Søndermarken

Royal hunting ground turned urban retreat

Søndermarken began life in the 18th century as the southern field and hunting grounds for Frederiksberg Palace, laid out at the same time as neighbouring Frederiksberg Gardens. Today the palace still crowns the hill to the north, while Søndermarken unfolds as a more rugged, less formal cousin to the manicured baroque gardens across Roskildevej. Here the landscape feels deliberately wilder, with sloping lawns, stands of old trees and long sightlines that hint at its royal past. This history is not just a footnote: traces of the original layout and the sense of a semi-wooded hunting landscape remain tangible as you follow broad avenues and narrower paths. The park’s evolution from private royal preserve to public green space in the 19th century mirrors Copenhagen’s own growth, as the palace grounds gradually opened to the city and became part of everyday life.

Woodland paths, meadows and quiet corners

What defines Søndermarken today is its varied terrain. Unlike many flat urban parks, it rises and falls in gentle waves, with wooded slopes, clearings and meadow-like grass that can grow long in summer. This creates a series of natural “rooms”: some open and sunny, others shaded and intimate beneath mature trees that shelter owls and songbirds. Local runners thread through the network of gravel paths, while dog walkers and families claim grassy patches for informal picnics or games. In some areas the planting is deliberately less groomed, encouraging biodiversity and making parts of the park feel almost like a pocket of countryside embedded in the city. On a misty morning or in low winter light, the combination of trees, hills and distant palace views gives the park a distinctly atmospheric character.

Cisternerne and the world beneath the lawn

One of Søndermarken’s most distinctive features is hidden underground. Near Roskildevej, a pair of glass pavilions and a fountain mark the entrance to Cisternerne, a vast system of 19th-century water cisterns that once formed part of Copenhagen’s early clean-water supply. The chambers were later transformed into an unusual exhibition space and are now part of the Frederiksberg Museums. Descending into Cisternerne takes you into a cool, echoing underworld of pillars, shallow water and carefully curated light, where contemporary art installations respond to the raw architecture. The contrast between the bright, breezy park above and the damp, cathedral-like halls below is striking, and together they give Søndermarken a rare combination of nature, infrastructure history and contemporary culture in a single place.

Monuments, memorials and Norwegian touches

Scattered through the greenery are several historic structures and memorials that reward unhurried exploration. The Danish-American Memorial Mound, raised in the 1920s with funds collected among emigrant Danes abroad, is a grassy tumulus with an inscribed entrance leading to an inner chamber commemorating those who left and never returned. Its secluded setting beneath tall trees and the beam of daylight entering from above give it a contemplative feel. Elsewhere in the park you may encounter rustic constructions such as the Norske Hus and other features inspired by Norwegian log-building traditions and romantic grottos, echoing 19th-century tastes for picturesque scenery. At either end of Norske Allé stand statues of the poet Adam Oehlenschläger and the statesman Carl Christian Hall, anchoring the park in Denmark’s cultural and political history.

Everyday playground for city life

For all its history, Søndermarken functions first and foremost as a local breathing space. A children’s playground makes it easy to visit with younger travellers, while open lawns double as informal sports fields and picnic spots. The terrain is varied enough to make a short loop walk feel like a mini-excursion, yet compact enough that you are never far from an exit back to the surrounding neighbourhoods. The park links naturally with adjacent attractions such as Copenhagen Zoo and Frederiksberg Gardens, allowing visitors to combine nature, animal encounters and palace vistas in a single outing. Whether you are here to run a few laps, sit under a tree with a book or descend into the depths of Cisternerne, Søndermarken offers a flexible patch of green woven tightly into the fabric of the city.

Light, seasons and changing moods

Because Søndermarken is open at all hours, it reveals different personalities with the weather and the time of day. On long summer evenings, joggers loop through golden light while families linger on the grass. In autumn, foliage turns the slopes into a tapestry of colour, and in winter a dusting of snow can transform the park into a quiet, monochrome landscape. Even in wind or drizzle there is shelter among the trees and a sense of calm away from traffic. The combination of hilly ground, old trees, cultural layers and that unusual underground art space makes Søndermarken more than just a patch of lawn. It is a place where royal heritage, city infrastructure and everyday recreation meet in a single, walkable landscape.