SpangsbjergMøllevej

set up along both the path and the harbour promenade, not only with concrete information, but also with small details of the history of Esbjerg city and port. The path itself has the city’s landmark, Esbjerg Water Tower (Esbjerg Vandtårn) from 1897, in the background.

The project was inaugurated in 2018 – the year that Esbjerg Municipality also won the town-planning award for, among other things, ensuring a greater cohesion between city and harbour. It is a problem that also exists in several other Danish cities, which Realdania has sought to address as part of efforts to promote sustainable cities.

Havnegade 45-51, Esbjerg.

GAME Streetmekka Esbjerg k (map > 124 2)

Skateboarding and other street sports are flourishing everywhere in Denmark, but because these unconventional sports tend not to fit into existing sports facilities, there is a growing demand for a new type of facility. At the same time, unused industrial areas and buildings are already playing host to skaters, street artists and the like. So why not make it official?

GAME Streetmekka’s ambition is to make street sports and street culture accessible to everyone and thus create space for an active and healthy life. At the same time, the goal is to strengthen the social ties and relationships between children and young people.

The space includes a covered area for transition and bowl skating, on ramps designed by skate designer Luke Jouppi, a street dance area, an indoor street skate arena, space for yoga, parkour and bouldering. In addition, there is the opportunity to cultivate the artistic side of street culture, which is about creating videos, music, graffiti and sculptures among other things.

Realdania, Esbjerg Municipality, TrygFonden, the Nordea Foundation and the street sports organisation GAME are behind the project, and the creative minds behind the renovation are EFFEKT Arkitekter. Along the way, they have enlisted the help of the young people in the city, many of whom come from vulnerable residential areas, and created a street space so street that in 2016 the house was nominated for a WAN Award by World Architecture News in the Future Project Civic Buildings category.

Nørrebrogade 1C, Esbjerg. å Mon.-Fri. 15-21, Sat.-Sun. 12-19. E When using the indoor facilities DKK 40. The outdoor areas are freely accessible and free to use. W game.ngo/da/ game-streetmekka-esbjerg.

Central Jutland

The region known for its scenic heathlands is also known for hosting events. Among the best-known ones are the interior decoration and design fair Formland, the Herning Horseshow and the art fair ART Herning, which take place in the convention centre Messecenter Herning (MCH). An ever-larger exhibition venue that has been given a more cohesive overall expression with support from Realdania.

Terminalen 7400

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In Herning, the culturel centre Terminalen has been transformed into Central Jutland’s largest indoor venue for urban sports, with room for skating, climbing, riding scooters, practicing parkour, Thai boxing, gaming, mixed martial art and much more.

Housed in the former main post office, Herning’s new culture and civic centre includes a street basketball court, facilities for e-sports and a café area. Realdania has supported Terminal 7400 as part of the campaign Underværker (‘wonders’) (> 63).

Godsbanevej 7, Herning. E DKK 75. å Mon.Thu. 15-21, Fri. 15-19, Sat.-Sun. 10-18. w terminalen7400 on Facebook.

Messecenter Herning of the future

k u C N (map > 117 q)

Since the first buildings were completed in 1963, the largest centre for changing fairs and exhibitions in Scandinavia, Messecenter Herning (MCH) and the sur- rounding area have become an important driver for Herning’s development, particularly with the addition of Jyske Bank Boxen, which now hosts major international concerts and sporting events.

At the same time, the place attracts a new and different audience for cultural and sporting events and many arrive in the city by bus and train. Over time, the overall development has created a need for greater coherence and a comprehensive plan for the area. Therefore, the infrastructure in and around MCH was updated and future-proofed, with the aim of strengthening the functional and architectural coherence in the area.

The futureproofing of the infrastructure is part of the project Fremtidens

Messecenter Herning (‘Messecenter Herning of the future’) and includes a new arrival-building in front of Jyske Bank Boxen, connections to the southern halls as well as an arrivals and event space in addition to more green areas and better parking options.

Vardevej 1, Herning. W mch.dk.

Det Blå Rum at Fuglsang Sø y l P j W (map > 117 w, photo > 127)

Det Blå Rum (‘the blue room’) was developed based on a local desire to use the city’s most attractive lake for the benefit of locals, young and old, beginners and experienced, who want to be active in nature. Located on the east bank of the lake

Fuglsang Sø, it is a meeting point with sauna, facilities for bathing and boats, fire pit, outdoor kitchen and much more, and has a capacity for 15-20 people. The facility encourages an active outdoor life and has been warmly embraced by winter bathers, anglers, triathletes and kayakers alike. As a non-member, you can rent SUPboards and buy a day ticket to the sauna.

