Aalborg’s new cultural centre hits the waterfront

As part of an extensive £35 million waterfront regeneration programme, Aalborg, Denmark’s third largest city, will bring the heart of the city back to the water's edge when it completes ‘phase one’ of its dynamic new cultural centre 'Nordkraft' on 1 September 2009.

Redeveloped from a disused power station with dramatic views over the Limfjord, Nordkraft will become Aalborg's 'powerhouse' for culture. Totalling over 30,000m2 of space and comprising a music and arts venue capable of staging concerts for up to 8,000 people; two concert halls (seating 1,500 and 700 respectively); an art house cinema; two theatres; music school and galleries as well as sports, teaching and education facilities, this world-class venue is set to dramatically accelerate the waterfront’s revival into a vibrant and picturesque recreation area for residents and tourists alike (nordkraft.dk.

Complementing the strikingly crafted Utzon Center (utzoncenter.dk/en/welcome.htm) - a new waterfront building built to celebrate the life of world famous architect and former resident Jorn Utzon (designer of the Sydney Opera House), the new powerhouse cleverly utilises features of the original industrial design to retain a feel for the city’s history whilst presenting an avant-garde and modern image of Aalborg.

With phase one near completion, Nordkraft has already opened some areas to the public with a lively programme of music concerts, a colourful exhibition of contemporary painting in the new ‘Kunsthal Nord’ art gallery and open market area displaying wares from various local artists and vendors. With a number of Aalborg’s best restaurants already taking advantage of prime waterfront locations overlooking the Limfjord, an exploration of Nordkraft can be easily combined with a short stroll to some delicious gourmet eating.

Board the permanently docked Princess Juliana (prinsesjuliana.dk) for a aperitif on the deck; savour a glass of wine and tapas with a distinctly Danish twist at the superbly converted old warehouse Rosdahls (rosdahls.dk) or climb aboard the old national icebreaker Elbjørn for a purely Scandinavian treat (isbryderen-elbjoern.dk).

In order to ease accessibility to Nordkraft and once again unify the waterfront with the historic districts and main shopping area, the main highway, which has acted as a physical divide, is being relocated giving way to new park and pedestrianised areas. In addition to this landscaping, the continued regeneration programme will include the redevelopment of other historic waterside buildings as well as the construction of a new shopping centre, hotels, restaurants and bars scheduled for completion by 2010.
In addition to Nordkraft and the scheduled development, Aalborg also has a number of outstanding attractions. These include the Kunstmuseum (Art Museum) with its famous Alvar Aalto designed building (wnordjyllandskunstmuseum.dk; Scandinavia's largest Viking burial ground - Lindholm Hoje (visitnordjylland.dk); The Defence and Garrison Museum (forsvarsmuseum.dk); Aalborg Maritime Museum (aalborgmarinemuseum.dk); the Aalborg Destilleriet which distils ‘Denmark’s drink with a kick’ – Aquavit - and its 17 flavours (distillers.dk/uk); and the Aalborg Zoo (aalborgzoo.dk).

Getting there …

Norwegian airlines (norwegian.com) offers direct daily flights departing Gatwick. Aalborg offers a good range of central 3 and 4 star hotels with prices ranging from £80-£120 per room per night. For a prime waterfront position with views over the Limfjord, choose from the 3 star First Slotshotel (firsthotels.com) or 4 star Radisson SAS Limfjord Hotel (radissonblu.com/hotel-aalborg).

For more information on Aalborg go to:
visitaalborg.com and visitdenmark.com/uk