Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Top Cultural Experiences in Denmark
A garden with many corners of the world to indulge in Kolding’s Geografisk Have is a haven for anyone searching for a little bit of the outdoors – whether you are visiting with younger children or looking for a quiet spot to relax with a book. Aksel Olsen, who founded Geografisk Have in Kolding in 1918, had not originally intended to arrange it any differently from other botanical gardens – according to species and type, that is. “He soon learned, however, through experience, that the plants simply thrive better if you arrange them according to where in the world they normally grow,” explains Lene Holm, who has been managing director of Geografisk Have since 2016. This has earned it its name, ‘geographical garden’, along with the very special quality of being able to stroll through Asian, American and European sections. Here, the visitor can appreciate the indigenous plants of these continents, and in particular, the strong passion Olsen had for plants from Asia. What also makes Geografisk Have special
is how family-friendly it is. There are plenty of animals for younger children to pet, and pony rides are often on offer. A special treat this season are the new alpaca foals, born in early April. Child-free visitors in search of seclusion need not worry, however, as the garden’s 14 hectares offer plenty of corners for meditation and quiet – whether taking a walk or revising for an exam on a sunny day. The garden is especially proud of its roses, which have won international prizes, and boasts several thousand specimens. The garden also offers events, including talks and workshops. Worth mentioning here is the garden’s plant market, which takes place each year on 5 June, Constitution Day. More than 100 stall holders from all over
Seeing the light
90 | Issue 124 | May 2019
Denmark as well as from abroad take part. “It really is a fantastic atmosphere,” says Lene Holm, “and without doubt one of the high points of the year.” Refreshments are also available, as the garden runs its own slow food café, Lykkefund, where guests can enjoy locally produced snacks, coffee and ice cream. Kolding mini town.
Web: www.geografiskhave.dk Facebook: geografiskhave Instagram: @geografisk_have
By Louise Older Steffensen
Northern Jutland’s sharp, ethereal light made famous by Skagen’s painters 150 years ago still shines on the changeable and dramatic landscapes of the region. With its wild coastline, sandy beaches and rolling hills and dunes, it is no wonder that the uppermost tip of Jutland continues to be a mecca for modern artists. From Niels Larsen Stevns to Poul Anker Bech, Vendsyssel Museum of Art in Hjørring shows off the best of them. “The nature outside has certainly inspired our artists,” says museum director Sine Kildeberg, “but their art also shows us entirely new ways of seeing the landscape surrounding us.” Vendsyssel Museum of Art was opened in the 1960s in order to showcase modern artists with a local connection. With its emphasis on 20th and 21st-century art, it manages to showcase both the exhibitors’ ingenuity and their inheritance from previous generations of artists. The museum features the largest collection of 'the artist of light', Niels Larsen Stevns. His colourful modernist landscape paintings and frescoes helped bring a whole new, expressionist way of seeing, to
By Jane Graham | Photo: Geografisk Have
Denmark. The celebrated surrealist Poul Anker Bech, meanwhile, takes the region’s famed landscape tradition and turns it on its head, sometimes quite literally, mixing the ordinary with the extraordinary and humour with seriousness. “We’re currently very excited about our new Poul Winther exhibition! It shows off the multi-faceted emotions that Winther brought out in his quirky paintings of washed-up objects he discovered on the beaches of Skagen,” Kildeberg enthuses. In 2003, the museum moved into a converted industrial building in the middle of Hjørring, brought triumphantly into the 21st century by C.F. Møller and architect Anna Maria Indrio, famous for the revamp
of the National Gallery of Denmark. With a glass prism ceiling, Vendsyssel Museum of Art is full of interesting windows and surprising angles, bringing in that famous northern Jutland light to illuminate the art that celebrates it.
Poul Anker Bech, Den sidste sommer, 1987. Photo: Benny Rytter
Web: www.vkm.dk Facebook: Vendsyssel Kunstmuseum Instagram: @vendsysselkunstmuseum