Bellevue Beach (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

: ''Bellevue Strand''), often simply referred to as Bellevue, is a beach at

Klampenborg Klampenborg is a northern suburb to Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located in Gentofte Municipality, directly on Øresund, between Taarbæk and Skovshoved. Like other neighbourhoods along the Øresund coast, Klampenborg is an affluent area with many ...

on the northern outskirts of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. With up to 500,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most popular beaches in the Copenhagen area, although it attracts somewhat fewer Copenhageners since the inauguration of the

Amager Beach Park Amager Strandpark (Amager Beach Park) is a seaside public park in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on the island of Amager and includes an artificial island and offers a total of of beaches. From the beach, the Middelgrunden wind farm can be s ...

and the

Copenhagen Harbour Baths The Copenhagen Harbour Baths (Danish: Københavns Havnebade) are a system of recreational bathing facilities along the waterfront of Copenhagen, Denmark. There are currently four harbour baths, the first and best-known of which is located at Islan ...

in 2005. Bellevue is a 700-metre-long sandy beach with adjoining

lawn A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. ...

s. The characteristic blue-striped, almost cartoonish, lifeguard towers and the geometric kiosks were designed by Danish architect and furniture designer

Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA () 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple we ...

in 1932.

History

In the 1930s, when the right to

vacation A vacation (American English) or holiday (British English) is either a leave of absence from a regular job or an instance of leisure travel away from home. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances or for specific festi ...

became legally mandated, Denmark's coastline became the country's most popular holiday destination.

Gentofte Municipality Gentofte Kommune is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in the Capital Region of Denmark (''Region Hovedstaden'') on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. It covers an area of , and has a total population ...

made plans to develop a piece of coastline north of Copenhagen into a seaside resort complex combining an existing park designed by the landscape architect C.Th. Sørensen with beach facilities catering to some 15,000 paying visitors a day. Three architects were invited to submit plans for a Bellevue beach complex."Bellevue-Bellavista"
''Momoneco''. Retrieved 20 October 2011. The winner was the young architect

, who had just opened his office. Characteristic of his approach to architecture and design—he was preoccupied with the concept of Gesamtkunst—Jacobsen designed everything from bathing cabins, lifeguard towers and kiosks to tickets and uniforms for the staff. The complex also included the Bellavista apartment buildings (1934), a restaurant and the Bellevue Theatre (1936), all of which still stand today in the immediate vicinity of the beach. The quest for recreation by the growing masses called for physical as well as social solutions and change. A political initiative provided the pre-requisites for creating a beach at Bellevue. In June 1932 the Bellevue beach was inaugurated by Danish Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning. It immediately became the most popular summer resort in Copenhagen. A direct return tram ticket from the city to Bellevue, including the beach entrance fee, was at the affordable price of 30 øre (less than five cents).

In popular culture

* In the song ''Hot'', the second track on their debut album ''

Nik & Jay Nik & Jay is a Danish hip-hop/pop duo made of Niclas Genckel Petersen (born 8 November 1980 in Herlev) and Jannik Brandt Thomsen (born 16 June 1981). Their #2 single ''Hot!'' won them Hit of the Year and Best New Artist at the Danish Music ...

'', Danish Hip-Hop/ pop duo

describe a drive up the coast from Copenhagen and the amazing sunset from Bellevue. However, situated on an east-facing coast, there is no sunset to be seen at that particular location.

Image gallery

Image:Bellevue Beach (Copenhagen).jpg, Image:Bellevue Beach cph.jpg,

References

{{coord, 55.7780, 12.5923, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Beaches of Copenhagen Buildings and structures in Copenhagen Tourist attractions in Copenhagen 1932 establishments in Denmark Arne Jacobsen buildings