Fuglsang Sø is an artificial lake of approximately 28 hectares, which was created in 2003-2005 in connection with a motorway construction near Herning. Since then, the lake has been used as a recreational area by private individuals as well as associations. In addition, the lake is home to many birds, fish, insects and plants.

Det Blå Rum has two unique and modern buildings built with sustainability in mind on all levels – from the materials used in the construction to the use and experience of the area. There are solar cells and battery packs, which will power a large part of the house’s energy consumption. In order to make the climate footprint of Det Blå Rum visible, the energy consumption is monitored and displayed for visitors.

Brændgårdvej 105, Herning. Mon.-Sun. 6-21.

Heart – Herning Museum of Contemporary Art k (map > 117 e)

Seen from above, the building looks like a shirt sleeve. There is a good reason for this, because the museum’s founder and art collector, Aage Damgaard, was a shirt manufacturer in Herning, and the museum’s DNA lies in the borderland and the collaboration between culture and industry. The museum, which opened in 2009, was designed by American architect Steven Holl. Heart houses permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, including modern and contemporary Danish and international art, from the 1930s onward –with a special focus on Italian post-war art and Arte Povera, and on concrete and constructive art – including works by Piero Manzoni, Lucio Fontana, Mario Merz, Joseph Beuys, Jannis Kounellis, Ole Schwalbe, Victor Vasarely, Ingvar Cronhammar, and Dennis Oppenheim, among others.

The museum is located on a plot of land in Birk Centerpark, made available by Herning Municipality. Birk Centerpark is an environment with museums, educational institutions and business, and the museum cements Herning’s image as a city that is not afraid to let art, culture and business meet in unconventional collaborations. Together with Herning Municipality, Realdania has supported the construction of the museum, which in 2010 won the prestigious English architecture prize RIBA International Award.

Bitten & Aage Damsgaards Plads 2, Herning. å Tue.-Sun. 10-16. DKK 75. Children under 18 free. W heartmus.dk/en.

Multihuset Hjertet u n C (map > 117 r)

Hjertet (‘the heart’) in Ikast-Brande is a multi-functional building, which houses students from the International School Ikast-Brande and various associations. It also functions as an active meeting place for the city’s residents. The very heart of the building consists of several multi-rooms, which can be used for street sports, drama and music, and an educational building with movable walls and spaces for reflection and living. The ambition of the project was to create a place that could generate synergy and interaction between institutions, projects, associations and self-organised users throughout the municipality. Among the tenants of the space are Blindes Arbejde (‘blind people’s crafts’) which is run as a socioeconomic enterprise. Diversity is thus the common thread that brings the space together – an ambition that Realdania is keen to support here and in other cities in Denmark. The building was designed by architects C. F. Møller, who were also behind Mærsk Tårnet at Panum in Copenhagen and Bestseller’s office complex in Aarhus. In addition to the multi-use build- ing, Realdania has also contributed to the development of Aktivitetsbåndet (‘the activity belt’): a number of outdoor facilities for street basketball, climbing, street soccer, a pump track, parkour and skate track. The project has been developed in collaboration with Ikast-Brande Municipality, International School Ikast-Brande, Lokale og Anlægsfonden and Bestseller. Vestergade 65, Ikast. å Mon.-Thu. At 7-22, Fri.Sun. At 7-20.

Skovbakken in Kjellerup u (map > 117 t)

In January 2019, Kjellerup’s new green meeting point and park was inaugurated. A luminous ring soars in the park which also contains a rainwater bath where you can jump from rock to rock, plenty of space for recreational activities, and a stage. Realdania and Silkeborg Municipality are behind the city park for all the city’s residents – young and old – including residents from the city’s care centres, social-psychiatric institutions and insti- tutions for the disabled. A natural and active meeting place that caters to the physical and mental health of vulnerable people and promotes inclusion and community building. Skovbakken is also the entrance to Krabbes Grønne Ring, which is the 9 km trail surrounding the town of Kjellerup.

Tinghusvej, Kjellerup.

Søby Brown Coal Museum

H n C k (map > 117 y)

Peter Voldsgaard first discovered the brown coal deposits on Søby heath in the 1940s, and soon a small community of workers and their families sprouted on the site. During the fuel shortages of the Second World War, around two thousand poor families moved here to toil away in one of the most dangerous workplaces in all of Danish history, creating a slightly lawless, Klondike-like society. Digging continued until 1970 in Søby, where a third of all Danish brown coal has been extracted. The story of this community, their joys and sorrows, is now told at the Søby Brown Coal Museum (Søby Brunkulsmuseum). With the support of Realdania, part of the museum has been restored, and now features a geological exhibition about the brown coal era. At the museum you can also see, among other things, a large collection of pictures of the work in the brown coal pits and life in the barracks. In addition to the farm, the museum also includes several authentic workers’ dwellings, a grocery store, eateries, a forge, an excavator and a tipper locomotive, among others.

