De Geometriske Haver (The Geometrical Gardens), Herning

A living sculpture at the edge of Herning

De Geometriske Haver sits in Birk Centerpark, just across from the HEART – Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, and feels like a green counterpart to the surrounding architecture. Here, nature has been clipped and shaped into precise forms, turning a simple field into an inhabitable artwork. Tall hornbeam hedges, rising six to eight metres, carve the space into distinct garden “rooms”, each with its own mood and proportions. Rather than relying on flowers or ornament, the gardens use structure, repetition and proportion to create atmosphere. The experience is less about colourful planting and more about the sensation of moving inside a three-dimensional drawing, where every step brings a new angle, a new boundary and a fresh frame on the sky.

C. Th. Sørensen’s vision of ordered complexity

The gardens were designed by C. Th. Sørensen, one of Denmark’s most influential landscape architects, and laid out after his death in 1984. His concept here is sometimes described as “the musical garden”, because the sequence of spaces feels almost like a rhythm you walk through, with pauses, crescendos and quiet interludes. The layout is based on a simple geometric rule. An 11-metre module repeats throughout the design, defining the length of hedge segments and the dimensions of each new room. With every space you enter, an extra side is added, shifting from triangles to squares, pentagons and more complex shapes. The idea is elegantly straightforward, but the pattern is not immediately obvious to the visitor, which gives the walk a sense of discovery.

Walking the green labyrinth

Exploring De Geometriske Haver is a physical experience as much as a visual one. Paths slip between high hedges, then open suddenly into clearings where sunlight floods in and the sky feels unexpectedly wide. Some rooms are narrow and tall, amplifying footsteps and voices; others are broad and low, encouraging you to linger, sit on the grass or let children run in circles. Because the hedges are dense and high, your view is often cut off, creating gentle disorientation without ever feeling truly lost. Turning a corner reveals yet another configuration: perhaps a circular enclosure with a strong sense of enclosure, or a long, rectilinear space that pulls your gaze into the distance. The repetition of green walls and clipped lines ties everything together into one coherent composition.

Protected heritage in Birk Centerpark

In 2014 De Geometriske Haver gained official protection as one of the first gardens in Denmark to be listed for its cultural and design value. This status recognises the site not just as a pleasant park, but as an important work of twentieth-century landscape architecture. Within the wider Birk area – known for its blend of art, education and business – the gardens form part of a network of sculptures, buildings and outdoor works that can easily fill a half day. The hornbeam hedges themselves are now mature, adding a sense of permanence to Sørensen’s conceptual plan. Seasonal changes are subtle but noticeable: fresh light green leaves in spring, dense mid-summer walls, golden tones in autumn and a more skeletal graphic structure in winter when branches are partly visible.

Space for quiet moments and playful exploration

For visitors, De Geometriske Haver works on several levels. Adults often use it as a tranquil place for a reflective stroll, a quiet conversation or a spot of reading on the grass. The clear lines and shifting perspectives also make it a rewarding location for photography, particularly in low morning or late-afternoon light when long shadows emphasise the geometry. Families and groups experience the gardens differently, turning the spaces into a natural playground of hide-and-seek routes and running tracks. Because there are no vehicles inside and the ground is mostly level lawn and compacted paths, it feels relaxed and informal, even though the design is highly controlled. That balance between strict order and free movement is at the heart of what makes De Geometriske Haver memorable.