As the tallest building in Scandinavia, the fantastical twisting skyscraper known as the Turning Torso should really be one of Malmö’s main tourist attractions. But – and this is a big but – it’s impossible for members of the public to get inside. Private flats, offices and conference facilities take up the entire block.
We haven’t been invited to any meetings inside and don’t know anyone rich enough to live in one of the flats, so can only imagine how beautiful the views across to Copenhagen must be.
Given that there’s very little to see close up, our advice is to enjoy the tower from afar. From the nearby beach you can see the white building spiralling 190 metres into the air like a giant strand of DNA.
Completed in 2005, the tower was touted as a new symbol for the city and is supposed to represent a human body twisting 90 degrees – hence the unusual name.
If you do make the trip out to the tower itself, which sits in one of the wealthiest parts of Malmö, you’ll find pretty glass-sided houses and office developments linked together by wide paths and a canal.
At the base of the tower there’s some interesting art. One piece, an eye-shaped video installation, was originally designed to show images from the top of the tower. Today it simply shows a colourful eye that changes slowly throughout the day and – occasionally – blinks.
Getting there
From the Central Station, take bus 2 to Malmö Turning Torso (the journey takes around six minutes). Once you’re there, the tower is hard to miss.
Turning Torso
Lilla Varvsgatan 14
Malmö
+46 401 745 00
turningtorso.se
Last updated: October 2014