard, Strandvejen, which translates as ‘the beach road’, is a picturesque thoroughfare that runs alongside Hellerup beach, a popular spot for sun-worshippers. Strandvejen was once home to the department stores Magasin du Nord and Illum, and it is still renowned for the quality retailers located there. Off the main drag, the tree-lined streets are swimming with diplomats, foreign embassies and international schools. Heading south towards Østerbro, a giant beer-bottle relic from the old Tuborg factory stands 26 metres tall. The brewer’s former site has now been transformed into a flashy and exclusive residential and business area, with a reconstructed marina at its core. Such development is representative of Hellerup as a district – the neighbourhood was established during the second half of the 1800s, making it relatively new compared with others around Copenhagen. Before that period, the area was comprised of country houses and farms. Hellerup even owes its name to a farm, but nowadays, that is probably the only connection this neighbourhood has to peasant life.

Hellerup

Nørrebro

Østerbro

Frederiksberg Christianshavn Vesterbro

DO

AFTER DARK

Keep the kids entertained with a day at the beach – Hellerup beach is well-equipped for the little ones due to ample sand and shallow water. And when they are done splashing around, there’s a big playground for them to explore. Hellerup Strandpark marina is open to visiting sailboats and yachts, with tennis courts located just around the corner. The Royal Danish Yacht Club calls Tuborg Havnepark home, and it has an impressive architectural clubhouse. Away from the sea, Ryvangen Memorial Park (Mindelunden) commemorates the Danish freedom fighters killed here or in concentration camps during the Second World War. At the park on Tuborgvej, you can see a memorial, the tombs of camp victims and a firing range that the Germans used for executions. For lessons in science, the Experimentarium on Tuborg Havnevej has interesting themed exhibitions along with plenty of science and technology-related activities.

OUR PICK!

SHOP

Not all of the options for eating out in Hellerup are out of reach price-wise; there is a good range of restaurants to suit different budgets. Club Royal Brasserie at Tuborg Havnepark, located in an impressive building that overlooks the water, serves modern Danish fare. For Mediterranean cuisine, the Italian restaurant 2900 La Rocca is a comfortable family-friendly venue – and on warmer days, diners can sit outside. There are a number of sushi places along Strandvejen – Yami Sushi offers all-you-can-eat, or if you feel like something heartier, Mexican is on the table at Taco El Paso. La Locanda on Sankt Pedersvej has yummy pizzas, and for something more upmarket, Saison is the place. The servings are gorgeous but small, with the idea that each guest orders about three dishes. Do you scream for ice cream? Pick up a delicious frozen treat at the renowned Lydolph’s Isbar or the ice-cream chain Paradis.

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OUR PICK!

Experimentarium. Get antsy with creepy-crawlies or watch a brain dissection at this fascinating science centre (Tuborg Havnevej 7).

EAT

OUR PICK!

While this quiet and exclusive residential area isn’t the place to party until the sun comes up, there are some local bars that will help quench your thirst. Bar and restaurant Vaertshuset Sankt Peder doesn’t appear to have changed at all since it first opened in 1972, and it offers live music on Thursday nights.

Another dive pub is Svane Pub on Strandvejen, where the philosophy is “never drink beer on an empty stomach – always have a beer first”. Café og Restaurant Apoteket has some micro-brewed Danish beers on its menu and is also a good spot for a drop of wine. The venue, which was once an old pharmacy, also hosts occasional jazz evenings. For a highflyer beach atmosphere and summery cocktails, head south to Ocean Club, located on the waterfront at Sundkrogskaj.

Though this club is officially over the border into Østerbro, its character is quintessentially Hellerup.

Saison. Yes, it’s pricey, but splash out for a special occasion with its beautifully presented New Nordic food (Strandvejen 203).

