PARKS IN COPENHAGEN - BANANA PARK

The countdown is on....
Only two weeks until we take off....
I have been doing quite a bit of research on parks in Copenhagen this past week as we will be travelling with our grandchildren....
They have some of the MOST AMAZING parks over there and all purposely built to encourage ecudational play.  They are well thought out and designed....

Also the parks in Denmark are not just built for very young children,  they are many adult recreation parklands as well.

Banana Park will be one that we spend considerable time at....
It looks pretty amazing..... and I am sure it will feature in a lot of our photos...
It has an amazing story...... I really do love how the Danish people think...

BaNanna Park is a success story about a toxic old wasteground that has been transformed into an exciting, attractive, green haven for locals and anybody else who wants to use the many amenities in this urban park. The name comes from the big, yellow, banana-shaped embankment that makes a great skate park – and, of course, from its location on Nannasgade.

As you enter, you are greeted by a 14-metre-high climbing frame, almost like a triumphal arch. The park itself is divided into three areas: ‘the jungle’, ‘the lawn’ and ‘the square’. There are two playing fields, one with blue Astroturf and one with grass, while the big yellow ‘banana’ also serves as seating for spectators. Around the lawn runs a large, oval path for running, biking and roller-skating.
The ‘jungle’ – a cluster of self-seeded deciduous trees, cherry trees and bamboo bushes – is well named, as it really feels like a tropical rainforest. Behind this is a playground for toddlers, with all the kit they could wish for. Just inside the triumphal arch is space to sit and enjoy your packed lunch and a drink or fire up the barbecue, and admire the large gable-end paintings that adorn the surrounding houses.
BaNanna Park is both beautiful and exciting, a spiritual oasis in the middle of densely populated Outer Nørrebro. Not only does it bring a breath of fresh air to the area, but it also helps cool it down during the hot summer months.
BaNanna Park is made by Schønherr after an idea of Nord Architects.

The extended mural behind the climbers arch in BaNanna Park is made by a group of street artists with each their style, collaborating on making this piece for the children. And as a rare sign of respect it has been left untouched since it was made in September of 2007. All of the Danish childhood heroes are represented, plus a few that came later, advocating the right to play freely and more power to the children.

There is something about it that just leaves one feeling soft and happy. Kaj and Andrea (frog and parrot) sucks you right in of course, but so does the abundance of color and details, Frederik (best friend of Cirkeline) stuck in the sewer, the black and white grown up's as the three monkeys, the pink bike and the Dala horse in the window.

Looking from right to left

 

This is perhaps one of the coolest playgrounds in the city. In Pete and Maria's own  neighbourhood. How excited am I about exploring every inch of this park....

 The entrance, with the climbers triumphal arch:

 

 

 

 

 

 If it had only been a giant banana and a triumphal arch, most  would have been perfectly happy, but it  is so much better than that...

The banana, not exactly soft, but still kind of spongy.

 So looking forward to exploring this wonderful area as soon as we arrive,

Plenty of picnic areas for lunch and BBQs

Colourful, imaginative, playful,  what is there not to love about this park...

 

 Even outdoor table tennis to play...
And in a country where the sun almost never goes down..

 Bring it on...
I can't wait to get there and explore......