Driven by the idea of making the most of my last months in Copenhagen, I’ve decided to create a looooooot of Copenhagen art. It’s my sentimental way of closing a wonderful chapter of living here for the past 5 years. 

The whole idea of me sketching around the city, observing the people, looking closely at the architecture, briefing the fresh air and appreciating the surrounding waters feels hygge to me.

If you google ‘hygge’, there is not one explanation of its meaning. So in my understanding and you can correct me if I am wrong, it means to love, celebrate good moments, appreciate small things and make the most of what you have. Hence I called this creative adventure – ‘My farewell hugely hyggelig Copenhagen Project’. 

beach me

Beachy 'suburbs'

this is where my Copenhagen art project started

Since the day I came to Copenhagen, I fell in love with the idea of living close to the sea. My first year in Copenhagen was quite lonely due to Covid lockdown (what great timing that was…not!). So daily walks on the beach practically saved me from going bananas. At some point, pushed by the need to give back to the sea, I’ve joined the volunteer team of Nordic Ocean Watch, who organise regular beach clean ups.

During my first few years as an expat I lived close to the beaches north of Copenhagen like Klampenborg and Charlottenlund. Both are relatively vast with a lot of green areas around them. On top of that, Klampenborg beach connects with Dyrehavn – a great nature park full of trees and deer.

Copenhagen art
Copenhagen art

Amager

dunes, wind and the sea

If we look for sand in Copenhagen, Amager Beach is part of a beautiful nature park. There are dunes, tall grass, lots of birds and vast sandy beaches connected with sport areas, blobs of grass for a picnic, saunas and whatever you ask for on a warm sunny day. 

My second favourite place in Amager is Bybi. a small local producer of honey, advocate for the bees and one of the communities which were a part of my expat experience in Copenhagen. From time to time I would volunteer during honey production or help with their art projects.

Copenhagen art
Copenhagen art

Østerbro

green neighbourhood and home of Little Mermaid

Once I was ready to leave the beach for a bit, I moved onto city sketching. I’ve started in Osterbro, where I met with my friend and city guide Esther (Njoy Copenhagen) to have a chat about my project. What a great idea to enrich my Copenhagen exploration with tips from a real Copenhagen guide!

My absolute favourite in Osterbro is …well a lot! Just the area around Osterport Station has two giant green blobs on the map – Kastellet and Østre Anlæg. Proper nature escape in the middle of the city. One of the sides of Kastellet is overlooking the big canal and you can walk from there to Langeline to visit the Little Mermaid or take Havnebussen (a yellow boat which is a part of public transport here) to the street food market in Reffen.

Another city oasis are The Lakes with a really nice ambience created by people jogging, chilling in the shade of many conker trees or just hanging out with friends. In fact Osterbro is my soft spot, as this is where I spent 2 wonderful years being a part of an art collective in Art Escape Studios. Hence I was a regular explorer of this part of Copenhagen.

Copenhagen art
esther

Nørrebro

hip, vibrant and welcoming

Just on the other side of The Lakes, there is Norrebro. It’s not as neat and elegant as other parts of Copenhagen but it’s definitely funky, colourful and delicious when it comes to street food! No wonder that it made on to the list of Coolest Neighbourhoods in the world (published by ‘Time Out’ in 2021).

Just cycle around Superkillen Park, climb in Banana Park, visit the library to learn Danish with a local volunteer or eat a good kebab. On a hot day chill and let your existential thoughts flow while laying on the grass in Assistence Cementery (it’s not weird as it sounds…there are a lot of picnic areas there!).

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Copenhagen art

Nordhavn

gem of modern architecture

My first impression of Nordhavn was ‘concrete jungle’. However once I looked closer, I appreciated the diverse shapes and textures presented by its architectural style. Paradise for architects, as it’s a home to one of their gods – BIG Design Company, who has a neat HQ building here. Cactus Towers and Copenhill in Copenhagen or Lego House in Billund are just a few of their amazing designs.

So 1st architecture, 2nd surrounding water, which is clean and swimming  friendly! Come here in the summer to experience crowded wooden beaches just outside the apartments. What a treat for the people that live here!

Copenhagen art
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City Centre

full of bikes and untouched historical buildings

The oldest street in Copenhagen Magstraede translates into ‘toilet street’. Created in 1520 it was a location with public latrines. Nowadays it’s worth visiting for the colourful houses. The City Centre is best to visit just walking around and getting lost among charming streets and city parks. There are so many highlights around here, that I am giving up on fitting them in my little blog post.

