GeoCenter Møns Klint
Encyclopedia
GeoCenter Møns Klint is a geological museum on the island of Møn
in southeastern Denmark
. Located close to the top of the chalk cliffs known as Møns Klint
, it was opened on 29 May 2007 by Queen Margrethe
. The building was designed by PLH Architects
, the winners of an international design competition
.
to be one of the world's most beautiful buildings, most of the structure is underground. The architects chose to safeguard nature by reducing the visible above-ground part of the building to a minimum. The large exhibition area, entirely underground, falls in line with the centre’s objective which is to tell the story of what lies beneath Denmark. The curvature of the building was the result of a desire to preserve the trees lining the cliff. The centre's architect, Søren Mølbak, explains: "Because the cliffs are white and we wanted to follow nature, our choice of materials and colours is based on the natural environment. But we didn’t want to paint the walls white, so the building is made of white concrete, the floors are white cement plaster, the indoor walls are white rendered plasterboard, and the ceilings are white Mono acoustic spray-rendered ceilings." The white ceilings in the restaurant are free of directional lines, following the curvature of the building, and have randomly placed light fixtures. Those in the underground exhibition centre are black. The outer wall adjacent to the parking lot is lined with untreated planks of larch wood, blending into the surroundings.
with sharks, sea urchins and the mosasaur
, Tertiary Period
when the chalky seabed was freed from the sea; and the Quaternary Period
when glaciers subsided over Denmark.
In addition to interactive computer screens, the exhibition gallery has many attractions for children including treasure hunts, competitions and a 3D film.
Møn
-Location:Møn is located just off the south-eastern tip of Zealand from which it is separated by the waters of the Hølen strait between Kalvehave and the island of Nyord, at the northern end of Møn. Further south is Stege Bugt...
in southeastern 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...
. Located close to the top of the chalk cliffs known as Møns Klint
Møns Klint
Møns Klint, , is a striking landmark and tourist attraction along the eastern coast of the Danish island of Møn in the Baltic Sea. The bright chalk cliffs stretch some 6 km from the park of in the north to the in the south. Some of the cliffs fall a sheer 120 m to the sea below...
, it was opened on 29 May 2007 by Queen Margrethe
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
. The building was designed by PLH Architects
PLH Architects
PLH Architects is an architectural firm based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1977 by Palle Leif Hansen.-Selected projects:* East Asiatic Company headquarters , Midtermolen, Copenhagen...
, the winners of an international design competition
Architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a special type of competition in which an organization or government body that plans to build a new building asks for architects to submit a proposed design for a building. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel of design professionals...
.
Design
Considered by the World Architecture FestivalWorld Architecture Festival
The World Architecture Festival is an annual event held in Barcelona organised by EMAP, a media group that runs other festivals, including the World Retail Congress and Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, as well as publishes various journals, including within the field of...
to be one of the world's most beautiful buildings, most of the structure is underground. The architects chose to safeguard nature by reducing the visible above-ground part of the building to a minimum. The large exhibition area, entirely underground, falls in line with the centre’s objective which is to tell the story of what lies beneath Denmark. The curvature of the building was the result of a desire to preserve the trees lining the cliff. The centre's architect, Søren Mølbak, explains: "Because the cliffs are white and we wanted to follow nature, our choice of materials and colours is based on the natural environment. But we didn’t want to paint the walls white, so the building is made of white concrete, the floors are white cement plaster, the indoor walls are white rendered plasterboard, and the ceilings are white Mono acoustic spray-rendered ceilings." The white ceilings in the restaurant are free of directional lines, following the curvature of the building, and have randomly placed light fixtures. Those in the underground exhibition centre are black. The outer wall adjacent to the parking lot is lined with untreated planks of larch wood, blending into the surroundings.
The exhibition
The exhibition traces Denmark's birth from prehistoric times 70 million years ago. Around the main exhibition hall, there are a number of large cave-like booths where artists express their views of the story. Visitors can walk through the gallery experiencing the different geological levels passing through the Cretaceous PeriodCretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
with sharks, sea urchins and the mosasaur
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
, Tertiary Period
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
when the chalky seabed was freed from the sea; and the Quaternary Period
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
when glaciers subsided over Denmark.
In addition to interactive computer screens, the exhibition gallery has many attractions for children including treasure hunts, competitions and a 3D film.