Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Aalborg (Denmark). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Aalborg Zoo, Lindholm Høje, and Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum. Also, be sure to include Musikkens Hus in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Aalborg (Nordjylland).
Table of Contents
Aalborg Zoo
Zoo in Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg Zoo is a zoo located near the center of Aalborg in Denmark. Every year, Aalborg Zoo is visited by around 375,000 guests. The zoo covers 8 hectares, and keeps more than 1,500 animals belonging to 126 species.
At the entrance, one can see the sculpture Det gode kup ("the good bargain") from 1925, made by artist C.J. Bonnesen. The sculpture was donated to Aalborg Zoo from the Urban brewery.[1]
Lindholm Høje
Lindholm Høje is a major Viking burial site and former settlement situated to the north of and overlooking the city of Aalborg in Denmark.[2]
Address: Vendilavej 11, 9400 Nørresundby
Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum
Museum in Aalborg, Denmark. The Aalborg Defence and Garrison Museum is a military museum in Aalborg, Denmark that covers all branches of Danish defence organizations.[3]
Address: Skydebanevej 22, 9000 Aalborg
Musikkens Hus
Concert hall in Aalborg, Denmark. Musikkens Hus is a venue in Aalborg, Denmark. It is located at Musikkens Plads by the Limfjord in the new cultural center area of the city. Opened in March 2014, the building contains a concert hall and practice rooms for the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and The Royal Academy of Music. Additional tenants include Orchestra Norden, as well as two of Aalborg University's fine arts divisions, Institute of Music and Danish JazzCenter.
The building features a solar-passive design and faces the riverfront. The educational rooms are constructed in a U shape around the central concert hall.[4]
Address: Musikkens Pl. 1, 9000 Aalborg
Kunsten
Museum in Aalborg, Kingdom of Denmark. KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art is located in Aalborg, Denmark, on Kong Christians Allé near its junction with Vesterbro. Of a modern Scandinavian design, it was built between 1968 and 1972 by Finnish architects Elissa and Alvar Aalto and Danish architect Jean-Jacques Baruël. It was completed on 8 June 1972.
The museum has been termed a "showplace for 20th-century Danish and international art", as it showcases both domestic and international modern art collections. It is described as "strikingly contemporary in both form and content".[5]
Address: Kong Christians Alle 50, 9000 Aalborg
Budolfi Church
Also known as: Budolfi Kirke
Restored Gothic cathedral with a spire. Budolfi Church is the cathedral church for the Lutheran Diocese of Aalborg in north Jutland, Denmark.[6]
Address: Algade 40, 9000 Aalborg
Aalborgtårnet
Observation tower with a restaurant. Aalborgtårnet is a 54.9 metre tall observation tower built of lattice steel in Aalborg, Denmark. The tower is built on a hill, providing a total height of 105 metres above sea level. The tower has a restaurant on the top. The tower was completed in 1933, and underwent a major reconstruction from February 2005 to March 2005, in which the whole tower was pulled down and later reerected.[7]
Address: Soendre Skovvej 30, 9000 Aalborg
Aalborg Søfarts- og Marinemuseum
Also known as: Springeren - Maritimt Oplevelsescenter
Museum in Aalborg, Kingdom of Denmark. Aalborg Søfarts- og Marinemuseum is a marine museum located on the wharf of Aalborg, Denmark. Inaugurated on 24 May 1992, by Margrethe II of Denmark, the museum's collections have been expanded considerably since opening. They now include an extensive collection of ship radios and navigation instruments, showing the development of such tools.[8]
Address: Vestre Fjordvej 81, 9000 Aalborg
Limfjordsbroen
Bascule bridge in Nørresundby, Denmark. Limfjordsbroen is a Danish bridge which connects Nørresundby and Aalborg over Limfjord, a shallow sound. It was inaugurated 30 March 1933 in the presence of approximately 30,000 spectators and attended by Thorvald Stauning. It was a toll bridge until 1935. The first fixed link between the two cities was established in 1865 in the form of a pontoon bridge, which was in use until the present bridge was established; the original bridge was slow to open and close when ship traffic passed. The bridge was built, without any fatalities, between 1930–33 with 100-200 workers on the construction site. Large sections were built on Aalborg's waterfront west of the bridge's current location. A week before the inauguration, a load test occurred with 48 fully laden trucks placed on the bridge's leaf. A 1960 extension lane increased the bridge's width from 8.5 metres to 12.5 metres. A bike path and walking area were added as well. The horizontal clearance measures 98 feet. Route 180 crosses the bridge.[9]
Abbey of Our Lady
Also known as: Vor Frue Kirke
Light-filled church built in the 1100s. The Abbey of Our Lady, Aalborg was an early Benedictine monastery in Aalborg, Denmark. The former monastic church survived a parish church until 1876 when it was demolished. The present Vor Frue Kirke was built on the site between 1877-1878.[10]
Address: Vor Frue Pl. 1, 9000 Aalborg
Østre Anlæg
Park in Aalborg, Kingdom of Denmark. Østre Anlæg is a city park in Aalborg, Denmark. The 6.5 hectares park on Bonnesensgade is one of the oldest in the city. There are approximately 175,000 visitors per year. Used as a dumping area in the 1920s, it was converted into a recreational area in the next two decades. A children's playground was added in 1937. In addition to lawn areas, bushes, flowers, and trees, the park contains a lake, which is overlooked by St. Mark's Church on the east. Fifty-one species of bird have been recorded.[11]
Aalborghus
Historic fortress in a scenic setting. Aalborghus Castle is a castle in Aalborg, Denmark. It is a half-timbered castle built by King Christian III from 1539 to around 1555 initially as a fortification.