In such a wealthy area, it comes as no surprise that many of the boutiques stock high-end labels. For the crème-de-lacrème fashion brands, try Waterfront Shopping Centre at the former Tuborg Harbour. This recently built 8,000 sq m complex mostly caters to brand-slaves, with some unique items in the mix. Designers Network on Strandvejen provides a solid platform for upcoming fashion designers. For shoppers with a sweet tooth, Peter Beier Chokolade has beautifully crafted truffles. Combat any post-chocolate pimples with some moisturiser from Ego:Eco on Strandvejen. Its skincare products don’t contain any nasty chemicals – and your skin and hair will be all the better for it. If your apartment needs to be spruced up, 1000 Chairs on Callisensvej has a beautiful showroom of – you guessed it – chairs. Staying with the theme of furnishings, you can pick up some pre-loved items at the Gentofte flea market. It’s on every Sunday, and you never know – someone’s trash might very well be your treasure.

OUR PICK!

Peter Beier Chokolade. You can almost taste the love and care used to create these divine chocolates (Strandvejen 149).

Ocean Club. Any place that has an espresso martini on the menu is just fine by us (Sundkrogskaj 17).

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

Kulturklik.dk – Your click to museums & experiences.

Enjoy summer at Copenhagen area museums.

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foto: Jens Frederiksen · layout: annafalcono · 2012

24 JUNE - 21 OCTOBER 2012

Sunday to Friday from 12 to 16 (unless there are religious ceremonies) Domkirkens Museum · Københavns Domkirke · Vor Frue Kirke Nørregade 8 · 1165 København K www.domkirken.dk

VISIT DANISH PALACES AND GARDENS

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Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

Your click to Copenhagen-area museums & experiences

where I experience art

Photo: Anne Mie Dreves

Masculine museums

My museum

You’ll find murder, motors and all sorts of machines at these museums with muscle

By Jacob Skaaning

L

ISTEN UP, MEN! The following list of museums is for you. See Denmark’s first motorcycle or a diesel motor as big as a building. Experience the great outdoors and meet the people behind Denmark’s resistance during the Second World War. Road hogs and hoovers The first item on the list is the Nimbus motorcycle at Designmusuem Denmark. The country’s first and only mass-produced motorcycle first hit the roads in 1919, and it came to be known as the ‘Stovepipe’ due to the shape of its frame. A large tax increase and the economic crisis after the First World War forced production to end in 1928, but a new model – the Model C, nicknamed the ‘Bumblebee’ for the buzzing sound it made – began rolling off the assembly line in 1932. While you’re at the Designmusuem Denmark, you can also catch a glimpse of the Nimbus’s cousin – the iconic Nilfisk hoover. Both were produced at the same factory.

Feel the vibrations Looking for a powerful experience? Drop by Diesel House at the H. C. Ørsted power plant. Here, you’ll find a diesel engine that dwarfs even the biggest monster truck. Standing three storeys tall and weighing as much as 400 African elephants, you’ll think it’s going to shake the building apart when its eight cylinders roar to life – especially if you happen to be standing next to it. The engine was first used in 1933, and it was the world’s largest engine for 30 years. Although now a museum piece, it is still fired up on the first and third Sundays of each

Rasmus Jarlov, 35, city councillor month at 11:00. If you’re interested in an even older engine, visit Diesel House Thursdays at 14:00 and watch as the first diesel engine roars to life – it was made by ship builder B&W and dates from 1908.

Bullet holes and resistance Anyone interested in the Second World War will appreciate a trip to the Museum of the Danish Resistance. Detailing the Danes’ fight against their Nazi occupiers between 1940 and 1945, the museum features pistols, cars, uniforms and other items used by members of the resistance. These freedom fighters tell their own stories in recordings placed around the museum. One of the more curious pieces on display is the overcoat of a resistance fighter known as KK. Told to meet someone outside of Copenhagen’s Vesterport Station, the 18-year-old KK suddenly found himself with a pistol in his back and orders to cross the street to the Nazi headquarters. While doing so, he distracted his Gestapo captor by shouting, “Car! Watch out!” and shot the man through his coat with the pistol he had in his pocket. Wounded, the German managed to shoot back, but only grazed KK’s coat.

The call of the wild Men and boys of all ages can get back to nature at the Hunting and Forestry Museum. Use all your senses and raw energy to work your muscles as you participate in activities like pole climbing, log sawing or archery. When you’ve worked up a man-sized hunger, head over to the museum’s café, where recipes from yesteryear are served.

