At a idyllic location in the Østre Anlæg park stands Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark’s national gallery. The historic museum’s architecture catches your eye first with its elaborate facade. Once inside, a wide vista opens up, revealing a view across old and new buildings, and then out into the surrounding park—a spectacular framework for the museum’s rich collection of Danish and international art from the 14th century to present day.

Statens Museum for Kunst boasts the Royal Collection of Paintings and Sculpture, the Royal Collection of Prints and Drawings, and the Royal Cast Collection, which is situated in Vestindisk Pakhus at Toldbodgade in the harbor area.

The original museum building was completed in 1896, designed by Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup, who created the jubilant setting by mixing a number of different historic styles. As time passed, however, the monumental appearance could not eclipse the fact that the museum collections suffered from lack of space inside, demanding two future expansions.

The first of which was carried out by architect Nils Koppel in 1970, adding ten addition rooms. Later, in 1998, the museum opened a new building designed by architect Anna Maria Indrio. The addition parallels Dahlerup’s original design, forming a whole in a contemporary, modernistic language much like the dialog the Statens Museum tries to encourage.