Welcome to Aalborg our hometown. Home to the happiest people in Europe.

In 2016 the people in Aalborg, called aalborgensere ( try not to break your tongue pronouncing that ) were elected “The happiest people in Europe” by the European Commission. And according to another election, by UN  we even live in “The happiest country” on the planet. Aalborg took the crown from cities like Stockholm , Vienna and even our beloved capital Copenhagen.  So why is that ?? Why is our hometown such a happy place? Here you have our take on the many reasons for these very fine awards. 

Aalborgenserne ( careful of that tongue now ) might be so happy because of our very own symphony orchestra, our beautiful waterfront, our green parks, our world-class university, our wide variety of cafes or restaurants ranging from super sophisticated gourmet temples to burger joints. Or maybe it’s because of our spectacular new ” House of music “.

Or our museum of contemporary art ” Kunsten “, designed in 1972 by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Or it might be the huge amount of bars in “The street of virgin Ane”, in danish “Jomfru Ane gade”. Even though there isn’t as much as a nanogram of virginity over that “waterhole” packed party mile.

And Danes, in general, might be A Happy People because of our welfare model. Yes, taxes are high but in return, we get eg. universal healthcare, universal pension and free access to education. Government spending in elderly and on children is in Denmark higher per capita than in any other country. The welfare system in Denmark provides a feeling of security.
As Danes like to say: “we live in a  butter filled El Dorado” 😉

What boosts our level of happiness hormones, are summer evenings on the waterfront in the company with good friends and enough cold white wine. Looking at the sailboats on the fjord and occasionally getting a glimpse of a seal popping its head out of the water staring back at you.

Our hometown has in recent years undergone a tremendous development from traditional industrial town to a vibrant modern city with many opportunities regarding culture, music, gastronomy, education and sports. Every year our city hosts a wide variety of events. Events like ” The tall ships race”, the annual ” Regatta “, music festivals, Gay pride and even the largest Carnival in Northern Europe with 60.000 participants and 100.000 spectators.

And in the summer of 2017 Aalborg hosted ” Landsstævnet “. Denmark’s largest sports festival. Where more than  25000 athletes participated and Aalborg had several hundred thousand visitors.

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Aalborg gallery – just enjoy or click for next image

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Useful links

www.visitaalborg.com
www.visitdenmark.com
www.aalborgsymfoni.dk
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musikkens_Hus
www.kunsten.dk/en
http://www.tsraalborg.dk/en
http://aalborgpride.dk/