Utzon Center

Distance: 133.62 Km

| +45 76 90 50 00 | info@utzoncenter.dk | utzoncenter.dk |

Utzon Center in Aalborg is an experimental culture and knowledge center where architecture, design, art and communication merge into a higher unity. Here, the whole family is invited inside for a magnificent experience.

The center of the Aalborg Harbor front you will find the beautiful architectural work, the Utzon Center. A work that was created by the world-renowned and award-winning architect Jørn Utzon in collaboration with his son Kim Utzon. The work was completed in 2008 and was thus the last work by Jørn Utzon before his death the same year.

At the Utzon Center you can experience exciting exhibitions in beautiful surroundings. Here the architecture is brought to life and into a place where all your senses can come into play. In other words, the Utzon Center plays the architecture into your body - precisely in the spirit in which Jørn Utzon created the center. Exhibitions include both the permanent 'Utzon Gallery', which guides you through Jørn Utzon's life and career, as well as changing exhibitions. In addition, the center also offers tours, lectures and events as well as the holding of children's birthdays.

Jørn Utzon's source of inspiration

The inspiration behind Jørn Utzon's architectural wonders, including the Utzon Center, can be found in his upbringing right here in Aalborg: The cement factories reportedly inspired Jørn Utzon to let concrete become an essential element in his later architecture, while also the sea, sailing ships and shipyard where his father worked, was a vital source of inspiration throughout his life. The Utzon Center is thus a model example of this special approach to design in both architecture and design.

Jørn Utzon comes home

With the growing interest in Utzon's work, it is fitting that Utzon Center is being built on the waterfront in his hometown of Aalborg, right in the middle of the maritime environment that inspired his early development. It is Jørn Utzon's stated wish that Utzon Center should not be a museum, but rather an active and dynamic focal point for architecture, design and art. It is therefore also quite obvious that the center will be established in connection with the Department of Architecture and Design at Aalborg University. In line with Jørn Utzon's humanistic approach to architecture, the Utzon Center is not constructed as a monumental building, but as a series of smaller pavilions built around a delimited courtyard environment, so that it is possible to sit outside sheltered from the Limfjord winds that Jørn Utzon recalls from his childhood.

A culinary experience with magnificent views

As a guest at the Utzon Centre, you can complete your eventful day with gastronomy in a special class; namely at Restaurant JØRN, which, in addition to a culinary experience of fresh and seasonal ingredients, also offers a wonderfully beautiful view over the Limfjord and a cozy courtyard.

Utzon Park

If you go for a walk around the Utzon Center, you are in Utzon Park. A park that lets the green nature become a natural part of the otherwise gray waterfront. In the park, which is surrounded by beautiful trees, you will find dormitory housing towers and concrete benches, all created on Jørn Utzon's ideas. The benches were originally intended for a seat in the foyer of the Sydney Opera House.

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