Noteworthy Adventures (Part I and Part II)

As an architecture student, there are certain things that I am expected to find incredibly interesting, and certain buildings which I am expected to be willing to give my left hand to go see.  I've found that from time to time, I discover that these fashionable new buildings, which receive so much attention from every direction, are incredibly fluff-filled.  In a bad way.  That being said, one of these necessary projects to visit in København is the Harbor Baths, by BIG.  I wish I could say that I am more in-touch with contemporary architects- I wish I were like most of the people I know who could rattle off every major practicing firm in the world right now.  I am not.  So, I knew very little about BIG or the Harbor Baths before I got here.  But, like I said, it is one of those places that an architecture student MUST go to.  And, any building worth a damn is really better to visit when people are using it (as much as architects love pictures of empty buildings).  While I have 9 months in Denmark, most of those 9 months will be very cold.  So cold, in fact, that the baths are closed from September 1st to May 30th.  Meaning, more specifically, that we had only until the 31st of August to actually go use the baths.  Not surprisingly, along with several other Cal Poly architecture students, I went to the Harbor Baths on the last day of the swimming season.  While I may be a skeptic, they were FANTASTIC!

The Harbor Baths and city beyond

First of all, they were designed as a way to help re-invigorate what was until the 80's or 90's an industrial part of the city- you see, the harbor which is now home to some of the most stupendously beautiful Scandinavian architecture of our time, was actually, well, a harbor.  In fact, it was the heart of Copenhagen's industrial world.  Canneries, tanneries, etc, were scattered amongst warehouses for goods shipped in by barge or boat.  The waterline itself was lined by heavily trafficked streets and parking.  But, as the industrial activities of the harbor began to move farther away- either to distant countries or perhaps Jutland, the harbor area began to go out of use.  The local government needed to attract a new clientele to the water.  In a socially progressive decision, they moved to recreate the harbor as a center for leisure, learning, and the arts, as well as to create a home for more of the countries urban dwellers (over 25% of all Danish residents live in København!).  Because of this, one finds green spaces all along the water, as well as pedestrian and bike paths, the new Opera House, the Royal Library (called the Black Diamond), and, of course, the Baths.  In case that sounds really high-tech or expensive, it isn't.  Essentially the Harbor Baths is a pier or dock out over the water, which floats up and down with the tide.  The center is cut out in several places, leaving room for a lap pool, and sitting pool, and, most importantly, a jumping pool.  This pool sits right next to a large ziggurat (stepped pyramid) shaped structure with a stairway and places to sit in the sun.  It is perhaps 16 feet tall, and at the top, there is a place to jump back into the jumping pool.  We all jumped at least twice, and let me tell you, it was HIGH!  And, the water was COLD!  But, it was such a sense of exhilaration as you fell from way up there into what you already knew was going to be like a wall of liquid ice.

Justin, Grant, and I mid-jump!

I think we would have stayed longer (they are open until 7 PM), but we had to run off to go to a Cafe Night with our Danish classes, which was delicious.  But, in a rush to go somewhere on time where we needed to look nice, changing back into our clothes was pretty funny.  There is no changing structure on the Bath dock itself, but in a park close by.  We didn't have time for that, and had to manage hiding behind out towels from one another.  Oh well.  It was kind of funny actually.  The last thing I will say is that the Baths are really beautiful- made completely out of wood, and well constructed.  And, they seemed to do exactly what the Harbor area is attempting.  As we jumped over and over again into the water we became an attraction that brought people down to the water.  People actually walked over from the green spaces and stopped to watch the spectacle.  And not in a weird or embarrassing way, but in a curious, fun, and enthusiastic way instead.  This project had a way of lighting up the space, and creating a completely new situation out of nothing.

Shelley, Justin, Michael, and Marcella up at the top of the structure.

Second, this weekend I went with a DIS sponsored trip to Helsingør and Kronborg.  To put that into a more clear form:  Helsingør is translated as Elsinore in English, and "borg" means castle.  Anyone who as read Shakespeare should know what I am talking about: Elsinore Castle, the home of Hamlet.  So yes, I went to see Hamlet's castle.  But not exactly.  Helsingør is not a building, but a town which contains a castle, called Kronborg.  This was the first of many, many, changes to the setting that Shakespeare created for his play.  Anyway, the town was absolutely adorable.  It had small, winding roads (typical of a town created in the Middle Ages), a lively pedestrian street where all sorts of things, including cheeses, were for sale, restaurants, and also, its very own shopping mall.  I learned from Inga upon getting home that night that Helsingør is well know for its delicious, large ice cream cones.

The walking street of Helsingør- a sale outside almost every store!

