Things to see and do Malmö

In 1999, the Spaniard Santiago Calatrava (born near Valencia in 1951) participated in the competition to build the trans-Øresund link. His project was not selected, but it included a strange twisted monument on the Swedish shore that seduced the examiners enough for them to propose that the architect modify it into a residential building. This was done in 2005, and the 190-meter high tower (the tallest in Northern Europe) has since become one of the symbols of Malmö.

The Great Square of the city of Malmö is presided over by the (equestrian) statue of Charles X Gustav (1622-1660), the king who, having ascended the throne after the abdication of Queen Christine, recovered Skåne in 1658 at the end of the first Northern War. Vast and rectangular (but converted into a parking lot), the square is bordered by some interesting buildings among which we will mention :

The town hall (Rådhuset) is the large brick building (on a base of ashlar) in the Dutch Renaissance style that dominates the east side. Built in 1546 (extensively remodeled in the ^19th century), it has a spectacular baroque gable in the center of its façade. Just to its right, the Apoteket Lejonet is worth a look for its interior, unchanged since the 1900s, and more specifically for its wooden furniture and beautiful earthenware jars.

At the corner of Kansligatan, Residentet is a building oscillating between baroque and neoclassical, and sporting a yellow façade. As its name suggests, this small palace was the governor's residence when it was built in the early ^17th century.

On the opposite side (Frans Sueligatan) stands one of the oldest buildings in the city, the Kock House (Kockska Huset). This stark, dark brick house with stepped gables dates from 1523 and was the former home of Mayor Jörgen Kock, who made Malmö the second largest city in the Danish kingdom. The basement now houses the city's most famous restaurant, Årstiderna.

Malmö Castle is the heir of a first building founded by Erik of Pomerania in 1430 before being rebuilt a century later and occupied by the mint. After the return of Skåne to Sweden, the defenses were strengthened and a moat system dug. After the return of peace with Denmark, the building was converted into a prison and then into a museum in 1937. Of the castle itself remains, beyond the wooden bridge over the moat, a massive facade framed by two round towers, all built of brick.

In the courtyard, a modern building (also without lightness) houses four sections of the Malmö Museums (Malmö Museer). The restaurant Wega is located on Slottsholmen, right next to the main entrance of the Malmö Museums.

The Governor's House and the House of Technology and the Navy are located outside the castle. Between the museum and Kommendanthuset, there are some brightly painted wooden huts: this is the Fiskehoddorna, which serves as a fish market every morning.

Kontsmuseet (Museum of Fine Arts). Beautiful collection of Swedish landscape artists such as Carl Fredrik Hill (1849-1911). There are also contemporary works, notably by the sculptor Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd (born in 1934) and the Malmö-born surrealist painter Max Walter Svanberg (1912-1995). One room is devoted to a sketch made by the Dane Joakim Skovgaard for the mosaic of the cathedral in Lund. Beautiful collection of Russian paintings from the late ^19th century and representative works of Swedish design.

Historical museum. Documents, plans and objects tracing the history of Malmö Castle and focusing on life in Skåne in the ^17th century, when it became part of Sweden.

Aquarium & Tropicarium. Local fish and amphibians, but also (more exotic) gymnotes, better known as electric eels, and other piranhas.

Museum of natural history. Flora and fauna of Skåne, geology and paleontology with notably a dinosaur skeleton.

Kommendanthuset (the Governor's house). An ^{eighteenth-century} mansion that now houses exhibitions on photography. Right next to the Governor's house is a very nice little café serving organic and locally grown products (sandwiches, pies, salads, ice cream and homemade pastries).

Tekniken och Sjöfartens Hus (House of Technology and the Navy).

A power station from the beginning of the 20th century that until recently housed the Rooseum contemporary art centre. Completely revamped by the architects Tham and Videgård, this magical place has been home to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art since 2009, which presents temporary exhibitions largely drawn from the permanent collections of its parent, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm. A must-see for art lovers!

Opened in 1974 in a superb building, the Malmö Konsthall is one of the largest centers for contemporary art in Europe. It regularly exhibits the city's young art scene, but also retrospectives of renowned modern artists such as Munch or Van Gogh. Don't miss the nice bookstore, which offers a selection of new and used art books. Most of them are in Swedish, but if you look around you will find some in English, and even in French!

Eccentric and eco-friendly! Augustenborg, a small district of Malmö, has turned into «Ecoparc», the main attraction of which is the creation of an aerial botanical garden! Understand that the garden was built on the roofs of some buildings in the neighbourhood. You can even learn to make your own green roof! A good example of ecology in urban areas, but reserved for those who love this kind of ecological concept…

This museum of Nordic design is run by the Swedish Design Association (Svensk Form). A carriage gate of a Norman-style house on Lilla Torg square leads to a small paved courtyard dating from the ^16th century, Hedmanska Gården. On three levels, in rooms with white walls, wooden floors and beamed ceilings, one can admire temporary exhibitions that showcase the best of contemporary Swedish design, and question its relationship to current societal issues. The store and the café are also a pleasure for the eyes!

The lungs of the city. This huge park with a large lake was built to host the Nordic Exhibition in 1914, which was a phenomenal success. Today, it is a favourite with joggers, picnickers and dog walkers. Over the years, the park has seen a number of sculptures added. Traditional sculptures include Galathea by Nils Möllerberg and Kastanj by Bertil Nilsson. The latest sculpture, Iron by Hiroshi Koyama, pleases some and provokes others. You be the judge of what you think!

A must-see for architecture buffs! This wildly ambitious development project began in 2001 and will not be fully completed until 2035. The objective is to transform the former industrial port into a 100% energy self-sufficient eco-district, with a focus on renewable energy. The result is a modern splendor with a very Swedish minimalism: canals running along the streets, lush plazas, floating houses made of glass, wood or steel, vast lawns... and the possibility to dive directly into the Baltic Sea from Daniaparken.

The King's Park is located at the western edge of the old town, separated from the Castle Park by the Parkkanalen and from the city by Slottsgatan. An amusing detail: the castle is located in the King's Park and not in the Castle Park. It is true that there is not much difference between the two spaces, arranged in the English style from 1872 and connected by one or two footbridges. They are both a pleasant place to walk.

Literally, the people's park. It is the Tivoli of Malmö. Delightfully vintage! In the heart of the lively district of Möllevången, it is a very popular amusement park that has been around since 1893 and attracts young and old alike. Various rides, a Ferris wheel, a farm with animals, a puppet theater and other sandboxes are a delight for the little ones, while the older ones can enjoy a wide variety of restaurants, and everyone can find themselves shivering with fear at the spiders and other rattlesnakes in the Terrarium. Coffee shops, ice cream parlors..

This building, built in 1901 to house a museum at the time, was enlarged between 1997 and 2000 by Henning Larsen, the architect of the Copenhagen Opera House, who designed the huge glass façade that has earned the place its nickname of "glass calendar". Inside, the atmosphere is calm and studious, with large tables, comfortable armchairs, pretty lamps... Everything invites you to take a book and enjoy the place, if only for a few hours.

Built in the early ^14th century, this brick church in the Gothic style is said to have been modeled after a church in Lübeck. The interior is very bright and contains a spectacular carved wooden altarpiece by German artists, as well as a sandstone pulpit and baptismal font carved in the very early ^17th century by a local craftsman named Daniel Tommisen (active between 1582 and 1603). It has also preserved the remains of medieval frescoes visible in the chapel.