6 million light yellow bricks, a striking (49m high) facade that looks like a church organ, a minimalistic and clean interior and situated in a residential neighborhood where all the houses have been built with identical bricks: this is the fairly unknown Grundtvig’s church, one of Copenhagen’s iconic monuments.
Reminding me of that famous church in Reykjavik (Hallgrimskirkja), I feel Grundtvig has its own charm, surrounded by small residential houses that it seems to guard and protect. A little off the beaten path, Grundtvig’s church is situated on a hill top 30 minutes biking from the city center but certainly worth a visit.
The imposing Grundtvig’s church was built between 1921 and 1940 as a memorial to N.F.S. Grundtvig – a famed Danish pastor, philosopher, historian, and politician of the 19th century. The church was designed by Peder Vilhelm Jensen Klint who was inspired by Gothic brick churches, making this a rare merging of Brick Expressionism (like the Chile Hause in Hamburg, Germany) and Gothic architecture.
Travel tips Copenhagen
Considering a trip to Copenhagen? Go and check this blog post where I sliced the city in 3 layers: the historic, alternative and design layers. A lot of hidden gems can be found in Copenhagen where I wrote earlier about the yellow houses of Nyboder. As a regular visitor to the city I had this weird urge to visit Grundtvigs church, yet another off the beaten path place. It took me a while, but finally last August I managed to hop on a bike, cycle 30 minutes up hill (at least some parts…) and arrived early evening just before sunset. If you don’t fancy riding the bike, take bus 6A and get off at Bispebjerg Torv.
Church Copenhagen
I arrived early evening, too late to have a look inside. Check this link for pictures of the interior. After having seeing these, I have made a promise to myself go back soon!
2 comments
At a glimpse I did think of Hallgrimskirkja when I saw your first photo, only it doesn’t quite like the one in Reykjavik. This is the first time I read about Grundtvigs Church and from your photos it does look like it’s worth the 30-minute bike uphill. Did you visit this church in the summer?
Grundtvig is indeed not a very known building. It’s definitely not on the list of top things to see in Copenhagen, probably because it’s out of town. I visited early August, beautiful summer day!