Bakkehuset: Literary Museum & Garden in Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark, garden, history, inspiration, museum, Photography, travel

Having its roots in the 1600s, Bakkehuset is considered the oldest building in Frederiksberg (a large suburb in Copenhagen). In Danish, bakke means hill and hus means house, so Bakkehuset translates as ‘Hill House’.

The house

In its day, in the Danish Golden Age (1800 to 1850), Knud Lyne Rahbek , a prominent literary figure and his wife Kamma lived in Bakkehuset. It was also a venue for literary and culture gatherings. Here, young and upcoming writers and poets would gather for conversation and inspiration, among them the famous writer of fairy tales Hans Christian Anderson.

Today, it is a literary museum where you can wander around the various rooms, decorated with furniture and furnishings of the period.

We spent a sunny Sunday morning here. I was keen to see the house and garden. And also, to gain a little insight into the lives of two people that, to be honest, we hadn’t heard of before. It didn’t disappoint. The house was beautifully decorated in traditional Danish style with large windows granting views to the garden beyond. It was easy to imagine figures gathered around the table, discussing literature and the topics of the day and being inspired by their surroundings.

The garden

And although Knud was perhaps the more prominent of the two, his wife Kamma was also very talented. She created intricate, decorative boxes which are on display in the house. She was also the driving force behind the beautiful garden. Her original ‘Romantic’ garden extended to seven acres in what was then surrounding countryside. Today it is much smaller in scale but full of plants and flowers, reflecting her interest in all things botanical.

The orangery

A modern style orangery is located next to the house, reflecting its role as an inn some centuries ago. In the summer, they serve food and drink here, inspired by the 1800s. After a wander through the garden, we headed there for coffee and a sit down in the Copenhagen sunshine.

All in all, I found it to be a lovely place and , even now, still a source of inspiration for those who take the time to visit.

You can find more information here

For the plant lovers amongst you, the gorgeous purple leaved plant at the window is ‘oxalis triangularis’ or false shamrock. I spotted it in lots of places in Denmark. It’s very pretty with delicate white and pale pink flowers. I found it in the garden centre when I got home and I had to buy a few !

For now, I’ll leave you with a quote from Hans Christian Anderson – ‘Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower’.

Have a good Wednesday,

Paula x