L



Lucky me- I got one without knowing that!  Not only did I have a delicious scoop of Banana Split ice
cream, but I also learned that there is such a thing as licorice ice cream (which I do not like), as well as a flavor called "Toms", which is butter rum (and I also don't like).  Shelley got "Lion" flavor, which seemed to be a toffee/coffee/chocolate chip variety (I liked that a lot more), and then we walked from the town to the castle, which was always in site out towards the sea.

Shelley- Enjoying her 'Lion' ice cream!

Around the castle are bastions, which are what give the star-shaped form to the grounds of so many castles.  You see, during the Middle Ages, strong thick walls were enough to fortify the typical building.  However, with the invention of the cannon, these walls became incredibly easy to penetrate, ant therefore, useless.  Quickly then, bastions were invented.  Essentially, they are earthen mounds which are build in zig-zagging shapes for stability.  They are fronted by a ditch, frequently filled with water, and backed by an earthen ledge big enough to support troops or cannons.  You enter the fortified ring (ok, star) by a bridge which cuts a hole in the defenses.

The view back to the bridge from the top of the bastions.

From there, you must cross another bridge over a second moat to approach the castle.  Like in many castles, the entry is not on-line with either of the bridges.  In fact, you cross the first bridge, turn right, cross the second bridge, turn left, turn right, go up a hill, and turn right again- this time, under an arch and into the center courtyard of the building.  While this seems tedious or superfluous, it was, of course, another defense mechanism, and kept attackers from gaining too much momentum upon their approach.  In keeping with Shakespeare's vision, the process of entering the castle suggests an old, stone structure with long, dark hallways, and dark, brutal dungeons.  In fact, I came to Helsingør expecting just that.  But again, Shakespeare was either taking creative liberties, or was simply mistaken.  The castle was actually built in the mid 1600's, making it a Renaissance Castle similar to many of the Chateaux one can find in the Loire Valley of France.

Defensive wall and moat, with Kronborg visible in the distance.

 At one time, it probably did have some resemblance to Hamlet's castle, as the original Kronborg was built in the 1420's.  Like many things in Denmark, it burnt down, not once, but twice (the second time, being rebuilt in the late 1500's).  The final, THIRD version, was constructed by Christian the Fourth, perhaps the most famous Danish King.  He was a prolific builder, creating Christianshavn, the hedgehog-shaped island in Copenhagen, Rosenborg Castle (where the national treasury is now), and the Stock-Exchange building.  He was also a prolific war-maker, but not a very good one.  He lost every war he entered into... and died leaving the country almost completely in debt.

The central courtyard of Kronborg.

The castle itself was beautiful from the outside, but rather sparse on the interior.  You see, Sweden is very, very close to Helsingør.  In fact, that was why the castle was built in the first place- at one point, Denmark owned much of what is now Sweden, and at Helsingør a bottleneck for ships formed.  This made for very lucrative business for the Danish government, taxing ships along what was the most profitable shipping route between the Northern countries and the rest of Europe.  And when I say Sweden is close- I mean CLOSE.  All along the coast (at least this far North of Copenhagen) you can see it across the water.

The view from the back side of the Castle, out over the Strait.  And yes, that's Sweden over there.

 Unfortunately, when Sweden gained its independence, this was not particularly safe for Denmark.  I guess they didn't get along very well, and Sweden, holding a grudge for all of those years of being forced to be Danish, invaded, taking most of the precious objects from the castle.  Also, Kronborg was used as a prison from the 1700's to the 1900's, and was a military building until the 1920's.  The beautiful chapel, in fact, was the storage facility for the army's gunpowder (think of how well that worked for the Greeks at the Parthenon!).

The great hall, set up for an intimate opera, the next evening.  Note the bare walls...

But, as of 2000, the Castle is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  It has been restored, slowly, although much of the original furnishings have either been destroyed... or are now in a royal household or museum in Sweden somewhere...  I think the most fun part of the castle by far was the cellar, called the Casemates.  For a few moments, it did feel like Shakespeare's Hamlet was leading the way- it was incredibly dark, and maze-like, with low arcades and tunnels at every turn, and candles lighting the way vaguely.  The Casemates are also home to the famous statue of Holger Danske ("Holger the Dane"), a mythical defender of Denmark who will come to life and take action if ever Denmark is in need of his aid.  During WWII, when Denmark was "peaceably" occupied by the Nazis, the Danish Resistance movement was named in his honor.

Holger Dansk, the heroic Viking, pondering the fate of his country.

Because there is so much to talk about, I have divided this post into 2 volumes.  In Part III and IV:
    Greve Strand & the DIS Picnic