We are fortunate to have a stunning garden right outside our 4th-floor Copenhagen apartment. The Assistens Cemetery is immaculately maintained, with sections of it listed and no longer used for burials.
There are mature trees en masse, the odd patch of perennials in summer and lovely memories of people who lived and died in Copenhagen hundreds of years ago. And there are young people sunbathing in the summer (and yes, there is the occasional topless woman among them), families going for picnics – as has been the tradition ever since this cemetery was located in the countryside beyond the old fortified city and people would go to visit their departed family members on a Sunday and make an outing of it – and runners going for a jog on the many criss-crossing paths.
The cemetery is a living place, an integral part of our neighbourhood and in no way a gloomy or sad place. And it’s a whopping great view to have; from the warm yellow wall surrounding it, scanning upwards across the headstones and tree trunks to the canopy of tree crowns that form our horizon.
On the other side – from the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom – our view is less stunning, but to me it is actually also quite charming. We can look down into the courtyard garden below, with barbecues, tables and chairs and even a swing hanging from the branch of a medlar tree. And we can look across to a roof-scape of chimneys that reach up to the heavens, with frequent visits from seagulls and crows. It might not be conventionally beautiful like the view over the cemetery, but it has an urban charm to it; a sense of Baudelairesque retreat to a place above the city.
It reminds me of Baudelaire’s poem Paysage, where during winter the narrator retreats to his Parisian garret to write his pastoral poetry and
De tirer un soleil de mon coeur, et de faire
De mes pensers brûlants une tiède atmosphère.
“To pull a sun from my heart and to make / from my burning thought a tepid atmosphere.”
What an absolutely magical place to be..that is one of the best cemeteries celebrating life as it should be…if only we had that around here…I love the rooftops and their charmas well…thank you for the poem…I don’t often get to read poems from many countries…it loses nothing in translation!
I do love that poem… Especially the beginning, because in this apartment I really feel that I’m dwelling close to the heavens. It gives me a sense of space and the wide open without having to leave the city!
As for the cemetery… It’s wonderful, and we have some great neighbours across the street that include Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard and Niels Bohr; arguable the three most important Danish men ever. (We could have done with Karen Blixen as well to get a female touch, but she ‘s buried in her own garden up North of Copenhagen, which I guess I can’t object to.)
Indeed what wonderful neighbours. I admire that European way of incorporating a cemetery as a park, used and enjoyed by the living. How differently Switzerland and Denmark do it to South Africa! Here it is a bleak abandoned space, used for the funeral then left. Such a waste of what could be a green inviting space for city people and a haven for wildlife and wild flowers.
A cemetery in the middle of the city (now – though it used to be in a rural setting when it was established) has such great potential for working as a recreational space. Sure, ball games aren’t allowed, and sunbathing in skimpy attire is only allowed in the historical parts of the cemetery, so not where funerals take place or where relatives come to mourn lost ones.
(Also, we have red squirrels there… I do love squirrels.)
An intriguing title. Cemeteries vary so much in different parts of Europe. I cannot imagine anyone sunbathing in one over here. I fine them fascianting places and very much part of life.
I think this is the only cemetery in the country where sunbathing is considered appropriate, and this is all down to the tradition that began when families packed a picnic lunch to bring with them when they hiked outside town to visit the cemetery over 200 years ago.
(Originally authorities tried to combat the rather frivolous vibe of the cemetery, and in 1813 the grave diggers were forbidden to sell alcohol to visitors…)
Two wonderful views, I love cemetries, odd though that sounds, they are so frequently peaceful and full of wild flowers, not to mention mature trees. The roofescape is great, uplifting to see so much sky. We don’t look up enough, particularly when we live in cities.
When I was a teenager full of deep, pregnant thoughts and emotions I would sometimes steal out of my bedroom window at night at go to the local cemetery to watch the stars…
As for the sky… My last flat was on the ground floor of a building, so living this far up is a complete revelation to me! There’s so much LIGHT, even on murky days! While I do love the summer house and the garden, I suspect that I could do without them when I live in a place where I can see so much sky from the windows. It’s half of our view, and it changes every day.
(Also, the windows of the sitting room, dining room and library face West-North-West, so we have some stunning sunsets!)
Boston also has the great Mount Auburn Cemetery in its midst, but I don’t think there are any apartments that can enjoy the view. Cemeteries can also serve as parks and arboretums. What a lucky and happy view you have.
It IS a lovely view, and I enjoy that the days are now long enough for me to come home from work in time to enjoy the sunset over the trees…
You do have wonderful views. The cemetery looks well maintained and like you said, has its own special kind of life.
It’s such a calming view, and I love it morning and night, summer and winter!
What a wonderful view! Here cemeteries are very different, usually very quiet and not often visited. One summer I stayed in a place that overlooked an old cemetery. It was quite peaceful, actually!
To me, cemeteries have always been somewhat comforting; as someone who is not a “people-person” they offer a nice hide-away from the city around them. (And of course they’re often as beautiful as any park.)
I love the fact that people come to the cemetery and have picnics, jog or even sunbathe there. So many times people think of cemeteries as spooky or scary. There is a cemetery near my home that I love. It’s a very peaceful place to me, and I love its setting in the country, and its history.
This is one of the largest green spaces in metropolitan Copenhagen, so it’s great to see people use it as such. Most other cemeteries in Denmark (all as far as I know) are far more “formal” places where you might go for a walk but definitely wouldn’t bring a blanket to lie down with a book!
This reminds me of one of the Anne of Green Gables sequels… I forget which one. But she falls in love with the cemetery park near her school and wonders why anyone should find it morbid. Lovely photos and view!
I do love Anne of Green Gables… I must re-read those books!
And of course there’s nothing morbid about a cemetery; to me it is a lovely link to the past, but also a “memento mori”; a reminder that Life is precious and we ought to enjoy it. As I do whenever I look out the windows unto that view!