Britt Nørbak
A Native’s Guide to Aalborg Photos by Lars Horn
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The new waterfront and the surrounding areas Transforming the former industrial harbour into a modern waterfront with world-class architecture was quite an undertaking, but the results are very impressive. This new interest in the waterfront should not, however, detract from the numerous other areas of interest in the city. It’s precisely this interplay between old and new that makes Aalborg so special.
Utzon Centre The final masterpiece of world-renowned Danish architect Jørn Utzon (perhaps most famous for designing the Sydney Opera House) is the Utzon Centre, which he hoped would be a nexus for future architects. Jørn Utzon grew up in Aalborg and drew his inspiration for the Utzon Centre from Aalborg’s factories and wharfs. He designed the building with his son, Kim, and it was opened in 2008 as a unique meeting place on the waterfront, where architecture, design and art meet exhibi The
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The Utzon Centre opened in May 2008
tions, lectures and conferences. Any lecturer would be thrilled to stand in the lecture hall with the Limfjord as their backdrop, giving spectators a beguiling visual experience to accompany the spoken word. The Utzon Centre is no less impressive from the outside. You can take it all in from the eastern side of Utzon Park, where you can sit on concrete benches originally designed by Utzon for the foyer of the Sydney Opera House.
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The House of Music Another architectural gem is situated along the waterfront: Musikkens Hus (‘the House of Music’), which was opened in 2014 by Queen Margrethe II. The 20,000 m2, nine-storey building comprises several educational, research and cultural institutions. As well as attracting international stars, the House of Music is the permanent home of Aalborg’s Symphony Orchestra, the Aalborg branch of the Royal Academy of Music, the Aalborg University Institute of Music, the Danish JazzCentre and the New Nordic restaurant Musikkens Spisehus (‘the Restaurant of Music’). The building was designed by internationally renown ed German architects Coop Himmelb(l)au, led by Professor Wolf D. Prix. Its magnificent architecture has caught the eye of many architects and musicians around the world. During the construction The House of Music was referred to as ‘The Cheese’ because of the round windows, which make it resemble Swiss cheese. British jazz-pop musician Jamie Cullum was one of the performers at the grand opening in 2014. During his performance, he stopped to praise Aalborg for daring to spend time and money on such a grand space with fantastic acoustics that are a pleasure for both performers and spectators. The
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The House of Music
Nordkraft & Ordkraft The old Nordkraft (‘North Power’) power station provided the citizens of Aalborg with electricity from 1847 to 1997, when the old turbines and boilers were used as heat reserves. In 1999, Nordkraft closed down for good, paving the way for something else entirely. Aalborg Municipality bought the property in 2004, and in 2007 they began transforming the power plant into a cultural centre – without ruining the raw, industrial feel of the buildings. Nordkraft is on the waterfront, close to the House of Music, and contains the concert venue Skråen, the independent cinema Biffen, the Nordkraft Theatre, sports facilities, the main office of Visit Aalborg, Dreamhouse (a shared space for innovative businesses), and many restaurants. On the first Saturday of every month there is a large market with local specialities, which is a nice addition to Grønttorvet (‘the Vegetable Market’) on Ågade, which is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Every year in April, the Ordkraft i Nordkraft-festival (‘Word Power in North Power’) is held. This is Northern Jutland’s largest literary festival, celebrating the power of words and literature. Since it began in 2011, Ordkraft has become an important part of Danish literary culture. In 70
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2015, some of the biggest and most celebrated names in Danish literature ensured that the festival was completely packed for three days.
Aalborg’s athletes and artists are celebrated each year at the ‘Aalborg’s Finest’ event in Nordkraft
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Life in the heart of Aalborg A friend of mine from Copenhagen looked at me in disbe lief when I tried to explain to her that Aalborg had no main shopping street, like Strøget in Copenhagen. Instead, there are several pedestrian only streets connecting most of the old city centre. If you walk along Vesterbro and over the zebra crossing by The Bull, you’ll find yourself at the end of Bispensgade, one of the two main pedestrian streets. Bispensgade has two famous side streets, Gravensgade and Jomfru Ane Gade, and at the opposite end it joins Nytorv (‘the New Square’, which is confusingly the name of a whole street). The streets on either side of Nytorv (Østerågade and Boulevarden) are impossible to avoid (nor should you!). While on Boulevarden, you should also take a short walk to Møllegade and Mølle Square. On Nytorv, you’ll find the department store Salling, which is also accessible from Algade, the other main pedestrian street. From Algade, via Bredgade, you can reach Nørregade and the Friis shopping centre. In August 2015, the centre of Aalborg was abuzz. The first few days saw the Tall Ships Races, and the following week brought the ‘Aalborg Festivals’ – a conglomera72
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Jomfru Ane Gade becomes a catwalk
te of music festivals and cultural events. The third week of August marked the launch of Aalborg’s newest festival, the Urban Art Festival, focusing on urban expressions of culture through graffiti, street art, film viewings, music and informal talks. Finally, the last week of August was dedicated to the ‘Aalborg i Rødt’ (‘Aalborg in Red’) culture, arts and sports festival, where the entire city centre is dressed in red and Jomfru Ane Gade becomes Denmark’s longest catwalk.
‘Aalborg i Rødt’ takes place every year in August
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