The Cisternerne is an underground contemporary art museum located below the Søndermarken Park in Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally, it was an old underground reservoir that supplied drinking water for Copenhagen from the 1850s until the 1930s. When the cisterns were drained in 1981, they were used to host modern glass art exhibitions for a decade before being used as a museum.
The new place is an integral part of the Frederiksberg Museums and is used as an art installation venue commissioning artists to create their exhibitions for Cisternerne every year. The subterranean museum, with its unique, damp, dark, and eerie atmosphere, allows artists to showcase their equally unique art. One of the most famous past installations belongs to Hiroshi Sambuichi, who created a mossy replica of a Japanese shrine. Jeppe Hein and Eva Koch are some of the artists who hosted exhibitions. The projects are site-specific and cannot be rebuilt anywhere else. There are also different activities for the guests, both for adults and children.
The Cisternerne is the only dripstone cave in all of Denmark. Humidity inside is almost constantly 100%. It has an area of 4.320 m2 and consists of three large rooms. The ceilings are 4.2 meters high. The walls are built with granite and concrete.