“

I find it hard to imagine culture without museums. One of the best is Lejre’s Land of Legends. It has taught me tons about where we come from – it really got me thinking about the way our ancestors lived and the way life was at that time. I especially enjoy being able to take friends from abroad there and expose them to Danish history. If it were up to me, we’d have a living museum dedicated to Copenhagen’s past. When I was a kid, I thought the National Museum was boring, but now I think it’s one of the best of the many national museums I’ve been to.

“It’s important to understand where we come from. What’s our history? Where do we come from? What came before us? It’s important that we can go places to experience art and culture. People are different, so they experience things differently. People experience culture in their own individual way, and that’s why it’s so great that we have so many different places. Culture needs to be felt, lived and experienced, but I’m also a sucker for good traditional art exhibits, as long as they are done right and well-narrated.

“As a guide at Christiansborg, I’ve got a lot of insider tips. I would definitely recommend visiting the ruins in the basement, where you can see some of Copenhagen’s oldest history. The Danish constitution is something I’m looking forward to showing my children. Beyond just being a beautiful document, our constitution represents some of the fundamental ideas that make up our society. I also like Brønshøj Museum because it tells the story of how people used to live in my neighbourhood. I always find it fascinating to learn how things used to be, and to learn more about the area.”

By Marie Louise Tüxen

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Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

Your click to Copenhagen-area museums & experiences

For Families

Events • GUIDED TOURS AT THE DANISH JEWISH MUSEUM Get the inside story behind Daniel Libeskind’s design for the museum housing 400 years of Jewish history in Denmark. The tour offers highlights from the museum’s permanent collection, ‘Space and Spaciousness’. Tours available Fri Aug 10, Sun Aug 12 and Wed Aug 15 at 14:00.

Danish Jewish Museum

CREEPY-CRAWLY – YOU’RE NEVER ALONE! You may not normally get the willies – but then again, you’ve never seen a dust mite or a flea blown up larger than life! This exhibit introduces you to all the life you never notice, even though it’s all around you, on you – and even in you. The exhibit is full of surprises about things from your everyday life.

Focus on the familiar, but learn something new.

Experimentarium Tuborg Havnevej 7

Proviantspassagen 6

Hellerup

Copenhagen K

experimentarium.dk

jewmus.dk

HUNTING AND FORESTRY MUSEUM If you’re interested in learning about the connection between humans and nature, the best way to do it is by using all your senses. At the Hunting and Forestry Museum, you are allowed to touch many of the items on display and experience for yourself the difference between fox and badger fur, rabbit and deer feet or seal and deer teeth.

INSIDE THE STAMP Welcome to the play centre ‘Inside the stamp’, where you can learn while playing. Here, there are no texts to read or objects that can break – just lots of fun activities. The Post & Tele Museum presents the biggest stamp album in Denmark, and invites you into a three-dimensional world where the stamp images have become enormous. And they have moved into reality so that you can climb the trees, swim in the sea or move into town.

Hunting and Fishing Museum

Post & Tele Museum

Folehavevej 15-17

Købmagergade 37

Hørsholm

Copenhagen K

jagtskov.dk

ptt-museum.dk

Exhibitions John R. Johnsen

• ARCTIC COLLECTIONS – INUIT, INGENUITY, RESILIENCE AND RICHES Take a guided tour through the collection of Eskimo items. Hear about explorer Knud Rasmussen, and get a glimpse into the unique but now disappearing hunting culture of Greenland and Alaska. Please sign up at the Information Desk to attend. Guided tour: Tues Aug 14 at 11:00.

The National Museum

– Dance in the mirror Danish dance photographer John R. Johnsen is internationally recognised for the sensuous dance photographs he has taken over the past five decades. A significant part of his immense collection of ballet and moderndance photographs can be seen in this retrospective exhibition. It depicts an enchanting universe, spanning from Bournonville ballerinas in tulle skirts to the New York City Ballet’s dancers in Tshirts and leotards.

Copenhagen K natmus.dk

known for creating powerful images with unfailingly keen insight into the beauty of colour and line. This exhibit presents the systematic method Matisse utilised in his work through repetition. He repeatedly returned to subjects he had previously addressed, testing their potential yet again.

Dansk Architecture Centre

smk.dk

National Gallery

Copenhagen K dac.dk

Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1 Copenhagen K kb.dk

Matisse – Doubles and variations Matisse is particularly well-

precisely this portrayal of mankind’s affinity with nature that makes Zachariassen stand out in the field of Faroese landscape art.

