To the east of the city center lies one of Copenhagen's most pleasant walking areas. Søerne is a complex of 5 lakes, built on an ancient arm of the sea before it was dammed in the ^16th century. The first settlements date back to medieval times, when the central lake was built to power mills and store drinking water. Gradually, this succession of lakes was added to serve as a military defense. To avoid attack, the area was simply submerged, with the water barrier acting as a bulwark.

Today, they serve no practical purpose other than to provide a wide, calm and peaceful stretch of water, ideal for daydreaming and strolling, reflecting the night lights, the colors of the sky and the infinite nuances of the leaves of the trees that line these great reservoirs. The bridges that span the reservoirs serve a dual purpose as dikes, separating them from one another. You can jog along their banks, which are entirely pedestrianized on the west side. You can canoe and, in the harshest winters, skate when the surface of the water is frozen! You can also come and listen to the singing and chattering of the many birds that nest here - including the swans on the banks.

The first lake is Sankt Jørgens Sø, or St. George's Lake, from the south, bordering the independent municipality of Frederiksberg, and the city side of Vester Søgade, a street lined with functionalist buildings that served as models for the architects of the popular districts. Animated by a jet of water, flanked by the truncated cone of the planetarium, this lake is divided in two by Kampmannsgade.

It is separated from Peblinge Sø, "the students' lake", by Gyldenløvesgade, in the middle of which stands a curious white-painted pavilion with towers in the shape of a Turkish minaret. Vilhelm Dahlerup (architect of the Glyptothek and the Royal Theatre) erected this building to house the Skating Society, which managed the frozen lakes in winter at the end of the ^19th century.

Nørre Søgade, lined with fairly bourgeois buildings (and the superb Kong Frederik Hotel), runs alongside Peblinge Sø and faces the working-class district of Nørrebro, accessed via Dronning Louise Bro (Queen Louise Bridge), also designed by Dahlerup. The entrance is marked by two allegorical statues representing the Nile and the Tiber, copies of originals from Roman times.

The two northern lakes are Sortedams Sø, which means "Black Dam Lake". They adjoin the Osterbro district.