| Geographically at the heart of the country and often regarded as
Denmark's cultural capital, ÅRHUS typifies all that's good about Danish
cities: it's small enough to get to know in a few hours, yet big and
lively enough to fill both days and nights. Despite Viking-era origins,
the city's present-day prosperity is due to its long, sheltered bay, on
which the first harbour was constructed during the fifteenth century,
and the more recent advent of railways, which made Århus a nationally
important trade and transport centre. Easily reached by train from all
the country's bigger towns, and by ferry from Zealand, Århus also
receives nonstop flights from London. There's certainly no better place
for a first taste of Denmark.
The City
Århus divides into two clearly defined parts: the old section, close
to the cathedral, a tight cluster of medieval streets, and, surrounding
this, a less characterful modern sector. Søndergade is the city's main
street, a pedestrianized strip that leads down into Bispetorvet and the
old centre, the streets of which form a web around the Domkirke (May-Sept
Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm; Oct-April Mon-Sat 10am-3pm), a massive if plain
Gothic church, most of which dates from the fifteenth century, the
original twelfth-century structure having been destroyed by fire. At the
eastern end, the altarpiece is a grand triptych by the noted Bernt
Notkes. Look also at the painted glass window behind the altar, the work
of the Norwegian Emmanuel Vigeland (brother of Gustav). The area around
the cathedral is a leisurely district of browsable shops and enticing
cafés. On Clements Torv, across the road from the cathedral in the
basement under Unibank, the Viking Museum (Mon-Wed & Fri 9.30am-4pm,
Thurs 9.30am-6pm; free) displays Viking finds, including sections of the
original ramparts and some Viking craftsmen's tools, alongside some
informative accounts of early Århus. Close by, at Domkirkeplads 5, the
Women's Museum (June-Aug daily 10am-5pm; rest of the year Tues-Sun
10am-4pm; www.kvindemuseet.dk ; 25kr) stages temporary exhibitions on
many aspects of women's lives and lifestyles past and present. West
along Vestergade, the thirteenth-century Vor Frue Kirke (Mon-Fri
10am-2pm, Sat 10am-noon) is actually the site of three churches, most
notable of which is the atmospheric eleventh-century crypt church,
discovered beneath several centuries-worth of rubbish during restoration
work on the main church in the 1950s. Look in, also, at the main church,
for Claus Berg's detailed altarpiece, and, through the cloister
remaining from the pre-Reformation monastery, now an old folks' home,
for the medieval frescoes inside the third church, which depict local
working people rather than biblical scenes.
If you've visited the tourist office, you've already been inside the
least interesting section of one of the modern city's major sights, the
Århus Rådhus , a controversial structure built in the 1940s. You're free
to walk in and look for yourself, but it's best to take a guided tour
(10kr) conducted in English at 11am on weekdays during the summer. Above
the entrance hangs Hagedorn Olsen's huge mural, A Human Society ,
symbolically depicting the city emerging from World War II. Perhaps most
interesting are the walls of the small civic room; Albert Naur, who
designed them during the Nazi occupation, concealed various Allied
insignia in their intricate floral patterns. Finally, a lift (late June
to early Sept noon & 2pm; 5kr, included in the tour) climbs to the bell
tower and a view over the city and across the bay.
It's a short walk from here to the city's best-known attraction, Den
Gamle By , on Viborgvej (daily: Jan 11am-3pm; Feb-March & Nov-Dec
10am-4pm; April-May & Sept-Oct 10am-5pm; June-Aug 9am-6pm;
www.dengamleby.dk ; 60kr), an open-air museum of traditional Danish life,
with sixty-odd half-timbered houses from all over the country,
dismantled and moved here piece by piece. Many of the craftsmen's
buildings are used for their original purpose, the overall aim of the
place being to give an impression of an old Danish market town,
something it does very effectively. Fans of Danish art may well prefer
to visit the Århus Art Museum (Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, Wed until 8pm;
www.aarhuskunstmuseum.dk ; 40kr) in Vennelystparken, a little way north,
with works from the late eighteenth century to the modern day, including
the radiant canvases of Asger Jorn and Richard Mortensen, and Bjørn
Nørgaard's sculptured version of Christian IV's tomb: the original, in
Roskilde Cathedral, is stacked with riches; this one features a coffee
cup, an egg and a ballpoint pen.
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