Nordatlantens Brygge Strandgade 91 Copenhagen K bryggen.dk Secret garden, contemporary art in the Baroque Gar-

Sølvgade 48-50 Copenhagen K

Strandgade 27B

The Black Diamond

Show me your model Step directly into the world of the architectural model at this exhibition, which show-

Ny Vestergade 10

cases different scales of project models from 15 Danish architectural firms. Experience the models from above, from below, from inside and at a distance – from the burgeoning idea through failed and successful experiments to the eventual solution. Via sound, film and pictures, you will experience architects’ work at very close range when they explain why they build the way they build.

Frida Zachariassen Frida Zachariassen was born in the Faroese town of Klaksvík, and she has become a maverick in the world of Faroese art. Over the years – and in her characteristic form of expression – Zachariassen painted a modern chronicle of contemporary life in and around Klaksvík, with many of her works depicting named people and places. And it is

den What happens when new Danish art is displayed in a historical garden? Gl. Holtegaard invited nine Danish artists and groups of artists to exhibit new works in its Baroque Garden this summer. You can see playing sculptures and live sheep as the artists challenge history to present the art forms of the future.

Gl. Holtegaard Attemosevej 170 Holte holtegaard.org

The

Circus Museum p ly ho Ju ks n or y i W d a 30 us n 2. rc Su -1 Ci ery 11 Ev

ON LOAN

www cirkusmuseum.dk .

Hovedporten 6 ● Hvidovre ● Sun-Thursday 11-15

Masterpieces from Skagens Museum

4 May - 3 September 2012 SCULPTURE • ARCHITECTUR • PAINTINGS BERTEL THORVALDSENS PLADS 2, COPENHAGEN K OPEN TUESDAY-SUNDAY 10-17 WWW.THORVALDSENSMUSEUM.DK

www.hirschsprung.dk

Open daily 11 AM - 5 PM Closed Mondays

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Island Hopping | Bornholm

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

The island where holiday dreams come true Regardless of what people are looking for when they go to Denmark’s most popular holiday destination, they’re likely to find it on Bornholm – along with much more

By Ray Weaver

J

UNE 1995. Bornholm, Denmark ... I think. I’m standing in front of a tiny scrap of an airport, my legs shaking from the miserable 8ºC rainy weather combined with my first-ever ride in a propeller-driven plane. Blue ink is blurring across the damp, yellow Post-It note on which I’ve written the name of the hotel I am supposed to sing at for the summer.

Summer? What summer?

When I left Nashville the day before, it had been over 30ºC, and my pals and I spent the day allegedly fishing but mostly drinking beer on a lake – this was the send-off to my great European musical adventure. So here I am. An American with too much luggage, a guitar across my back, ready to rock.

Except I have no clue how to get to where I am supposed to be. The fading ink on my note looks something like “Randy skunk”.

When I landed in Copenhagen an hour before, I had asked the girl at the information desk where I could get a taxi to take me to Bornholm. I am supposed to play in Denmark, and Bornholm is in Denmark – hence, my belief that the end of 17 hours of travelling was now just a taxi ride away. The fact that Bornholm is an island that rests in the Baltic Sea some 180 kilometres away from Copenhagen had not even entered my consciousness. The girl kindly pointed to the remaining boarding card in my ticket envelope and waved me in the direction of the domestic terminal. I walked out onto a tarmac for the first time in my life and climbed aboard a crate that looked like it hadn’t been in service since Bogey and Sam played ‘As Time Goes By’ for the first time. In fact, I sort of felt a little like Bogart climbing up onto that old egg-beater.

When I finally reached Bornholm, one of the two taxi drivers standing in front of the terminal ambled over to me and asked, in very good English, “Are you the man singing at the hotel in Randkløve this summer?”

‘The boys’ were a musical duo of Danish brothers who had recorded at a studio I worked at in Nashville. We hit it off, and they asked me if I wanted to spend the summer singing at a hotel they had in Denmark. I gave them my address and home telephone number – these were the days before the internet and mobile phones – and figured I’d never hear from them again. To my surprise, a ticket turned up in the mail a few months later ... and here I was, wherever the hell that was.