Today, the former brown coal lakes are decorative in a green and beautiful area. The memorial grove just outside the museum is also worth a visit. Here lie workers who were buried alive when the sand slipped into the open excavations. Other accidents occurred in connection with high voltage, wells and explosives. As it says on a memorial stone: ‘Sons of labor whose lot was death in the struggle for the daily bread. ‘

Brunkulsvej 29, Herning. å on 1 Apr. to week 42, Mon.-Sun. 10-17. E DKK 50, children under 12 free. W brunkulsmuseum.dk.

RemisenBrande

k u R (map > 117 u)

In 2006, an old train depot in Brande was renovated as part of the municipality’s urban renewal programme and transformed into a modern cultural centre. The depot is a cultural-historical gem from the time when Brande was a railway hub. Today, with the help of a thorough restoration process, the building is back on track and hosts everything from concerts and yoga to business events and conferences. During the restoration of the distinctive arched shed, which was supported by Realdania and designed by Jørgen Overbys Architects, the building’s architectural expression and characteristic gates were preserved.

Therefore, you can still see the gates through which the locomotives entered, and the roof is insulated from above, so that the rafters and roof structures are still visible from the inside. The railway tracks and grease pits have been preserved and are used for toilets and chair storage, while the old, well-preserved forge has been converted into a restaurant.

Remisevej 1, Brande. å Tue.-Thu. 9-15. W remisenbrande.dk.

Bindeballe Købmandsgård

k n C (map > 117 i)

It is a long way from the orderly shelves of a modern supermarket. Scouring brushes hang from the ceiling, open bags of coffee and barley sit on the floor, and jars of sweets and old tin cans line the shelves. Stepping into the old grocer’s shop Bindeballe Købmandsgård, feels like entering a time capsule. Just a little south-west of Vejle lies this grocer’s shop slash museum that was founded in 1897 and still to this day is a thriving general store. More than 5000 different items of traditional merchandise from bygone times are on display, the oldest more than a century old. The impressive collection is ongoing as it has been since it was begun by Reinholdt and Maja Jensen in 1974. Despite being a popular tourist attraction, the building’s insulation was so poor that it was difficult to be inside during winter and so with support from Realdania, the devoted volunteers who run the shop began an energy-saving renovation project. Among other things, the main house was renovated with respect for its history, and a new roof was installed on both the main house and the stable buildings. Bindeballe Købmandsgård can now continue to be Denmark’s largest merchant museum run by volunteers, which has around 80100,000 visitors annually. To help in the store, the self-owned institution has hired retired former grocers, who share their experiences of working behind the counter.

Bindeballevej 100, Randbøl. å All days 10-17. E DKK 20. Children free. W bindeballekoebmandsgaard.dk.

Naturrum Kirstinelyst – the gateway to Randbøl Hede k V (map > 117 o, photo > 129)

Stretching as far as the eye can see, the heath landscape Randbøl Hede is dramatic and enticing, but where do you start? Now, a new living experience centre helps visitors learn more about the heath and its exciting history. The centre is a dissemination point where visitors can gain lots of new knowledge about the heath, while also activating and inspiring them on ways to enjoy the magnificent landscape. Explore the marked paths, whether on foot or on horseback, or spend the night at one of the heath’s five shelters.

The building’s walls and roof are constructed with heath turf. The use of heath turf makes the building blend elegantly into its natural surroundings. Open glass partitions and sliding glass doors open present the landscape to Kirstinelyst’s visitors and eliminate the division between inside and outside. In 2014 the building was awarded Vejle Municipality’s architecture award.

Kirstinelyst is one of several pilot projects that form the basis of the development of Naturrum, a concept that Lokale og Anlægsfonden, Friluftsrådet and Arbejdsmarkedets Feriefond have collaborated on since 2007. The project is supported financially by the aforementioned as well as Realdania, LAG Vejle, LAG Billund and The Danish Nature Agency.

Frederikshåbvej 41, Randbøl. å Every day 8-20. At 20, the doors are locked automatically, but there is access to the toilet around the clock. E Free. W naturstyrelsen.dk/naturoplevelser/ naturskoler/syddanmark/naturrum-kirstinelyst.

In addition to the landscape exhibition, there are shelters with fire pits and access to water and toilets at Naturrum Kirstinelyst (> 129).