Photo: Joachim Wichmann
ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art is a state-recognised cultural beacon of the region west of Copenhagen called Vestegnen. The museum's building was designed by Danish architect Søren Robert Lund, who won the competition to build a new museum while still a young architecture student. ARKEN was inaugurated in 1996 by H.M. Queen Margrethe II.
With its deconstructivist architecture, ARKEN stands out like a giant stranded ship in the coastal landscape, with its 150-meter-long Art Axis forming the hull. There are other visual elements from the maritime world as well, such as the lifeboat-shaped café overlooking Køge Bay, the raw concrete floors, and the porthole windows in the many tall, heavy doors made of steel, complete with rivets.
The museum has undergone two expansions: in 2008 C.F.Møller's design studio was responsible for a new extension, and in 2009 Søren Robert Lund (SRL Architects) designed the new entrance hall.
Bring your swimsuit along when visiting ARKEN or enjoy a bracing autumn stroll through the salt meadows.
The coastal landscape around the museum features a variety of birds, rare flowers, sea trout and one of Denmark's loveliest sandy beaches on Køge Bay. The museum also borders on several lagoons and the Store Vejleå freshwater stream, providing beautiful habitats for birds and fish, such as perch.
The bright yellow flowers of the rare herb, fleabane, blanket the Strandpark in July-August, while in the meadows you will find sea buckthorn, beach roses and reed grasses.