And by the way, taxi driver, how exactly did you know who I was?

“The boys told me to look for a cowboy. You may be the first person who has ever come to Bornholm wearing a cowboy hat,” he said, smiling.

I’m no cowboy, and I don’t normally wear cowboy hats, but a big part of the reason that the brothers were having me over was the novelty of having a gen-u-ine Nashville act play at their hotel. They wanted the full regalia, and the only effective way to travel with a cowboy hat is to wear it. No matter how dopey it looks.

As we pulled up in front of the hotel, my hosts ran put, handed me my first Danish beer and said, “Welcome to Bornholm.

Welcome to the party.”

tre down to an emerald sea that was throwing white foam against black granite rocks. I walked down to the cliffs and past a battered wooden sign pointing towards Randkløve skår, a natural cleft in the cliff face where the sea rushed in, creating crystal pools in which people were swimming. A few kilometres off to the left, I could see Gudhjem, a village that I would grow to love in the days to come. Café Klint at the harbour became my home away from home as I wrote postcards while listening to seagulls and a multitude of new languages swirl around me. 

Bornholm Some call it ‘the sunshine island’, some ‘the pearl of the Baltic’ – but whatever name you give it, the island of Bornholm is one of those magical places that gets under your skin and never lets you go. From stunning sunrises over rocky cliffs to gentle forest waterfalls, the tiny island’s diverse landscape makes it seem much larger.

Some 600,000 tourists flock to Bornholm every summer to bike, sail, swim, party or simply unwind. Excellent restaurants and cafés abound, and residents take pride in their home-grown offerings. A sense of escape drifts into your soul as you come over a gentle rise and see a field of hay fade off into the horizon over an endless emerald sea.

Bornholm is a place that has always existed in the imagination – and it’s right there, waiting to be discovered.

And what a party it was.

I didn’t sing that night, but I watched the brothers do their show. They sang, told jokes and switched seamlessly between Scandinavian languages, German and English, fully entertaining the tourists from Sweden, Norway and Germany that make up the bulk of Bornholm’s summer visitors. Some families had been returning to the same summerhouses on the island for decades. Bornholm is a well-known tourist destination in Europe, but it remains virtually unknown to Americans. And the brothers were right about my novelty: I only saw one other Yank that whole summer.

“Uh ... I guess ...”

“Well, c’mon then,” he said. “The boys have paid your fare.”

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The morning after my arrival, I watched the sun rise over a field of yellow rapeseed flowers that stretched a kilome-

Bornholm

Island Hopping | Bornholm

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

 The natural beauty of Bornholm reminded me of im-

Eat

The other book was ‘The Talisman’ by Stephen King.

Jack, the young hero of the tale, flips back and forth between the real world and a parallel world that is sort of like the real world once was when kings, queens and knights prevailed. In this alternative world, the air is cleaner, the water fresher and everything is natural and rustic. Magic is still possible. And that is Bornholm. Real, but if there are trolls and fairies still living anywhere in the world, they are undoubtedly deep in Almindingen forest.

Sol over Gudhjem (Sunrise over Gudhjem) is Bornholm’s local delicacy: it’s a smoked herring filet on buttered dark Danish rye bread with a raw (pasteurised) egg yolk and chives on top. Look, I know how it sounds, but trust me – it is amazing. Sublime.

Primal, even. A blend of flavours and smokiness and saltiness and textures that has to be experienced to be understood. There are many places that smoke fish on Bornholm: they are called røgeri, and pretty much every town has one.

ages from two books. One was a child’s picture book about space exploration that I had read when I was at school. There was an illustration of a rocket rising into a cobalt-blue summer sky that faded into the starlit blackness of outer space. It was an artist’s vision, not a photograph. There was no reason to expect that I would ever actually see a sky like that. And yet, one June evening while I sat on the porch of my hotel on Bornholm, I watched a midnight-sun blue sky fade into a canopy of stars, and that picture was brought to life.

OUR PICK!

I was supposed to stay on Bornholm for two months that first summer. Once the sun came out on my second day there, it barely rained again for the whole 60 days.

Then I met a woman. I fell in love with her and our island, and ended up staying for ten years.