A building had existed at the site before Christian III's castle. It stood south of the castle and is mentioned in the first documentation of Aalborghus, dating back to 1340. It was owned by Margrethe I and was the death place of King Hans in 1513 who died in a horse riding accident.
King Frederik I had originally intended to destroy the initial building around 1530 and moving to a different site to convert Aalborg's Franciscan monastery into a castle. However he left the decision to his son Christian III, who later decided to demolish the original in 1539 and contracted the royal architect Morten Bussert to build a new fortified castle north of the old site, near the Limfjord. A barrier wall was built alongside the fjord, and later in 1633, King Christian IV built a north wing facing the port, which was used as a granary for the storage of food supplies such as grain. A western wing was built to the same effect later, holding other supplies such as meats and fish.
The south-facing wing was created between 1808 and 1809 but all that remains today of the original castle is the east wing.
Between 1954 and 1964 the old granaries underwent full renovation by the Royal Inspector of Listed Buildings, Leopold Teschl, who converted them into council offices.[12]
Address: Slotspladsen 1, 9000 Aalborg
Old City Hall
Also known as: Aalborg Rådhus
Local government office in Aalborg, Denmark. The Old City Hall at Gammeltorv Aalborg, Denmark, was built in 1762 and served as city hall until 1912. It is located at Gammeltorv and is now only used for ceremonial and representative purposes.[13]
Address: Gammeltorv 2, 9000 Aalborg
Aalborg Historical Museum
Also known as: Aalborg Historiske Museum
Museum showcasing city heritage. Aalborg Historical Museum is a historical and cultural museum in the city of Aalborg in Denmark. The museum was established in 1863 and is now part of The Historical Museum of Northern Jutland.[14]
Address: Algade 48, 9000 Aalborg
Jens Bang's House
Also known as: Jens Bangs Stenhus
Psychologist in Aalborg, Kingdom of Denmark. Jens Bang's House is a landmark in Aalborg, Denmark. Situated on Østerågade in Nytorv square, it was built in 1624 by Jens Bang in Dutch Renaissance style. Noted for its gables and sculpted auricular window décor, it is said to be the finest privately owned Renaissance building in the country. It also features gargoyles and a sculpture of Bang's face, tongue sticking out. The five-storey building has housed the city's oldest pharmacy for more than 300 years. It is privately owned.[15]
Address: Oesteraagade 9, 9000 Aalborg
Kildeparken
Park in Aalborg, Denmark. Kildeparken is a large public park in Aalborg, Denmark. It is bounded by the streets Europahallen, Vesterbro, Old Kærvej, and the railway. It is possible to reach it from John F. Kennedys Plads through a tunnel. The park features a small lake with a fountain, sculptures, an open-air stage, and ”the Singing Trees” which were planted by notable artists. Said to be the oldest park of Aalborg, the park boasts traditional statues like the Three Graces by Bertel Thorvaldsen and the Bacchus Child by Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. The park hosts concerts and is the center of Aalborg Carnival, an annual event.[16]
Address: Gammel Kærvej 11, 9000 Aalborg, Aalborg
Cimbrian Bull
Also known as: Cimbrertyren
Sculpture by Anders Bundgaard. Cimbrian Bull is 1937 bronze sculpture by Anders Bundgaard. located in central Aalborg, Denmark. It has become a symbol of the city of Aalborg as well as of the Himmerland region of northern Jutland.[17]
Utzon Center
The Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark, was the last building to be designed by Jørn Utzon, the architect behind the Sydney Opera House. In collaboration with his son Kim, who provided the final construction drawings, he planned the centre not as a museum but as a place where students of architecture could meet and discuss their ideas for the future. Located on the Limfjord waterfront in the city where Utzon spent his childhood, the building was completed in 2008, the year Utzon died.[18]
Address: Slotspladsen 4, 9000 Aalborg
John F. Kennedys Plads
John F. Kennedys Plads is located in central Aalborg, Denmark. Dedicated to the 35th President of the United States, it contains a horse and rider statue of Christian IX of Denmark. Reserved for pedestrians, the site is constructed of granite and concrete tiles. Aalborg Train Station, Aalborg Bus Terminal, Kennedy Arcade, and Park Hotel Aalborg are adjacent to the square.[19]
Address: John F. Kennedys Plads 3, Aalborg
Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden
Bascule bridge in Denmark. The Limfjord Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the Vendsyssel railway line across the Limfjord, a shallow sound separating the North Jutlandic Island from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula, between Aalborg and Nørresundby in North Jutland, Denmark.
The current bridge was inaugurated in 1938 and replaced an earlier bridge from 1879. It has a length of 403 metres (1,322 ft) and is a bascule bridge of steel truss design with nine spans. The bridge carries a single railway track which has a maximum authorized speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph).[20]