Denmark wants to create nine artificial islands near Copenhagen

Copenhagen - Denmark wants to create nine artificial islands near Copenhagen and offer them to industrial companies. The proposed dimensions are gigantic - the islands are to cover an area of 3.1 million square meters, the total length of their coastline is estimated to be 17 kilometers, and there will be space for 380 companies. The ambitious plan of the central government and the city is reported by the weekly Der Spiegel on its website.

"Everyone wants city development, but few talk about economic development," welcomed the project Danish Minister of Finance and Interior Simon Emil Amnitzböll-Bille. "We often focus on jobs in high-tech areas and offices, but it is equally important to produce everyday necessities," added Minister of Economy Rasmus Jarlov.

In recent years, factories in Copenhagen have made way for modern design offices, bike paths, and the metro. Since the climate conference in 2009, this densely populated Scandinavian metropolis has become the European capital of ecology. Construction of the planned "European Silicon Valley," as the project, which aims to bring the manufacturing industry closer to the city center, was termed by former Minister of Economy and current head of the employers' association Brian Mikkelsen, is set to start in 2022. According to the plan, the first plots should go on sale eight years later.

The public, animals, and plants will not be left out either. All the islands will be connected by a green belt. The greenery will cover a total area of 700,000 square meters on the islands and will serve for rest and relaxation. The project called Holmene (small islands), whose costs are estimated to be in the tens of billions of Danish crowns (one Danish crown is roughly equivalent to 3.4 Czech crowns), currently lacks secured funding and will still need to be discussed by the Danish parliament.