Why You Should Visit Aarhus Museum's Rainbow Pavilion in Denmark

Your rainbow panorama on ARoS‘ rooftop pavilion isn’t just one of Aarhus’ top attractions but one of Denmark’s most popular sites. Since ARoS Aarhus art museum opened in its current location in 2004, thousands of art lovers visited the exhibitions in the 20,700-square-metre building. But when the 150-metre circular, coloured-glass walkway was inaugurated in 2011 the number of visitors doubled. In fact, the year before Your rainbow panorama opened, ARoS received 221,744 visitors while two years later the number increased to more than 551,000.

With 980,909 visitors in 2017, ARoS is now considered the second-most visited museum in Denmark (following the Louisiana Museum) and the most frequented art museum in Scandinavia. At each one of the museum’s 10 storeys, permanent and temporary exhibitions bring together the artworks of local and internationally renowned artists and present the best of modern art to the thousands of enthusiastic culture buffs who visit the museum every year.

The man behind the colourful pavilion on top of ARoS museum is Olafur Eliasson. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, then you should probably bone up on your modern art knowledge. Olafur Eliasson is a world-class artist known for creating large-scale installations and architectural projects that often embellish public places. The renowned Icelandic-Danish artist has exhibited his artworks in some of the world’s best museums and art galleries. He has represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale while his project Verklighetsmaskiner (Reality machines) that was exhibited at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 2015 became the museum’s most visited show by a living artist.

Even if modern art just leaves you cold, you still have to visit Aarhus museum’s rainbow pavilion because the colourful circular walkway is situated on the top of ARoS’ rooftop terrace, which spans 50 metres above street level. So, the view from up there is simply breathtaking. Enter the three-metre-wide circular passage and see the city of Aarhus in the colours of the rainbow or just relax at the rooftop terrace and gaze upon Aarhus’ bay.

This one is for passionate photographers and dedicated Instagrammers who want to add unusual and captivating images in their Instagram feed. Featuring all the colours of the spectrum, Your rainbow panorama is a great background for stunning shots while the roof pavilion’s outdoor terrace offers a great view above Denmark’s second-largest city, ideal for those who prefer capturing natural urban-style photographs.

Apart from Your rainbow panorama, the roof pavilion on ARoS’ terrace features an exclusive Sunset Lounge and a private roof terrace that can be used for events, meetings or even private dinners. In the stylish lounge with the glass façade, visitors will find Your condensation, another artwork made by Olafur Eliasson in 2013, the year the roof pavilion opened its doors for the first time.