Skovshoved Gas Station and Olivers Garage
Have you visited Skovshoved gas station yet? Designed by Arne Jacobsen and built in 1937, this iconic landmark sits proudly on the coast road ‘Strandvejen, approximately 13km to the North of Copenhagen, close to Skovshoved. It can be reached easily by bike, rail, or car from the city or from other locations.
It is still a working gas station today, and in addition houses Olivers coffee shop. Worth a pit stop if you are feeling peckish the coffee shop serves up handmade burgers and wraps, teas, coffees and hot chocolate, and an excellent selection of ice creams (the pistachio is a favourite here). The coffee shop is within an original part of the garage workshops and has seating both indoors and outside at the side of the gas station forecourt, which is the perfect location for watching the world, and indeed the supercars and classic cars of Zealand go by.
For this is no ordinary gas station. Every Saturday morning there is a classic car meet. Classic car enthusiasts of all generations bring out their vintage pride and joys and are happy to have their cars photographed and admired up close. It is a very sociable scene. In full disclosure- I am not particularly interested in cars, however, there are some beauties- even for a non-car enthusiast. You may see anything and everything from an early 20th century Rolls Royce to a 1980s-mark one VW Golf or similar. There are usually multiple various models of the usual suspects, Ferraris, Porsches etc. Which brings us nicely to the next ‘need to know’ insider tip for this location: If classic car Saturdays are a bit tame for you, come back on Sunday morning- this is when the big boys come out to play with their modern-day supercars. Sunday supercar meets were previously a pretty big affair at Olivers, however the local residents soon became tired of the revving engines and noise, so they are now more ‘unofficial’ and spontaneous, but it is a guarantee that someone will show up. During a quiet Sunday morning in early September, while stopping for an ice cream at Olivers during a long bike ride, we were treated to an Aston Martin Valkyrie stopping by. Again, if you are not into cars, you may be aware of the significance of this car, however given that the starting price is $3,500,000 USD and that only eighty-five will be produced world-wide (with three of the eighty-five being in Denmark) then you might get the picture.
In the surrounding area there are other places on interest nearby. The neighbouring Bellevue area is also designed by Arne Jakobsen with early modernist functional architectural treats instantly identifiable with their white exteriors and crisp cubist shapes; the Bellavista housing development (1934), Bellevue Theatre (1936). Slightly further, around a 10-minute walk North along the Strandvejen you will also come to the Knud Rasmussen statue- a memorial to the Danish Greenlander explorer positioned with him looking out to sea.
If you want to make a day of it, cross the road to the inland side and you can also visit Bakken. Allegedly the world’s oldest amusement park, and popular with visitors and young families, it is a hugely different experience to Tivoli. Entry to the grounds is free. Opening hours are seasonal so check before you go. It is not open every day outside the summer season. In addition to the rides there are extensive grounds with wild deer, and horse and carriage rides if you are that way inclined.
From Copenhagen: by car or bike – Drive (10 minutes) or cycle (1hour) North along the coast. By train take the S train to the nearest station, Klampenborg.
