Press Information
May 2008

Red hot trendy spot

Vesterbro used to be known as Copenhagen's worker´s quarter and red light district. For many years the talk was of regeneration but little was achieved. But in the last few years a genuine transformation has occurred in the area to the west of the Central Station: This old, run down patch of dark tenements and cheap worker's accommodation which, since the 1960s, was famous around the world for its sex industry and having more butchers per square kilometre than anywhere else in Europe, is now one of the hippest places in the city - not just to live, but to shop, eat, drink and have a great night out. If you want to spot the latest trends in Copenhagen and, indeed, Scandinavia, this is not a bad place to start. As with Nørrebro to the north of the city centre, an influx of immigrants, students, creatives, media-types and bohemians has turned a neglected quarter into a trendy part of the town.

New initiative
In the still active meatpacking district in Vesterbro, in what was formerly a slaughter house, art food and cockatils have been united in a unique, experimental café/restaurant/bar named Karriere.
New artworks by leading international artists define the design and functions of the place. Guests will be challenged with spectacular light objects (Olafur Eliasson), the bar counter slowly moving from side to side (Jeppe Hein), a sculpture made of a two way mirror alternating with perforated stainless steel on the square in front of Karriere (Dan Graham) etc.
Karriere provides a new take on art in public with an emphasis on experience and communication through the direct involvement with the artworks. The context of the café/restaurant/bar is an informal and socially relaxed setting for the experience of art, as an alternative to museums. The place is open from early in the morning till late at night with a kitchen serving breakfast, lunch and dinner based on mainly organic products. Transforming into cocktail bar at night, the place will feature a program for concerts, djs, artist talks and performances.
Jeppe Hein, the boldly advancing Danish artist, and his sister restaurateur Lærke Hein are the driving forces behind Karriere.

Audio walks
Choose a route, press a number and you will be guided on a audio walk by an author on a tour of Vesterbro as seen and experienced through the eyes of six young writers. This is a completely new and quite thrilling way to get to know the district. At the City Museum on Vesterbrogade you pick up your MP3 player and a set of headphones, your stroll through Vesterbro will then become something to remember!

A must go district
Vesterbro now boasts the city's number one nightclub and lounge bar, Vega and Ideal Bar, one of its most charismatic exhibition spaces, Øksnehallen, some of the city's best restaurants and grooviest cafes, and several deeply cool fashion shops. Billions of kroner have been spent cleaning and repairing many of the buildings to create the new café square, Halmtorvet, turning a no-go area into a must-go district for locals and tourists alike.

Further confirmation of its ascendancy came in the November 2001 Danish-themed issue of Wallpaper magazine, which homed in on Vesterbro as Copenhagen's hippest quarter. However, the turnaround really began with the transformation of the old cattle market Øksnehallen into a light and stylish exhibition hall at the time when Copenhagen was the European City of Culture in 1996. Øksnehallen remains at the heart of Vesterbro's cultural life with a changing programme of art and photography exhibitions throughout the year.

Nearby is another more recent sign of the intensive brush-up: Halmtorvet. Café/restaurants like Carlton and Apropos now ensure this formerly unloved cobbled square now buzzes with life throughout the day and well into the night. On the other side of the square, Byens Lys - Café PH, beside Øksnehallen, boasts regular live music. Latest addition on Halmtorvet is Amüse Bouch, French for ‘amuse your mouth', which you will! The kitchen is French with Asian elements.

Cafes and wine bars
Despite the trendification of the eastern end of Vesterbro's famous 'sex street', Istedgade, the area from Gasværksvej and down towards the Central Station remains about as red light as they come. But as you walk for a few minutes further west beyond Gasværksvej you will notice more and more groovy, boho-cafes, retro-kitsch clothes shops and cool designer shops. Places like Simpelt V, 70's-style, hip, retro bar, Riccos Coffee Shop, a small, cozy coffee bar, where the coffee is roasted, brewed and served with expertise and the vinyl record's on the player and Strassen - which tempt you to waste a day over a coffee or beer lounged on a comfy sofa - or two of the true Vesterbro pioneers, the cafés Bang & Jensen, and Hackenbusch, both housed in converted pharmacists and both still at the epicentre of hip Vesterbro. On Istedgade is one of Copenhagen's most charming wine bars, in a former bodega from 1877, Malbeck, which offers 15 different wines that can be ordered by the glass.  In another side street, Saxogade, you'll find the alternative Café Sonja, where staffs work voluntarily.

Everything from gourmet to fast food
Delicatessen, much further up Vesterbrogade, was one of the first venues to contribute to making Vesterbro 'hot and trendy', today the atmosphere is still tops. Det Gule Hus, with its excellent views over Istedgade, is a good bet if you're on a budget. If you are looking to bust your budget with a sensational food experience, Formel B on the border of Vesterbro and Frederiksberg remains one of the city's most stylish restaurants.

If you prefer to cook for yourself, Vesterbro is also packed with enticing food shops selling hard-to-find ingredients from Thailand, China, Greece, Italy and elsewhere. Solhatten on Istedgade has the organic produce angle covered, and the quarter even boasts its own 'food street', Værnedamsvej - a gourmet's paradise with specialist cheese, wine, fish and chocolate shops, as well as cafes and grocers.

Cool clothes and design
Vesterbro's best clothes shops tend to gather at the western end of Istedgade - places like Donn Ya Doll - where you'll find all that's cool for street, party or club. Din – Sofie Nørregaard run by Sofie and her boyfriend Torben Lucas. The latter creates ‘FlashTrash’ jewellery and Sofie is a dress designer. Ichinen, also on Istedgade, sells not just clothes but modern, Danish-designed furniture and interior design items. Two design sisters Lea and Sara run Leasara. Their style is feminine and funky focusing on organic cloth, nylon and other ‘sweaty’ artificial materials are banned. Sommerlund offers fantastic ball gowns and dresses for the big party. Girlie Hurly and Designer Zoo are also must see for designer fetishists. Designer Zoo brings together some of the city's most dynamic clothes, ceramic, jewellery, furniture and glassware designers over two alluring floors. Friday afternoon's cigar bar get-together has become a Vesterbro institution.

Of course most of Vesterbro's cafes and restaurants keep swinging into the night which makes this is a great place to wander in the evening. Ultimately though, there is one place that most visitors gravitate towards at night: Vega. Everyone from Fat Boy Slim to the Manic Street Preachers, Bjork to Robbie Williams has played at Vega and this former trade union building with its two stages (Store - big, and Lille - small) plus its super-chilled lounge bar Ideal is reason enough to venture into Vesterbro. As if you needed one more!