Bellahøj is an area situated 5 kilometres to the northwest of central

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It features the Bellahøj Houses, a functionalist

housing project Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

, as well as parkland with an open-air theatre. The 37 metre high hill situated in Bellahøj Park is the highest point in Copenhagen. The area offers an extensive view over the skyline of Copenhagen.

History and description

King

Charles X Gustav of Sweden Charles X Gustav, also Carl X Gustav (; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's ...

's fortified camp Carlstad was located at the site during his siege of Copenhagen from 1658 to 1660. The area later belonged to a farm which moved out from the village of Utterslev in 1791. The estate was acquired by

Copenhagen Municipality Copenhagen Municipality (), also known in English language, English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the Capital Region of Denmark, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other three ...

in 1932. The area was used for

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...

s between 1938 and 1967. The old farmhouse was converted into a restaurant in 1938 and is still used as such. Copenhagen Municipality sold the building in 2005 The Bellahøj Houses contains 28

tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. ...

s. Each block has between 9 and 13 floors. The housing project was among the earliest in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. It was completed in 1956. The park contains an open-air theatre which was built from surplus earth from the construction of the Bellahøj Houses in the 1950s. It was designed by Carl Theodor Sørensen and seats 2,000 spectators. In 1965, Copenhagen Municipality built an exhibition centre,

Bella Center Bella Center (abbreviated BC) is Scandinavia's second largest exhibition and conference center (after Messecenter Herning), and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in Ørestad between the city centre and Copenhagen Airport, it offers an ...

, which kept its name when it moved to its current location on

Amager Amager ( ), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the ...

in 1975. The old building is now used as a sports centre under the name Grøndal MultiCenter. Other buildings in the area include Bellahøj School, a hostel and Bellahøj Swimming Centre. The park also contains three or four burial mounds from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. In the southeastern corner is a small wooded area. The trees are mainly

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

and ash. The

Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix is a Historic motorsport, vintage motor sports car race held annually on the grounds of Bellahøj in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has been arranged since 2001 (at Fælledparken from 2001 to 2012) except 2020 and takes pl ...

auto race is held on the streets of Bellahøj.

References

External links

Information on BellahøjBellahøj Huse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellahoj Brønshøj-Husum