Blue Haven

The surface is broken by a boy’s back as he emerges, dripping, into the baking sun. Out on the water a handful of kayaks do battle, while in the kids’ pool Frederik Koustrup shouts in delight as his friend Kalle lifts a new handful of trailing seaweed high into the air. Lifeguard and mother smile to one another. The pleasure is palpable at the seawater bathing facility in Copenhagen’s inner harbour on this hot Saturday afternoon. Thanks to a comprehensive modernisation of the city’s entire sewerage system, Copenhagen is the first capital city anywhere with water so clean that its former industrial docks host a recreational area for summer sea sports.

PHOTO Lars Just