Nikolaj Kunsthal
Nikolaj Kunsthal
3.5
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
From Church to Contemporary Art Centre. St. Nikolaj Church originated in the early 1200s and is Copenhagen’s third oldest church. As a consequence of the Great Fire of Copenhagen in 1795, the building’s history as a church came to an end in 1805. Nikolaj Kunsthal presents 5-6 Danish and international exhibitions every year. Exhibitions that give visitors the opportunity to encounter experimental and innovative art - including our annual exhibition for children and young people. See you at Nikolaj Kunsthal
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Neighborhood: Indre By (Inner City)
This is the heart of old town Copenhagen, with its blend of charming old buildings and bold new architecture, broad avenues and tiny streets as well as picturesque canals and a modern harbor. The inner city is home to the Royal Danish Theatre, which consists of three buildings, two of which are new and situated on the harbor front. The streets, squares and venues of the inner city and its surrounding neighborhoods, are alive all year round with everything from jazz festivals to outdoor ice skating rinks and parachuting at the lakes right in the center of the city. This compact area boasts beautiful old castles, tranquil parks, and bustling squares where you can always find a bench to stretch out your legs whenever you need a break.
How to get there
- Kongens Nytorv • 3 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
91 reviews
Excellent
14
Very good
41
Average
25
Poor
8
Terrible
3
permia
Ireland64,752 contributions
Oct 2021
Nikoline Liv Andersen excels with her creations in Eden. Walking into the first space is to be immediately confronted by a marvellous work of multitudes of figures in what could be taken as an assemblage in chaos. Very striking.
Others of her pieces are wonderful. Figures, human and other, with elaborate flowing costumes are sometimes crowned with little primates with hands over their eyes.
Swirling patterns of colour comprise further works.
Upstairs is Infinite Deep by the acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch. Comprising mostly black and white photographs such as Light Cigarettes, Untitled (Nude) and stark aspects of architecture.
The setting of the former Church is tremendous in red brick. With a fascinating landmark history dating back to the 13th century; a great tower was added in the last decade of the 1500s.
Being almost destroyed in the devastating fire of 1795, with only the tower surviving, it then served as a fire station and later a butchers market.
Fortunately at the start of the 1900s the City Authorities undertook restoration, eventually leading to the great art space of today.
Others of her pieces are wonderful. Figures, human and other, with elaborate flowing costumes are sometimes crowned with little primates with hands over their eyes.
Swirling patterns of colour comprise further works.
Upstairs is Infinite Deep by the acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch. Comprising mostly black and white photographs such as Light Cigarettes, Untitled (Nude) and stark aspects of architecture.
The setting of the former Church is tremendous in red brick. With a fascinating landmark history dating back to the 13th century; a great tower was added in the last decade of the 1500s.
Being almost destroyed in the devastating fire of 1795, with only the tower surviving, it then served as a fire station and later a butchers market.
Fortunately at the start of the 1900s the City Authorities undertook restoration, eventually leading to the great art space of today.
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul Legate
United Kingdom21,893 contributions
Nov 2015 • Solo
St. Nicholas Church is an imposing building in Højbro Plads which is a short distance from Strøget and is the home of the Nikolaj Contemporary Art Centre. The church is attractive inside and is a perfect setting for art exhibitions. The church itself was constructed in the early thirteenth century but was mostly lost to a fire in 1795, the current building was built in 1912. This is a place where both the building and artwok can be admired.
Written December 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your time and review
Charlotte/ Nikolaj Kunsthal
Written September 18, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jwolf35
New York City, NY33 contributions
Nov 2019
Not sure what everyone is complaining about - you can see what exhibit is taking place from the outside. I went for the Leonard Cohen show which was really great. The building itself is also quite interesting with a very long history and lots of architectural intricacies. Perhaps I would have been disappointed if that was where it stopped, but my ticket also allowed me free access to the other half of the exhibit taking place at the GL Strand museum close by - a major bonus!
Written November 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The_Coach55
Ruislip, UK1,220 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
The Kunsthal is situated in an old church close to Kongens Nytorv metro station.
Unfortunately the art inside the building does not match up to the splendour of the surroundings.
The current exhibition is “When the Unknown Becomes Familiar” by Andreas Emenius. Whilst I found his paintings reasonably good, his other work didn’t really appeal.
