Captured In Copenhagen

Malavika Bhattacharya shares an Instagram-inspired guide to Copenhagen’s urban delights.

- Malavika Bhattacharya

Scandinavia is well ahead of the curve on architecture and design. Copenhagen is testament to this fact, with its modern glass and-steel behemoths blending seamlessly with ornate neoclassical structures, swank new bicycle-only bridges extending over canals, and colourful backyards that house secret cafes and art galleries.

In this landscape of urban cool, every split second is an Instagram moment. My Insta feed is flooded with photos of futuristic buildings, bridges, and bicycles in the weeks leading up to my visit to the Danish capital. In an effort to go beyond the tourist sights and uncover the ‘real’ vibe of a city, I turn to Instagram to unearth local gems in a new place.

Amongst the scores of images I scour, the most eye-catching ones are by individually managed accounts of local Copenhageners. While travel channels and tourists flood social media with images of the Little Mermaid and Nyhavn—and there’s certainly no denying the charm of colourful 17th century terraced buildings bordering a canal—local accounts focus more on under-the-radar aspects of the city.

A crop of young local Instagrammers have taken it upon themselves to document Copenhagen’s coolest spots, steering clear of what a tourist normally associates with the city. Urban architecture, public spaces, and hidden backyards feature prominently in their photos, as do unique perspectives of well-known structures.

This is the Copenhagen I want to discover—one where spired churches and half-timbered Renaissance buildings are juxtaposed against ultra modern façades.