CopenHill (Amager Bakke)

CopenHill, officially Amager Bakke, is one of the boldest pieces of architecture in modern Copenhagen and a near-perfect expression of Danish design thinking. Opened in 2017 and designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, it is at once a state-of-the-art waste-to-energy plant and a public mountain, wrapping heavy industrial infrastructure in a recreational landscape that the whole city can use. In a country with almost no natural hills, its architects simply built one.

The idea is disarmingly logical. The plant burns hundreds of thousands of tonnes of household waste each year to produce heat and electricity for tens of thousands of homes, and its long, sloping roof - rising to around eighty-five metres - is put to work as an artificial ski slope, a hiking trail and one of the world's tallest climbing walls. Rather than hide a power station on the edge of town, the design turns it into a destination, and in doing so makes a serious argument about how cities can combine sustainability, infrastructure and everyday joy.

Architecturally it is a landmark. The building's aluminium-brick facade climbs in stacked planters, and the roofscape reads as a genuine slope rather than a gimmick. The project was named World Building of the Year in 2021, confirming its place among the most influential buildings of its generation. For anyone interested in contemporary architecture, it is essential Copenhagen, sitting alongside the city's harbour baths and cycle bridges as proof of a design culture that expects public infrastructure to be beautiful and useful at once.

The visitor experience is refreshingly hands-on. In winter, the dry-slope surface lets skiers and snowboarders of all levels ride runs of varying difficulty; year-round, a hiking path winds up through planted terraces to a rooftop bar and viewpoint. From the summit the panorama takes in the Oresund, the wind turbines offshore, the bridge to Sweden and the low sweep of Copenhagen itself. There is a cafe and bar at the top, making the climb as much a social outing as a sporting one.

Practical planning helps. The rooftop hiking trail and viewpoint are free and open year-round, while skiing, snowboarding and the climbing wall are paid activities with their own seasons and hours; a lift carries less mobile visitors to the summit, though the slopes are steep and uneven. Clear afternoons and the hour before sunset give the best light and views. CopenHill sits in the Amager district east of the centre, reachable by metro or bus and a short walk, with parking on site.

More than a novelty, CopenHill captures something essential about how Denmark builds: pragmatic, green, playful and unafraid to reimagine what a piece of civic infrastructure can be. It rewards a visit both as architecture and as a genuinely fun afternoon out.