DEPARTURES TRAVEL URBAN PRIMER 24 Aarhus, Denmark A city of architectural might thrives outside the spotlight. COPENHAGEN IS sometimes called the Venice of the North, thanks to its cosy charm and canals – but like Venice, the city can feel like a victim of its own success, with nearly a million cruise passengers visiting last year, in addition to fleets of EasyJets and Ryanairs delivering cool hunters. For those looking for a more leisurely urban experience, the trick may be to check out Europe’s 2017 Capital of Culture: Aarhus. Like an ingeniously designed piece of furniture, Aarhus is both young and old, industrious and easygoing – a compact, almost petite city just minutes from dense forests and empty beaches. As much as any city in Scandinavia, Aarhus is intensely maritime in character, with the busiest container port in Denmark. The city’s name is derived from ár-óss (pronounced AW-hooce), which means “river mouth” in Old Norse, the language of the Vikings, whose ninth-century settlements in the area predate Copenhagen’s founding by 300 years. Yet it is also home to Aarhus University, Scandinavia’s largest institution of higher learning, balancing the heavy industry with a decidedly bohemian vibe. Aarhus is a city dedicated to the art of hanging out, with much activity taking place along the restored harbour area, whose redevelopment started with the Isbjerget, a spectacular residential complex in the old docklands. Built in 2013, the Isbjerget resembles, well, an iceberg, with its craggy roofline and blue-white exterior. Nearby, the Harbour Bath (visitaarhus.com), designed by Bjarke Ingels, is the city’s latest architectural draw, holding up to 650 people (free of charge) in its trio of pools – one for lap swimmers, one for divers and one for children. Said to be the largest seawater-fed bath in the world, the stadium-sized complex is surrounded by an elliptical wooden walkway where nonswimmers can enjoy an ice cream from one of the nearby food stalls. Almost as Instagrammable as semiclothed Danes lazing on a giant public work of art is the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum (aros.dk), whose prismatic circular skywalk, designed by Olafur Eliasson, looms over the city. A stroll inside the skywalk feels like stepping inside a rainbow, with the Kattegat bay in the distance. The museum itself houses a stunning permanent collection of contemporary art, with pieces by James Turrell and Shirin Neshat. Not far, the four-year-old Comwell Hotel ( comwellaarhus. dk) features panoramic views and interiors by design house Hay. Aarhus definitely has something going on with circles. Ten minutes from the city centre, on Ballehage Beach, stands the Infinite Bridge, a 360-degree wooden walkway that creates awareness of the relationship between Previous page, top row, from left: the skywalk at the ARoS Aarhus Museum; the Gothenburg Art Museum; design shop NR4, in Aarhus; centre row, from left: Aarhus’s Infinite Bridge; cod with salmon roe and boiled potatoes at Tullhuset, in Gothenburg; a waiter at Cornelius, in Bergen; bottom row, from left: the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg; furniture designer Philipp von Hase in his Bergen studio; pizza at Hoggorm, Bergen Left: Salling Tower by architect Dorte Mandrup, in Aarhus; below: the interiors emporium Domestic, in Aarhus the city and majestic Bay of Aarhus as you navigate its perimeter. The pebbled beach beneath is a favourite hangout for picnicking couples. Proximity to beach and forest is very much part of Aarhus’s identity. Chefs like Rune Lund Sørensen, co-owner of Hærværk ( restauranthaervaerk.dk), a no-frills restaurant where dishes change according to season and supply, love being able to duck out to forage for wild herbs or mushrooms and be back in their kitchens an hour later. Also serving a seasonally ordered menu, Michelin-starred Domestic ( restaurantdomestic.dk) hides in a quiet courtyard of the Latin Quarter, its warm, pared-down interior packed with jars containing the fermented delicacies the restaurant specialises in. Not unlike Aarhus itself, Domestic finds ways to unite seemingly unlikely pairings of simple ingredients: flounder with gooseberries and cucumber, mackerel and strawberries.
BALFOUR | DARK BROWN WILLOW GRAIN | Hand-Stitched BY APPOINTMENT TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER OF FOOTWEAR CROCKETT & JONES LIMITED, NORTHAMPTON WWW.CROCKETTANDJONES.COM/HAND-GRADE MADE IN NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND | SINCE 1879
