Bellevue Beach
Encyclopedia
Bellevue Beach often simply referred to as Bellevue, is a beach at Klampenborg
on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. With up to 500,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most popular beaches in the Copenhagen area, although it attracts somewhat fewer Copenhageners since the inauguration of the Amager Beach Park
and the Copenhagen Harbour Baths
in 2005.
Bellevue is a 700-metre-long sandy beach with adjoining lawn
s. The characteristic blue-striped, almost cartoonish, lifeguard tower
s and the geometric kiosks were designed by Danish architect and furniture designer Arne Jacobsen
in 1932.
became legally mandated
, Denmark's coastline became the country's most popular holiday destination. Gentofte Municipality made plans to develop a piece of coastline north of Copenhagen into a seaside resort complex combining an existing park designed by the landscape architect C.Th. Sørensen with beach facilities catering to some 15,000 paying visitors a day. Three architects were invited to submit plans for a Bellevue beach complex. The winner was the young architect Arne Jacobsen
, who had just opened his office. Characteristic of his approach to architecture and design—he was preoccupied with the concept of Gesamtkunst
—Jacobsen designed everything from bathing cabins
, lifeguard towers and kiosks to tickets and uniforms for the staff. The complex also included the Bellavista apartment buildings
(1934), a restaurant and the Bellevue Theatre
(1936), all of which still stand today in the immediate vicinity of the beach.
The quest for recreation by the growing masses called for physical as well as social solutions and change. A political initiative provided the pre-requisites for creating a beach at Bellevue. In June 1932 the Bellevue beach was inaugurated by Danish Prime Minister Stauning. It immediately became the most popular summer resort in Copenhagen. A direct return tram ticket from the city to Bellevue, including the beach entrance fee, was at the affordable price of 30 øre (less than five cents).
Klampenborg
Klampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many large houses....
on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. With up to 500,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most popular beaches in the Copenhagen area, although it attracts somewhat fewer Copenhageners since the inauguration of the Amager Beach Park
Amager Strandpark
Amager Strandpark is a seaside public park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on the island of Amager and includes an artificial island and offers a total of of beaches. Amager Strandpark is a Blue Flag beach and the adjacent Kastrup Marina as well as the nearby Dragør Marina also enjoy Blue...
and the Copenhagen Harbour Baths
Copenhagen Harbour Baths
Copenhagen Harbour Baths is a system of recreational bathing facilities along the waterfront of Copenhagen, Denmark. There are currently three harbour baths, the first and most well-known of which is located at Islands Brygge...
in 2005.
Bellevue is a 700-metre-long sandy beach with adjoining lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
s. The characteristic blue-striped, almost cartoonish, lifeguard tower
Lifeguard tower
Lifeguard towers are used to watch and supervise swimmers in order to prevent drownings and other dangers. Lifeguards scan for trouble from the structures, which vary from beach bungalows by the ocean to poolside towers. Lifeguard towers are also used to spot sharks and other threats.The towers...
s and the geometric kiosks were designed by Danish architect and furniture designer Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen
Arne Emil Jacobsen, usually known as Arne Jacobsen, was a Danish architect and designer. He is remembered for contributing so much to architectural Functionalism as well as for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple but effective chair designs.-Early life and education:Arne Jacobsen was born...
in 1932.
History
In the 1930s, when the right to vacationVacation
A vacation or holiday is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations...
became legally mandated
Labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of legal rights and claimed human rights having to do with labor relations between workers and their employers, usually obtained under labor and employment law. In general, these rights' debates have to do with negotiating workers' pay, benefits, and safe...
, Denmark's coastline became the country's most popular holiday destination. Gentofte Municipality made plans to develop a piece of coastline north of Copenhagen into a seaside resort complex combining an existing park designed by the landscape architect C.Th. Sørensen with beach facilities catering to some 15,000 paying visitors a day. Three architects were invited to submit plans for a Bellevue beach complex. The winner was the young architect Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen
Arne Emil Jacobsen, usually known as Arne Jacobsen, was a Danish architect and designer. He is remembered for contributing so much to architectural Functionalism as well as for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple but effective chair designs.-Early life and education:Arne Jacobsen was born...
, who had just opened his office. Characteristic of his approach to architecture and design—he was preoccupied with the concept of Gesamtkunst
Gesamtkunstwerk
A Gesamtkunstwerk is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so...
—Jacobsen designed everything from bathing cabins
Beach hut
A beach hut is a small, usually wooden and often brightly coloured, box above the high tide mark on popular bathing beaches. They are generally used as a shelter from the sun or wind, changing into and out of swimming costumes and for the safe storing of some personal belongings...
, lifeguard towers and kiosks to tickets and uniforms for the staff. The complex also included the Bellavista apartment buildings
Bellavista housing estate
The Bellavista housing estate designed by Arne Jacobsen is the clearest example of Bauhaus architecture in Denmark. Completed in 1934, the estate is located just north of Copenhagen, in Klampenborg, Gentofte Municipality, next to Jacobsen's Bellevue Beach, which had been completed a couple of years...
(1934), a restaurant and the Bellevue Theatre
Bellevue Teatret
The Bellevue Teatret is a theatre in Klampenborg at the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Opened in 1936 to the design of Arne Jacobsen, the building is considered one of his most important architectural works and examplar of Danish functionalism...
(1936), all of which still stand today in the immediate vicinity of the beach.
The quest for recreation by the growing masses called for physical as well as social solutions and change. A political initiative provided the pre-requisites for creating a beach at Bellevue. In June 1932 the Bellevue beach was inaugurated by Danish Prime Minister Stauning. It immediately became the most popular summer resort in Copenhagen. A direct return tram ticket from the city to Bellevue, including the beach entrance fee, was at the affordable price of 30 øre (less than five cents).
In popular culture
- In the song Hot, the second track on their debut album Nik & JayNik & Jay (album)Nik & Jay is the self-titled, first studio album by the Danish Pop duo Nik & Jay.-Track listing:#"Det vi gør" - 2:30#"Hot!" – 3:12#"Elsker hende mere" – 3:44#"Ryst din røv" – 3:21#"Nik & Jay" – 3:42#"Tch-Tching" – 4:04#"Tag mig tilbage" – 4:52...
, Danish Hip-Hop/popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo Nik & Jay describe a drive up the coast from Copenhagen and the amazing sunset from Bellevue. However, situated on an east-facing coast, there is no sunset to be seen at that particular location.