We had free admission as our visit was on a Wednesday. I would have been unhappy to have paid DKK 70 to view on another day.
Unfortunately the art inside the building does not match up to the splendour of the surroundings.
The current exhibition is “When the Unknown Becomes Familiar” by Andreas Emenius. Whilst I found his paintings reasonably good, his other work didn’t really appeal.
We had free admission as our visit was on a Wednesday. I would have been unhappy to have paid DKK 70 to view on another day.
Written February 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KalleHelsinki
Helsinki219 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
St. Nikolaj Church originated in the early 1200s and is Copenhagen’s third oldest church. As a consequence of the Great Fire of Copenhagen in 1795, the building’s history as a church came to an end in 1805. Since then it has had numerous different functions including, being a fire station, a naval museum and a public library. The current exhibition was not much to talk about, but the building is interesting anyhow.
Written July 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NilsRump
Copenhagen, Denmark314 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
The building was constructed in the early 1900 on the remnants of a burnt out church but was never consecrated as church ... now put to much better use as exhibition hall.
Changing shows so look up their website for current show.
Changing shows so look up their website for current show.
Written February 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheShis
Tel Aviv, Israel42,755 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
This is an average art center (at best), located in a stunning renovated 16th century church.
All the exhibits literally pale at the magnitude of the church.
Forget about the art part. Visit the place for taking a look at was once a stunning church.
All the exhibits literally pale at the magnitude of the church.
Forget about the art part. Visit the place for taking a look at was once a stunning church.
Written May 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
poppadoms01235
poppadoms01235174 contributions
May 2013 • Friends
A lovely quiet haven in the middle of the city. They have regular services and occasionaly have some in English.
Inside the churh is beautiful and at the back there is a lovely restaurant/cafe.
Inside the churh is beautiful and at the back there is a lovely restaurant/cafe.
Written May 30, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
d_isonthemove
Switzerland12 contributions
Nikolaj, a former church in the city centre, is now a popular and cutting-edge contemporary art center that presents several state-of-the-art exhibitions a year of Danish and international artists. The exhibitions are often monographic or focused on a theme (such as gender or global warming), which makes it accessible for the general public.
Once a year, they put up a Children's Exhibition (that grown-ups are allowed to visit as well). From their website they seem amazing but that i have not been able to see one so far.
The bookshop is small but there is not a single book I would not put in my library. The exhibition catalogues that I have seen were excellent.
Entrance fees are modest: 20 DKK / 4$ and free for children under 16. Children are welcome.
Once a year, they put up a Children's Exhibition (that grown-ups are allowed to visit as well). From their website they seem amazing but that i have not been able to see one so far.
The bookshop is small but there is not a single book I would not put in my library. The exhibition catalogues that I have seen were excellent.
Entrance fees are modest: 20 DKK / 4$ and free for children under 16. Children are welcome.
Written August 6, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian L
Chicago, IL535 contributions
Apr 2023 • Solo
This is one of the museums that is included with admission to the Copenhagen Museum. It's a small contemporary art space with rotating exhibitions in a beautiful old church. That in itself is worth the price of admission. IF you paid... ha!
In this case, it was a predominantly sound-based exhibition. There's a small room on the upper floor that had 360 of sound on a 20-something minute loop that was mesmerizing. The top floor has an interesting space too, though I didn't really "get" the current piece that was there. The first floor had a variety of pieces, one of which was four colored (or lack of light) rooms with sound. I found them uncomfortable, which I am sure was the artists' intention. Imagine walking into a pitch-black room with a droney sound. Imagine walking into one of these dark rooms and finding another person in there and getting the living bowels scared out of you upon seeing another human!
Sorry to the poor fella whom I scared.
In this case, it was a predominantly sound-based exhibition. There's a small room on the upper floor that had 360 of sound on a 20-something minute loop that was mesmerizing. The top floor has an interesting space too, though I didn't really "get" the current piece that was there. The first floor had a variety of pieces, one of which was four colored (or lack of light) rooms with sound. I found them uncomfortable, which I am sure was the artists' intention. Imagine walking into a pitch-black room with a droney sound. Imagine walking into one of these dark rooms and finding another person in there and getting the living bowels scared out of you upon seeing another human!
Sorry to the poor fella whom I scared.
Written May 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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