Due to high rental rates in the city, Some Danish people are forced to live in small apartment flats. 2 million of the 5.8 million Danish population lives in the capital city of Copenhagen. This creates a very uncomfortable environment for the very laid back Danes. Danish people like to spend their time in the garden. They enjoy growing plants, having a barbecue and of course drinking beer so they go to the Colony Gardens.

Brondby local officials, decided to create an area for the Colony Gardens in Copenhagen. Landscape architect, Erik Mygind, thought of this round structure and wanted to name it Rotundas Gardens made up of circles diveded into 24 and 16 equal parts. The old villages where people would come together and share news inspired the design. Perfect walking paths and bicycle lanes have been added to the design.

Local officials had prepared a detailed rental contract for these gardens. Light-shade effect, noise and environmental pollution, and other details had been considered and the standard height of trees planted and digging depths were agreed on. There were limits to the size of the huts placed in the gardens and the strictest rule was that tenants could only live up to 6 months in these huts. (Paying rent for two properties in the city with high rental fees was expensive was the only way to have a small area of greenery). The Colony Gardens also known as Green Area (Den Grønne Kile) is situated in the town of Brondby, in Copenhagen. There official names being Harekær and Lillegården Farms.

The old villages where people
would come together and share
news inspired the design. Perfect
walking paths and bicycle lanes have
been added to the design.

The Colony Gardens are common entertainment groups completed with small huts in the city centre. They are private areas rented for the aim of gardening. Officially, there has been Colony Gardens in Denmark since 1778 but owning a garden became popular in the 1800s and the land gained value. The first plans of Harekær and Lillegarden Farms were drawn up in 1964 and the project has been successfully continuing since 1981. Most of the huts located in the Colony Gardens have transformed from sheds to private houses. An EU directive states that these summer homes have to be upgraded to the standard of European housing and must have running water. There was no running water in the huts until recently and this made it difficult to obtain permanent housing.

These huts located in Brondby, can be maximum 60 m2 wide with a ceiling height of 4,3 m. There is permission to add on a 15 m2 porch and 10 m2 extra storage space. The hedges are 2,5 metres high, which prevent creating too much shade on surrounding gardens. According to the laws, tenants can live here from the 1st of April until the 1st of October and then only on the weekends during the rest of the year.

Brøndby is famous for its football team and golf club. Many people from Copenhagen used this area as a long-term summerhouse. I say people from Copenhagen because to be able to rent a garden from here your permanent home must be 20 km away from the area. This project was designed only for them so that people from other areas would not occupy their gardens.

Lastly, this area makes a perfect playground for children away from the dangers of a busy city.

Atatürk Designed It, Denmark Applied It: The Ideal Republic Village Project

You will all remember Atatürk’s Ideal Republic Village project. When we look at the Colony Gardens, we can’t help but remember the project, which had the vision of reconstructing Turkey. Unfortunately it was never carried out. But by seeing the Colony Gardens we can assume that it might have.

The project was started on after the death of Atatürk but sadly it wasn’t a success. Afet İnan worked hard to promote and carry out the project by writing letters to state officials during the 1970’s. We learnt of the details from his writings.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s project was precisely this; the project was to be circular civilized area starting from the city centre to the outskirts of the city divided into 4 equal parts. 40 buildings had been planned such as schools, factories, hospitals, sports areas, and land for agriculture and farming.

Social facilities were to be placed around the memorial in the centre of the village where people could come together and socialise. It was more than a simple village; everything had been placed perfectly to create what any nation needed.

And now, in Brøndby there is a village similar to this providing people with seasonal housing and land for agriculture.

Well, then, a little, how proud to say I am from Copenhagen!

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This article  was published for Propertync Magazine issue 105. Propertync is a bilingual real estate magazine of Northern Cyprus. You can click on this link to view the magazine archive and start here for real estate investment opportunities in Northern Cyprus.