“This looks like the world to me, the real world”

Described by the tourism board as “by far the most diverse and multicultural” neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Nørrebro connects different cultures in a way that other areas in Denmark fail to do. 

Walking through the neighbourhood, the different cultures are proudly displayed throughout the streets. 

Restaurants patriotically show their flags while serving food from their native countries.

Posters adorn every wall in support of various social causes, from Palestine to Venezuela.

While it may be visually rough around the edges, Nørrebro has a warm atmosphere, and the people are surprisingly friendly for a big city. 

“Nørrebro is never sleeping,” says Osman, a staff member at Durum Symfoni on Nørrebrogade.

“There are always people in the streets. People

from every culture and nationality can be found here, and there is room for everyone.” 

While Nørrebro gets a lot of love, named as TimeOut’s coolest neighbourhood in the world in 2021, it also experiences government challenges and discrimination. 

The neighbourhood is seen as one of the main targets of Denmark’s 2018 ‘ghetto law’, which was ruled to be unlawful by the European Court of Justice in late 2025. 

The law is intended to curb the growth of predominantly “non-Western” areas across the country, as politicians try to crack down on a perceived lack of integration from those moving to Denmark. 

Political pressure has come in the form of social media attacks. The far-right Danish Democratic Party posted a 2025 TikTok video in which impeached former immigration minister Inger Støjberg attacks Nørrebro as a “black patch” in the country and “not Denmark.”

Not everyone shares this view. Beloved Danish actress Bodil Jørgensen recently moved back to Nørrebro, having lived there for 20 years earlier in life.

“This is the world,” said Jørgensen, who is best known for her award-winning performance in Idioterne. “This is how [it] should be. This looks like the world to me… the real world.”

Jørgensen described the positive impact she and her family have felt from living in such a multicultural neighbourhood.

“My daughter went to school in Nørrebro, and she made friends with a Somali girl. They are like soul friends… they are very connected, these two. And they come from very different kinds of cultures.”

Jorgensen is currently working on the classic play Indenfor Murene (Within the Walls), in which her Jewish character’s daughter falls in love with a Christian man. She uses this as an example of the spirit she feels within her community.

“I have this remark towards the end of the play. “I wish, I pray that my daughter will be happy.” 

“It’s really just about humans loving other humans in the end,” Jorgensen continued. 

Ultimately, Nørrebro’s diversity and culture are the reasons so many flock to its streets. 

As conservative rhetoric and policy have tried to tear the community apart in recent years, the area remains one of the most culturally rich places to visit in the world.

“Everyone is so welcoming”, added Jørgensen, “they treat you like you’re just a human being. They’re not bad people.”

This story is for those with an interest in culture and international politics and would be released on the Guardian.