Amager Fælled

Wild nature at the edge of the city

Amager Fælled is one of Copenhagen’s most remarkable contrasts: a broad sweep of semi-wild grassland and wetlands pressed up against new canalside neighbourhoods and the city skyline. Covering around 223 hectares on the island of Amager, this protected common feels startlingly open and untamed for a capital city, with big skies, wind-ruffled grasses and bird calls carrying across the flat landscape. At first glance it can seem like simple meadow, but look closer and you’ll notice how varied the terrain is. Damp hollows hold reeds and sedges, drier knolls are dotted with wild roses and hawthorn, and small lakes glint between clumps of birch and willow. Long, straight gravel paths recall its past as a drill ground, while narrower earth trails thread off into quieter corners.

From execution ground to protected reserve

The story of Amager Fælled is tightly woven into Copenhagen’s history. For centuries it served as common land and later as a military area, with troops using the open terrain for training exercises. It also once hosted one of the city’s execution sites, where the last execution took place in the mid-19th century, leaving a darker historical layer beneath today’s peaceful scene. Military use ceased in the 1960s, and after decades of debate the area gained formal protection in the 1990s. That status helped preserve its rough, uncultivated character at a time when much of Amager was being transformed by housing and infrastructure. Today the reserve forms the northern gateway into the larger Nature Park Amager, a continuous belt of open land stretching south towards the coast and Dragør.

Habitats alive with wildlife

Despite its urban location, Amager Fælled supports a surprising variety of wildlife. Traditional grazing with cattle and horses helps keep the grasslands open, creating a mosaic of short turf, tussocks and scrub that suits insects, ground-nesting birds and small mammals. Depending on the season, you may hear skylarks singing overhead, see flocks of geese passing across the sky, or spot herons and waterfowl around ponds and ditches. Botanically, the site benefits from never having been intensively farmed. Patches of dry, sandy soil host plants adapted to nutrient-poor conditions, while wetter depressions support sedges and moisture-loving flowers. This mix of micro-habitats gives the area an ecological value out of proportion to its size and has made it a focal point for local conservation campaigns.

Everyday escape for walkers and runners

For visitors, Amager Fælled is first and foremost an easy escape into fresh air and space. Wide, mostly flat tracks make it ideal for relaxed walks, casual cycling and year-round running. A marked parkrun route weaves through the northern part of the reserve, drawing a regular community of runners each week, but you can just as easily improvise your own loop of 3–10 km using the dense network of paths. There are plenty of spots to unroll a picnic blanket, sit on the grass and watch clouds drift by. Families often gravitate to the more open meadows where children can roam freely, while birdwatchers linger near lakes and wetter sections with binoculars. Because the area is open and largely treeless, the light changes constantly; crisp winter afternoons, long summer evenings and misty autumn mornings all have distinct atmospheres.

Between skyline views and quiet corners

One of the most memorable aspects of Amager Fælled is the way city and nature share the same frame. From many paths you look out over rough grassland and grazing animals, only to see modern high-rises and the metro line silhouetted beyond. It can feel like standing on a frontier between urban development and low, Danish coastal plain. Yet it is also easy to find quieter pockets. Venture a little away from the main routes and the hum of traffic recedes, replaced by wind, insect buzz and the rustle of dry grass. At dusk, the last light flares behind the city while bats flicker over the fields. It is this layering of wildness, history and everyday recreation that gives Amager Fælled its distinctive character among Copenhagen’s green spaces.