I ate smoked herring in Allinge to the north and hiked up to the ruins of Hammershus castle. I discovered Snogebæk to the south, a tiny village with Greek-style fishermen’s shacks and local restaurants tucked between the picture-perfect beaches of Balka and Dueodde, where the sand is so fine that legend says it was once used in hourglasses. I went shopping in Bornholm’s capital city Rønne as well as in Svaneke, which is filled with shops selling locally made products and a harbour where people buy the catch of the day.

I can’t promise you that endless sunshine or romance awaits you on Bornholm, but I originally went there to make some cash and sing a few songs – and I wound up with a wife, children and a whole new life. That’s a pretty good holiday.

Getting there Regular flights (now featuring jet airplanes!) from Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport to Bornholm take less than 45 minutes. And the opening of the Øresund Bridge in 2000 has brought the island closer to the mainland than ever.

You can drive yourself, or take a bus or train through Sweden’s Scania region (see page 8) to Ystad, where a highspeed catamaran ferry takes you to Rønne. The trip from Copenhagen takes about 4 hours, including the 90-minute ferry trip. Ferry information at færgen.dk.

Run by a local family that has passed down their trade for several generations, the Gudhjem Røgeri features a full buffet of local cuisine and an outdoor grill in the summertime. And once you discover how much you love smoked fish, they can arrange to ship it to you at home.

Do Stay Sadly, the old hotel in this tale no longer exists, and hotels in general tend to be pricey here.

There are a number of hostels on the island, and the one in Gudhjem offers good, clean basic rooms and a decent restaurant with meals at fair prices. It fills up with youngsters and families in the summer, so it may not be the first choice if you’re looking for peace and quiet. But there are always summer places and rooms for rent around the island. For those who like to camp, Bornholm has plenty of places to pitch a tent.

OUR PICK!

The campground in Sandvig near Allinge

For such a small island, Bornholm is many different things to different visitors. Those who come for the sailing may miss hiking in the forests, those who come to party on the beaches and in the pubs may miss the amazing history of the round churches and Viking ruins. But no matter what people come to experience, they go away believing that they found it. Seven out of ten people who visit Bornholm once will come back again.

features everything from rustic tent places to cabins with electricity, stoves, water – the works. There is a play-

OUR PICK!

Sørens Værtshus in the village of Snogebæk is an island mainstay, featuring sanded floors, live music eve-

ground and hopping pillows for the kids

ry night and a boat in the ceiling – revellers can climb

and good-sized outdoor grills. A small

into it and swing back and forth. Early crowds are gen-

yet pleasant beach is within walking dis-

erally older tourists and families enjoying a pizza at

tance, and the ruins of Hammershus and

the outside tables. Later on, the tempo heats up and

the Hammersø lake region contain some

the youngsters take over. During special events like

of most dramatic and beautiful scenery

Havnefest or a concert, the line at the bar can stretch

on the island (sandvigcamping.dk).

for 500 metres, so order a couple while you’re there.

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Regional | Scania

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

Scania: so close, yet a world away Danes have rediscovered their former territory of Scania in recent years. And with good reason: it offers all the familiarity of home in a pleasantly different environment

By Ray Weaver

T

HE SCANIA region (Skåne in Swedish) is different from other parts of Sweden because it has been influenced more by the sea than the mountains. The patchwork quilt of yellow rapeseed and wheat fields coupled with farms and rolling hills remind one of nothing so much as Denmark – of which Scania was a part until 1658. Although the municipalities that make up Scania (as well as its name) date from the time of the Vikings, the incorporation that turned the area into a consolidated economic and tourism powerhouse happened very recently.

The completion of the Øresund Bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen in 2000 brought these two historically contentious neighbours closer together than ever – at least since Denmark lost control of the region in the 17th century. Nearly 10,000 cars cross the bridge on busy days, taking Swedes to Copenhagen and reintroducing their Danish cousins to cities like Malmö, Ystad and Lund.

Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city, is by far Scania’s largest municipality; it has more than 250,000 residents, which is nearly three times more than Helsingborg, the next largest city. Once a major industrial centre, Malmö has worked hard to clean up its image, and it now regularly shows up on lists of the greenest cities in Europe. And since construction of the bridge, Malmö has undergone a major transformation to attract new biotech and IT companies. The city also has many historic buildings, parks and churches.