When we arrived in Copenhagen, we were regularly visiting the city centre with the main focus on LEGO Store and hot dogs. Our sons were huuuuuge LEGO fans back then. In fact it was the idea of living in the ‘home of LEGO’, which helped them to accept our move to Denmark.

norreport
Copenhagen art

Christianshaven

freedom of creativity

It’s mostly known for Christiania with a lot of graffiti and open minded people. This is also where Christiania Bikes come from. However there is plenty more that defines Christianshaven.

It’s made out of many small islands and it’s probably best to explore it by boat. Just float around charming canals. One of my absolute favourites here is the Circle Bridge. Google it, it’s such a great construction! 

Copenhagen art
christ2

Frederiksberg

taste of France

It’s a great pleasure to cycle down charming Frederiksberg Alle with rows of massive linden trees on both sides. Generally it’s a very green district with a Zoo, mysterious museum Cisterne and Frederiksberg Gardens, which offer a lot of zen places to slappe af (relax in Danish).

fred
cisterne

Carlsberg

home of beer

In House of Carlsberg  one can learn the fascinating history of J.C.Jacobsen, a passionate man with a huge curiosity and big drive to make danish beer the best in the world. To be honest I am not a big fan of beer, but inspired by the story about beer production and how it changed this part of Copenhagen, I dived into beer tasting just after visiting the museum.

Carlsberg is a new district and I enjoy the atmosphere of it a lot (yes, even when I don’t drink beer!). Just by the fact that it has 25 specially designed and crafted urban spaces in gardens for the locals, Carlsberg earns a lot of points as a good neighbourhood.

Copenhagen art
carlsberg

Vesterbro

explore off the beaten path

It wasn’t until I moved to the south of Copenhagen, that I started exploring the vibrant Vesterbro. How could I not know about it before? This is where I take my friends when they visit me. Absolutely the best mix in town of great food, cosy little coffee shops, a lot of trees and classic architecture without many tourists…or none, apart from my friends of course.

First on the list of my favourites is Sunny Boulevard with a green area in the middle, basketball courts, ping pong, cafés and finally the Absalon Folk House. Further north, there is Enghave Plads with iconic red benches, an awesome record store Beat and loads of flowers in the summer.

Another gem is the Meat Packing District, which in fact is a funky place with bars, galleries and a really good shop with Asian food.

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Copenhagen art

Sydhavn

seal Sluzy spends her winters here

After 3 years of our stay in Denmark, we had to leave the north of Copenhagen and move to the south to Sluseholmen in Sydhavn. As the highlights on the north were wonderful beaches and forests, here in Sydhavn the highlight is our local seal. Yes, that’s right, in winter we are regularly visited by a cute seal and the locals named her Sluzy from the name of the area.

As the city is ending here, it’s a great getaway to Sydhavn Tippen, a vast green area with imported llamas that roam free and are usually happy to pose for a photo. 

Copenhagen art
sluzy

Islands Brygge

enjoyment of living at the waterfront

Modern living location for those who love water and sun. Apartments blocks are designed in a way that allows as much sun exposure as possible. Some of them look like they are made of lego bricks with each balcony angled differently so people don’t steal each other’s sun. Wooden beaches, swimming areas and the city centre is accessible with a yellow boat.

island brygge
Copenhagen art

What's next?

where are the remaining 245 sketches?

After months of drawing, I scanned all Copenhagen art and organised them in Photoshop into a big poster, which looks a bit like a map. On top of sketches of the city, I’ve added some on the subject of Danish traditions, culture and quirks.

Currently I am working on preparing for the exhibition, where you, dear reader, will be able to see the remaining sketches on the poster as well as a collection of watercolours and acrylics.

So if you are in Copenhagen on 15th of March 2025, I am warmly inviting you to come to the opening night (FB event here) at my favourite local cafe here is Sluseholmen (starts at 7pm at Ricco’s Kaffebar Sluseholmen). Otherwise posters and chosen illustrations will be available in my online shop after the exhibition. 

andersen3
mugaska leaflet

How do I feel about leaving Copenhagen?

A bit of my story

It was 2018 when I first got to know that our family woud have to move to Copenhagen. To be honest, I didnt want it at all. As much as I always loved to travel, Warsaw, Poland was my golden centre with friends and life long friends. Haunted by a thought ‘What would i do without them?’, I moved to Copenhagen in 2020.

Now I am getting ready to leave Copenhagen after 5 years of living here. Well..I feel like I am having deja vu… Copenhagen became my second home and I am dreading the moment when I leave my local friends to move to the next location.

My husband says I would be able to make anywhere my golden centre, even a remote island. Well…I guess it’s true but it doesn’t mean i wont miss you Copenhagen, just like I miss Warsaw.