After years of planning, designing and building, Copenhagen inaugurated its new Opera House on january 15th, 2005. The Copenhagen Opera House is built on the waterfront of Holmen, a former Naval Dockyard.
The Opera House of Copenhagen was paid for by Sir Mærsk McKinney Møller, founder of the Mærsk company, one of the largest shipping companies in the world. It was designed by the Henning Larsens Architects firm and has costed over 440 million dollar. The Copenhagen Opera House was built by 3.500 workers and it houses more than 1.100 rooms. From the outside the Copenhagen Opera House is a mix of very modern design, yet constructed with traditional materials. The very special thing from the inside is the fact that the Copenhagen Opera House has no less than 9 undergound floors!
We had the chance to pay the Copenhagen Opera House a visit during the summer of 2005. An interesting fact is that the site of the Copenhagen Opera House is about a mile away from the downtown area of Copenhagen. One has to cross the water to get there. Finding and reaching the Copenhagen Opera House is perhaps an unexpexted challenge when one decides to take the riverbus. The famous Copenhagen Nyhaven (New Harbor) is the most important departure spot for boats that bring you to all the major tourist attractions in Copenhagen. The boat brings you in about 10 minutes to the Copenhagen Opera House. The boat-trip very much enhances the understanding of the lay-out of the city. When on the water, it becomes obvious the Copenhagen Opera House only appears to be put away in a peripheral part of Copenhagen. But in fact, the Copenhagen Opera House is part of what possibly is the most important historical axis of Copenhagen. The stairs of the Copenhagen Opera House face the Royal Palace at the other side of the river!
Is the Copenhagen Opera House worth a visit? We think it is. Of course, if you wish to see modern and classic opera in one the most beautiful opera houses in the world, the Copenhagen Opera House is well worth a trip to Copenhagen. If you are only interested in seeing the exterior and interior architecture of what is now the most important modern building of Copenhagen, you shouldn’t miss it either when you are in Danmark. Especially when you go by riverbus it gives your visit a bonus attraction. Remember to wear a good coat or make sure it is high summer, otherwise you will be frozen before you reach the Copenhagen Opera House at all. Beware the boats do not sail all year long because of the risk of bad weather conditions!