Review: Regensen

As you stroll down Købmagergade with your café latte on a Saturday afternoon, as you pass the Round Tower you will also encounter one of the oldest dormitories in Copenhagen: Regensen. It is a large historic redbrick building complete with tall windows, green gates and an archway facing Købmagergade. This very central dormitory has the best view of the Round Tower, which can be enjoyed from several of the rooms and vibrates with life and youth .

The facilities

Approximately 100 students live at Regensen in rooms that vary from 11-25 sq.m. All rooms have a wooden floor, large windows, high ceilings, a sink and a mirror. The buildings are more than a century old and possesses a lot of charm. When you first move in, it is likely that you will end up in one of the less attractive rooms that may be small or noisy, but you will soon be able to move to a nicer room.

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A Netto can be found just 160 meters away and the central locations means you can make a quick dash to the shops before a night out.

Kitchens are shared with approximately 8 students, and the same goes for the restrooms. There are two large bathrooms in the basement – one for girls and one for boys – and some of the hallways have a private bathroom. There is a laundry room with unlimited access to the washing machines and dryers with soap and softener included. All rooms have an Internet connection where WIFI can be installed. The Internet connection is supplied by KU and varies a bit in terms of efficiency.

Rent

A room starts at DKK 1400 a month with heat expenses included. Such a low rental price sounds to good to be true, but it isn’t. The remarkably low rent is due to an old fund which keeps the price down.

Furthermore, it is considered a scholarship to live there as King Christian IV built Regensen to support the education of talented students that may lack financial means.

In 2023, Regensen will celebrate its 400-year birthday and is now in collaboration with three other older dormitories in the city center; Ehlers, Borchs, and Valkendorf.

Common areas and social life

Regensen has several common rooms designed for both parties and hygge. There is a small library and a ping-pong table, both of which will feature as part of the set in the new movie about Simon Spies and Mogens Glistrup. Furthermore there is a soccer team, yoga, movie nights, snaps brewing, evening seminars, a choir, and much more going on. There is always some kind of party at Regensen and you are welcome to join it!

In particular, each semester has three large parties: a theme party, a lunch or cabaret, and a good old-fashioned ball. When new students you move in, it is their duty to host these grand parties and ensure traditions such as speeches, songs and even the water fight are upheld. The introductory parties are the perfect way to get familiar with the other newbies and the Klokkere will always help you get safely through the festivities.

It can sometimes be daunting moving into a new home, but a Klokkerne consisting of two older residents who act as a ‘Mum and Dad’ for the new residents and will carefully explain everything and answer any questions.

The Societies

Another level of social interaction is the societies that consist of small groups within the dormitory. Each society has their own traditions, songs and tokens and they often have a dining club. There are many histories and traditions connected with these societies, but also room for inventing new ones.

There also seems to be a friendly rivalry between the different societies, resulting in mocking songs and the stealing of tokens. When you move in, you will be invited to meet the societies so that you can find one that suits you. Meeting the societies is also a great way to get introduced to the older residents. You are expected to learn the names of all 99 people you live with which may take time, but it is not impossible and illustrates the importance of social interaction at the dorm.

Requirements

Life at Regensen is quite special and you will build strong relationships with people from all different disciplines at KU, and a few from DTU as well.

Unless you originate from the Faroe Islands you will need to have studied for 2 years before you can apply for a room. This results in an age-group that is a bit older than other dormitories. Students tend to stay at Regsensen for as long as possible, which ranges from three to five years. Most of the students living at Regensen are Danes as Danish citizenship is a requirement. But do not despair, a room is offered to an exchange student staying 1 or 2 semesters and the Jonas Thomsen Sekyeres scholarship saves a room for a non-Danish citizen for a maximum of 5 years.

To get a spot at Regensen you need to apply through KU. There will be a notification at the end of each semester with the application form. A small committee from the dormitory will then assess your application.

[If you want to write an English-language review of your dorm write to uni-avis@adm.ku.dk and mark it ‘Dorms Disclosed’]

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