As has happened with so many cities where once-bustling waterfronts have seen their fishing business decline over the decades, Copenhagen’s harbor has been transformed. A place where fishermen used to come to work, it’s now an area where locals come for leisure. The water is clean enough for swimming, and all summer thousands of people visit the Islands Brygge area to take a dip or a dive in the harbor baths designed by star architect Bjarke Ingels. Another highlight is the Circle Bridge (Cirkelbroen), designed by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. Linking all the waterside attractions is the Harbor Circle, an eight-mile cycling/running/walking route.
The inner harbour bridge is part of the Harbour Circle. Copenhagen is known as the world’s best city for cyclists. The city is also a showcase for Danish architecture, design and gastronomy. But first and foremost, Copenhagen is a wonderful place to live and offers a diverse and vibrant urban experience, which strengthens the city’s international reputation and attracts tourists from around the world. This development did not happen by chance and is the result of many years of dedicated effort to ensure that the city by design invites everyone to use and enjoy it. The development of Copenhagen Harbour from an industrial dockland to a recreational urban waterway is part of this development, and crowning these efforts is the establishment of the Harbour Circle.
Troels Heien/Copenhagen Media Center
