Carlsberg - Vestre kirkegaard

Details

• Duration: ~50m50s
• Length: ~3.9km
• Surface: Mostly asphalt

This little walk will take you through one of the biggest cemetaries in copenhagen. However it is not the ordinary cemetary you might be used to. Rather it is a mix between a park and a cemetary where you can see squirrels, a chapel, ponds, therapy garden among other things.

Today when i walk this route it is Friday morning, march 8th 2023. It is a foggy day and the temperature is just about freezing.

Let’s walk.

At first we reach the bridge connecting valby bakke that crosses the railway between Carlsberg station and Valby station. It gives us a good view of the greenhouse at Carlsberg connected to the house where Niels Bohr and other big names in science has lived.

chapel in vestre kirkegaard the pond in front of the chapel different view of the pond

Next stop is the Chapel in the cemetary and “The red sea”. Unfortunately the chapel is not open to the public but it is none the less a beautiful building. Across from the chapel, we have “The red sea” which is named after all the Social democrats buried around the pond. If you are into danish politics, you might recognize some of the names.

You might ask, why are we stopping in front of the graves of the fallen during 2nd world war. But in these years, it is worth reminding us of what the outcome of war is. Lost family, Lost friends, Lost neighbors and all the suffering that war brings.

On our way to the therapy garden, we pass by more alleys of trees. These alleys can be enjoyed all year round with each season putting its special mark on them.

The therapy garden was in use the day i walked past so i had to walk around. It is very tiny, but you might be surprised on what you can pack in such a little enclosure. If it is open when you walk past, i recommend you to go in and take in the athmosphere. It is made to help people hit with stress and makes use of your senses, all of them, to get grounded and help you be in the moment. Notice the different kind of textures you will be walking on. Bark, Grass, Gravel. Listen to the sounds of running water. Maybe there are birds chirping. And the sound of your footsteps on the different surfaces. In summer time you will find herbs such as mint and lavendar, wild strawberries and others to tickle your smell and your taste buds. Even the smell of pine as you walk through the “forested” little area.

As you finish the therapy garden, we will walk back towards Carlsberg visitor centre, or if you need to take the S-train back to the city centre, walk down the long 8% decline ramp towards the train station. If you decide to walk down the ramp, do not cheat yourself of strolling through the little park behind the visitor centre. You might even be lucky to see the brew horses outside for fresh air.