What do the crown jewels at Rosenborg Castle, the famous paintings at the National Gallery of Denmark, and the Islamic works at the David Collection have in common?
They are hidden on and around some of the busiest streets in central Copenhagen.
The same goes for the plants in the Palm House at the Botanical Garden, the Golden Age masters at the Hirschsprung Collection, the red banners at the Workers Museum, and the fossils at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which will reopen in a year and a half.
Together, these places make up Parkmuseerne (the Park Museums), which attract 1.7 million visitors annually. But a combined ticket sends you along car-heavy streets with endless lights and high fences, so several museums fade into the background.
At least that is the opinion of the museums themselves and an architecture firm, which is now unveiling a vision to rethink parts of the route, generating both enthusiasm and outrage at City Hall.
The dream is to replace the gray asphalt on Øster Voldgade and Sølvgade with green spaces featuring wide paths for pedestrians and cyclists.
One of the initiators is Camilla van Deurs from Nordic Office of Architecture, who is a former city architect in Copenhagen. For her, it is about giving the museums a chance to be noticed amid the bustling streets.
»The two streets are transport corridors where moving as a pedestrian or cyclist really happens on the cars’ terms«, she says.
»You can’t sense that this is some of the finest cultural heritage we have. It’s aesthetically impoverished with lots of asphalt, wide roads, bus lanes, and chaos«.
It is too early to discuss the project’s cost, which would likely be covered by the municipality along with potential foundation funding, according to the former city architect. But she estimates that the streets could look completely different in just two years.
That is, if there is local political will after the municipal elections in two weeks.
Mayor: »It benefits the entire city«
Dark ruby-hued perennials inspired by gemstones outside Rosenborg Castle, and airy pastels by the Hirschsprung Collection—planting that reflects each museum’s character and, if the vision comes to life, lets you almost guess which of the seven museums is closest.
The hope is to turn the area into a place people want to linger.
»I dream that the intersection of Øster Voldgade and Sølvgade will become a focal point in the city, attracting people like City Hall Square or Kongens Nytorv«, says Søren Bak-Jensen, chairman of Parkmuseerne and director of the Workers Museum.
You have 1.7 million visitors annually. Why should you be allowed to turn the streets into pedestrian and recreational areas when many Copenhageners need to drive through them every day?
»There are no plans to reduce traffic volume. These are important access roads in and out of the city, and they will continue to be. It’s about combining them«.
The vision for the two streets is far from the first striking idea to change the capital—or its plans—presented ahead of the municipal elections on November 18.
Socialdemokratiet want to build row houses on the artificial island of Lynetteholm instead of high-rises, akin to those in Kartoffelrækkerne (the neighborhood around Øster Voldgade, Copenhagen) and Nyboder (a historic residential neighborhood near Østerport, Copenhagen.). Liberal Alliance wants to clean up Søerne (The Lakes - a row of three lakes in the city center) so Copenhageners can swim in them.
Perhaps the most radical proposal is the one to uncover Ladegårdsåen (a stream), which has been piped under Åboulevarden since 1969.
The proposal has been particularly championed by Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance), and the party’s mayoral candidate, Line Barfod, also supports the vision for Parkmuseerne:
»It will benefit the entire city«, says the current mayor of technical and environmental affairs.
»We need more green spaces in Copenhagen. Both because it’s nice for us who live here and because we need to do something to climate-proof the city«.
Everyday traffic
Line Barfod is not concerned about whether the vision will affect thousands of daily drivers.
Conservative candidate Jakob Næsager finds that hard to understand.
»They want it to spill out over the road. It’s just proof that Enhedslisten wants to limit the major thoroughfares in Copenhagen«, says the current mayor for children and youth affairs.
Because, according to Jakob Næsager, there is nowhere else to direct the cars, he believes the proposal benefits tourists more than Copenhageners.
Architect Camilla van Deurs does not agree.
»It has been important for us to create something that integrates into the everyday life that also exists in the area«, she says.
By utilizing the wide roads, the same amount of cars can pass through, and there will be no need to close off traffic.
»Of course, that could be done if the City of Copenhagen wishes to be even more radical«, says Camilla van Deurs.
But won’t it take longer for cars to get through?
»The streets today are designed too wide in relation to the amount of traffic. Vesterbrogade, by comparison, is a relatively narrow street that handles almost as much traffic as Sølvgade. It’s about creating good flow«.
The former city architect believes the proposal fully supports the city’s vision of emphasizing historical identity in the urban landscape.
Right now, she says, an important part of that is hidden too well on the busy streets.
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