Denmark's 4th largest city Aalborg is hitting a top note with travellers from the UK following the completion of its regenerated waterfront area and the unveiling of a new state-of-the-art Musikkens Hus (the House of Music) in March this year.

Less than 2 hours' direct flight from the UK and regarded as the gateway to North Jutland, Aalborg's prime location on the edge of the glistening Limfjord has long been an attraction to visitors, ranging from early Viking settlers and traders to today's savvy traveller.

Realising a long-term plan to bring the heart of the city back to the water's edge, the opening of the House of Music not only marks the completion of this project but gives Aalborg another architecturally stunning landmark to uphold its reputation as a growing cultural hotspot.

Musikkens Hus
Designed by world renowned Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au and covering over 20,000 square metres, Musikkens Hus has been created with the dual purpose of a world class concert venue and education centre where the interchange of ideas between musicians, students and visitors takes an equal stage with performances. Spread over eight floors and described as the 'new architectonic lighthouse', the cubic style construction houses a large Concert Hall with a seating capacity of 1,300, a medium concert hall, two minor halls, foyer and auditoriums for teaching. Other interesting highlights include an extraordinary 12 metre square organ comprising 5,450 handmade pots, 3.5 tonne rotating mirrored installation created by artist Jeppe Hein with a changing pattern created by an audio frequency and a Jazz library containing one of the largest collections of jazz records, cds, books, periodicals and films.

Making use of its spectacular position and with a wealth of architectural details that invite exploration, the House of Music is also home to the city's newest eatery 'Musikkens Spisehus' which gazes out onto the Limfjord with the choice of indoor/outdoor eating. Headed by North Jutland celebrity chef Mikael Kopp Christensen, the restaurant focuses of creating dishes made from seasonal and sustainable local ingredients with dishes such as Læsø lobster bisque with parsley oil, smoked salmon 'Terroir' with creamy smoked cheese, cucumbers in wild garlic and maltcrumble, steamed North Sea cod with puree of potato and baked garlic foam clam sauce and Himmerland Veal tenderloin with crisp seasonal vegetables. (Set 3 course menus from £32 (295dkk)/person).

Flanked by the city's cultural powerhouse 'Nordkraft' – a cleverly reinvented coal run electricity station - and the shimmering aluminium clad Utzon Center which was designed by the famous Danish architect Jorn Utzon, the House of Music is now an integral part of this new landscape which has seen a disused wasteland flourish into a diverse and culturally dynamic urban space. With an attractive beach boulevard and promenade, interlaced with recessed terraces, restaurants and an outdoor swimming area, the one kilometre waterfront area makes a stunning addition to Aalborg's other interesting attractions.

Leaving the fjord, a self-guided walk through the small cobbled lanes to admire the architecture gives a sense of the city's history that spans over the centuries, from the medieval Franciscan Friary ruins, 14th century Cathedral of St Budolf, 16th century Aalborghus Castle and impressive 300 year old wealthy merchant Jens Bang's House to through to the modern icon of the Alvar Aalto designed KUNSTEN Museum Of Modern Art.

Discover the world of the Vikings
Outside of the city, one of Scandinavia's most impressive Viking burial sites – Lindholm Høje, with almost 700 graves and 150 ship stones dating back to 1000AD, offers a fascinating step back in time with a comprehensive collection of Iron Age and Viking artefacts conveyed through magnificent reconstructions, panoramas, illustrations and 3D animations.

More elements of Viking customs and culture can also be gastronomically explored at Lindholm Høje Museum's café where Viking chef and food storyteller Jesper Lynge, who recently appeared on 'Sunday Brunch' on Channel 4, prepares traditional Viking inspired dishes using sustainably year round ingredients such as wild boar with cranberry and spiced ham with chicken cooked in mead. In response to an overwhelming interest in Viking food, the museum café has also acquired a large Viking styled tent to host a new programme of food events for 2014, including the option of taking an historic cooking course or booking your own authentic Viking wedding.

Lindholm Høje also runs a continuous programme of other events including the annual 'Viking Market' comprising elaborate tents, craft displays and Viking clothing, music, Icelandic horses and 'Viking assaults' (29 – 30 June 2014) and St. His Evening - an evening of stories and Danish songs which culminates in the lighting of a bonfire (23 June 2014).

Events in Aalborg
In addition, Aalborg hosts a number of popular festivals throughout the year including 'Medieval in Aalborg' – a week-long festival focusing on the Middle Ages (7 – 13 July 2014); 'The Blue Festival' which fills the city with mellow tones (14 – 18 August); 'Aalborg in Red' - a week of culture and music on the waterfront with street theatre and a number of free activities (1 – 7 September 2014); the annual 'Christmas Market' (21 November to 31 December 2014); and 'Aalborg Karneval' Northern Europe's largest carnival and over 100,000 revellers that takes over the city each year in May.

With a stunning new waterfront and charming old town that offers a plethora of things to see and do, Aalborg definitely strikes the perfect cord for a short break from the UK.

Getting there … ?
Norwegian offers direct flights from Gatwick to Aalborg in under two hours with return flights from £104/person.

The city has a good range of central 3 and 4 star hotels. Try the centrally located Comwell Hvide Hus which offers double rooms from £55(DKK499)/person/night including breakfast, First Hotel Aalborg on the waterfront offering double rooms from £95 (DKK872)/night including breakfast or Cabinn Hotel Aalborg offering rooms from £74(DKK675)/double room/night including tea and coffee in the rooms.

For more information on Aalborg www.visitaalborg.com, North Jutland www.visitnordjylland.com and Denmark www.visitdenmark.co.uk 

For great high resolution images of Denmark, ready to download, free of charge go to: http://images.visitdenmark.com 

Ends

For further press information:
Anthea Yabsley at IDeal PR, Anthea.yabsley@ideal-pr.co.uk, Judith Watson, Judith.Watson@lushpr.com or Kathrine Lind Gustavussen, Press Offier – VisitDenmark, klg@visitdenmark.com