Danes walking around Ystad while waiting to catch their ferry to Bornholm will feel very much at home here. Ystad has managed to preserve many of the half-timbered houses that

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are common in Denmark, but have disappeared from much of the rest of Sweden. One of Ystad’s half-timbered houses, Pilgrändshuset, is the oldest such building in Scandinavia, dating from 1480.

The little town of Båstad features world-class tennis matches during the Catella Swedish Open and Collector Swedish Open for Women. These tournaments attract not only the biggest stars in tennis but also royalty, Hollywood movie stars and other celebrities. For a couple of glamour-filled weeks, there is flowing champagne, Brazilian music on the beach and common folk dancing with the glitterati.

For those who lean more towards nature, a walk through the pristine landscape of the Kullaberg Nature Reserve is ideal.

Kullaberg offers fishing, bird-watching, diving and climbing in a magnificent environment that has been awarded three stars in the Michelin guide book. The dramatic mountain landscape attracts botanists, birdwatchers, divers and climbers alike. There are also several great walking trails throughout the area.

Scania is rich in history with many towns dating from the days of the Vikings. The region has 240 castles and country estates – more than any other province in Sweden. The area is also filled with churches: many are built in the traditional Scandinavian style, but there are also quite a few Gothic and Renaissance-era churches and cathedrals in places like Lund and Helsingborg.

From history and nightlife to white-sand, kid-friendly beaches, Scania offers something for everyone year round.

Scania The area known as Scania (or Skåne) is often called ‘the Swedish Riviera’ for its lively beach scene and action-packed nightlife. People from all over the world come to Sweden to party in Scania during the summertime. When they arrive, they find not only an endless party, but also an area of subtle natural beauty that is rich in culture and history, both ancient and modern. Just a few kilometres away from the major, cosmopolitan city of Malmö, an organic farmer can be seen scything his hay by hand – no machines – the same way it has been done since time immemorial. A region filled with contrasts and the relaxed Swedish ‘live and let live’ attitude towards life, Scania has replaced some southern climes as a holiday destination among those who have discovered its quiet charms.

Scania

Regional | Scania

Summer in Denmark: 10 - 16 August 2012

Do Take a bike. Or a walk. Unlike much of mountainous Sweden, Scania’s gentle landscape lends itself to biking and hiking. Staying close to the ground also allows one to peek into nooks and crannies to discover out-of-the-way places that motorised travellers may miss – a tiny restaurant down a side road, a Swedish folk band playing at a seaside festival in a town so small it may not show up on the GPS, a shop selling hand-thrown ceramics that will look perfect back home.

Not all island getaways are tropical. Hven is renowned for its natural beauty and extraordinary views of the Øresund Sound from the steep coastal cliffs of Backafallen. Hven is also home to a number of artists whose work is on display and for sale. After a round or two of golf, relax at the award-winning whisky bar in Backafallsbyn.

Our pick!

Eat Mention Scania and many people immediately think of food. The area has a long history of delicious cooking and skilled chefs due to its plentiful supply of high-quality natural ingredients. Swedish herring, eel and goose are just a few examples of the rich variety of authentic dishes served at restaurants throughout Scania. And the growing number of new residents with roots from all over the world has created an influx of top-quality international cuisine.

Stay From four-star downtown hotels to quaint B&Bs way out in the country or along the shore, Scania can satisfy most tastes when it comes to accommodation. There are literally thousands of cottages of every size and shape available for rent during every season. Over 40 campgrounds and 100 youth hostels can also be found throughout the area.

Our pick!

Many farmers in Scania rent rooms or run B&Bs, which gives visitors the chance to experience the peace and tranquillity of bunking with hens, rabbits, cows and calves. Our favourite is the Ivö Kungsgård farm near Kristianstad. Dating from 1848, it offers large, comfortable rooms and access to a nearby lake (kungsgarden.org).

Our pick!

Scania grows much of the fresh produce in Sweden, especially apples. If you visit at the end of September, the Apple Market in Kivik will be in full swing. This two-day event is a huge festival celebrating apples that attracts some 20,000 visitors annually. You can sample different varieties of apples and cider, enjoy music and take guided tours of local apple factories.

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