CopenHill

CopenHill is the building that sums up modern Copenhagen in a single, slightly mad idea: a power plant that you can ski down. The Amager Resource Centre, which burns the city's household waste to produce electricity and district heating, opened in 2017 on the industrial harbourfront of Amager, and its designers, the Danish architecture practice BIG, led by Bjarke Ingels, gave it a sloping roof covered in an artificial ski slope, with a hiking trail, trees and a viewing platform at the top. The public rooftop opened in the autumn of 2019 and has been one of the most talked-about pieces of architecture in Europe ever since. For most visitors the best way to experience it is the hiking trail, which is free. It zigzags up the side of the building through planted terraces of grasses, shrubs and small trees, rising to the summit at around eighty-five metres, where the view opens out over the harbour, the city's towers and spires, the Oresund and the Middelgrunden offshore wind farm, with Sweden on the horizon on clear days. The walk takes about twenty to thirty minutes up at a steady pace, and you can take the lift instead if you prefer. The ski slope is real: it is covered in a synthetic surface that can be skied all year round, with drag lifts, a freestyle area and slopes for beginners and experienced skiers, and you can rent skis, boards and boots on site from the ski shop. Skiing is paid by the session, with a lift card, insurance and equipment rental on top, so it is not cheap, but it is a unique experience. On the side of the building, an artificial climbing wall rises about eighty-five metres, described as the tallest in the world, for certified climbers with a booking. There is a cafe and an after-ski bar for a drink with a view. CopenHill is open all year, but hours vary by season and by activity, and the slope can close in bad weather, so check the official opening hours before you go. The address is Vindmollevej 6 on Amager, reached by bike from the centre in about fifteen minutes, or by bus.

The idea behind it is serious. Copenhagen aims to be a leader in sustainable urban living, and CopenHill turns a piece of essential but unloved infrastructure into a public park, making the plant a place people want to visit rather than hide from. The plant itself is one of the cleanest of its kind, and the building's facade of stacked aluminium bricks, with windows that let light into the plant, is as striking up close as from afar. For architecture fans, it is one of the key works of BIG, whose buildings you will also see elsewhere in the city, from the panda house at Copenhagen Zoo to the 8 House in Orestad.

How to visit well: choose a clear day for the view, and go in the late afternoon for the light over the harbour, or at sunset in summer. Wear sturdy shoes for the trail, which is steep in places and can be slippery after rain. If you want to ski, book a session in advance, as slots fill up at weekends, and check whether rental is included. Children can ski too, and there are lessons for beginners. In winter, dress warmly, as the summit is exposed to the wind off the sea. The after-ski bar is a fun place to finish, whether or not you have skied.

CopenHill sits on the edge of Refshaleoen and the old industrial harbour, and it combines well with other modern Copenhagen sights. Across the water, Refshaleoen has street food in summer, galleries and some of the city's best restaurants, and the Church of Our Saviour and Christiania are a short ride away in Christianshavn. Cycling there along the harbour is the most Danish way to arrive, and the city bike-sharing system makes it easy. For families, the slope and the rooftop make an unusual and memorable outing, and the free hike is one of the best value experiences in an expensive city.