Landbohøjskolens Garden: A Peaceful Garden and Relic of the Past

There are trees as old as the garden itself in this often overlooked oasis with one of the city’s most peaceful cafes.

Landbohøjskolens Have (the University of Copenhagen’s Horticultural Garden) in Frederiksberg is somewhat hidden behind residential roads and run-of-the-mill thoroughfares cutting through the city.  On a spring day when its trees and many of the 6,000 plants are in bloom, entering the garden is much like stepping into a fairy tale. But no matter the season, there’s always something blooming.

Café visit in the garden

The garden is divided into several distinct areas. You can follow winding paths lined on all sides with trees and plants – some of which date back to the garden’s founding in 1858. Along the way, you’ll come across a pond with a bridge to a small island. There is also a rose garden, and deeper towards the heart of the garden you’ll find long rows of flower beds along the greenhouse, which has now been converted into a cozy cafe that is open during the day from mid-spring to mid-autumn.

Not an ordinary park

A unique calm reigns over the garden, even in the summertime when it is full of people sitting on the lawns, benches and around the cafe. It is not like other parks in the city: no dogs, nobody playing ball, nobody cycling or riding a scooter, and no (or not many) empty beer bottles. And you definitely won’t run into a music festival as you might in any other park in the city.

And there is a good reason for this. All of the plants and beds have been an integral part of the teaching and research at the agricultural college, which is now part of the University of Copenhagen, and everything is carefully planted and tended to by hand. Just a few drops of urine from a dog can act like poison on the plants. And a drunken person on a scooter could do even more damage. So if you’re willing to be a guest on the plant kingdom’s terms, you’re more than welcome in the garden. Just make sure that you stick to the lawns, benches and paths.

Near Landbohøjskolens Have

Not far from the idyllic garden, you can find two architectural gems that are very different in expression. Next door is the Copenhagen Plant Science Center, a building with an interior inspired by the organic forms found in plant cells. Another beautiful feature in Frederiksberg is Radiohuset, designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen, which bears the mark of the architect’s love for functionalism.

Facts:

• Landbohøjskolens Have has been officially renamed Universitetshaverne (The University Gardens), but the original name lives on in everyday usage.
• The garden is open to the public from sunrise to sunset year-round. Picnics are permitted on the lawns, but you have to notify the garden administrators if you are planning to meet in a group of more than 20 people.
• Cafe Væksthuset (Cafe Greenhouse) is open during the day, Wednesday to Sunday, from spring to autumn. In December, the cafe hosts a Christmas market and sells Christmas trees.
• Weekly guided tours of the garden are offered in the summertime.