When the present Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen was constructed, the National Museum took care to excavate and protect the ruins of the Palace's oldest predecessors, Bishop Absalon's Castle of 1167 and Copenhagen Castle that replaced it.
Christiansborg is outstanding in the respect that here you will find, under the same roof, Denmark's political centre of today and the remains of the country's principal castle of the Middle Ages.
Revealed by accident
When casting the foundations of the present Christiansborg Palace, workers struck upon the ruins of older buildings and the remnants of a curtain wall. Experts were called in from the National Museum, and a close inspection revealed that the ruins dated back as far as 1167.
What they had come upon was Bishop Absalon's Castle, once situated on a tiny island off the Merchants' Habour. Walking around this underground site, you will get an idea of how the castle was continually renewed and developed.
The later castle and the infamous Blue Tower
The Copenhagen Castle, built on the same site, was surrounded by a moat and had a large tower as an entrance gate. The castle was rebuilt several times. King Christian IV added a spire to the tower, the infamous Blue Tower, where only prominent prisoners of state were kept.
In the 1720s, King Frederik IV entirely rebuilt the castle, but as a result of this total reconstruction, the walls had become so heavy they started to give way and to crack. King Christian VI, Frederik IV's successor, soon realised the necessity of demolishing the old castle and erecting a new one on the site. This new castle was to be the first Christiansborg Palace.
Special Exhibitions (Christiansborgslot.dk)
Might & Magic, 27.09.2024 - 27.04.2025
The history of Danish witchcraft is a tangle of myths and mysteries. Three women acused of witchcraft, Maren Splids, Christenze Kruckow and Maren Ringsbjerg, will finally be given a voice in 2024, when the Might & Magic exhibition opens. Leading female actors lend their voices to a captivating audio track relating the fates of the three women in interactions with stunning set design.
The Might & Magic exhibition was created in collaboration with Award-winning set designer Ditte Marie Walter Tygesen and researchers from the HEX! Museum of Witch Hunt in Ribe. Join us on a journey back to the Renaissance, deep into in the dark ruins beneath Christiansborg Castle, where we’ll tell you what really happened, in the place where it happened.
You’ll meet three women from some of Denmark’s most famous witch trials. Sense the lingering echoes of that bygone era, palpable in the very air around you. Trace the fates of these women as their threads of fate weave their way through the scenography, criss-crossing the ruins and spinning a gripping visualisation of their lives.
The trials of Maren Splids, Christenze Kruckow and Maren Ringsbjerg were all personally overseen by Christian IV, who had them brought to Copenhagen Castle.
Who were the accused? And why did the king have them brought to his castle when he was so afraid of them?
Have a go at performing magic with engaging interactive elements. Try predicting the future in lead, measuring with threads of fate, using crystals to strengthen the mind and body, and get inspiration on how to make and use a wax child – the Nordic answer to voodoo dolls.
Photo: Lejre Museum
Photo: Lejre Museum
Photo: Lejre Museum
Photo: Lejre Museum
Photo: Lejre Museum
Lejre Museum
According to written sources from the middle ages, it was in the area surrounding Lejre Museum, that the birth of the Danish realm took place. It is here, you find the first line of Danish kings, Skjoldungerne, who, according to the legend, had their base during the Iron Age and the Viking Age in Denmark (500-1000 A.C.).
Lejre Museum reopened with a brand new exhibition in March 2016. The exhibition combines digital installations and archaeological treasure findings, which gives unique historical experience.
The legend tells, that just outside the doors of Lejre Museum, in the beautiful, scenic landscape, lay the great castle of Skjoldungerne, who descended from King Skjold. Skjoldungerne were mythical kings, but archaeological findings in the area suggest, that Gl. Lejre was one of the most important centers in the Viking ages.
The exhibition is divided into three general themes. The first presents the original sources – the written myths and the archaeological evidence. Here you can experience the legendary myths through sound, light, and film, and it is here, that you get an introduction to the history of Lejre.
The second main theme is shaped like a big digital wall map, where you actively can seek information about the monuments and the excavations in the area surrounding the museum.
In the third theme, you find the museums archaeological treasures from the area – the world-renowned Odin-statue, the Gevninge-finding and Denmarks largest silver treasure, Mannerupskatten.
Lejre Museum also has a cosy bookstore and shop, where you can immerse yourself in the ancient myths while you enjoy a delicious cup of organic coffee.
Related Attractions
Experience an architectural masterpiece, where 1000 years of Danish history and 40 kings and queens lies buried under beautifully decorated vaults and in dark crypts. The Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
NOTE: Opening hours can vary. We kindly ask you to check the website.
Venture on a time travel from the Middle Ages up until today. The cathedral’s long history and numerous chapels take you through 1000 years of Danish history and 800 years of European architectural history. This magnificent red brick Cathedral is a truly unique structure, and considered to be one of Denmark’s most important buildings.
Its history can be traced as far back as the Viking king Harald ‘Bluetooth’. He is believed to have been buried on this site around 987. Construction of the present church began around 1200. The church is the first Gothic church buildings in Scandinavia built in bricks, and with its soaring arches and huge windows, it provides you with a fantastic impression of the Gothic idea of creating churches filled with light. With its many royal chapels, all built in their own distinctive architectural style, a visit to Roskilde Cathedral is a fascinating architectural odyssey.
The royal family’s burial church
In Roskilde Cathedral, 40 kings and queens lie buried in beautiful sarcophagi and coffins, from the Middle Ages until the present day. Get close to the woman behind the union of Denmark, Sweden and Norway Margrete I or Europe’s parents-in-law King Christian IX and Queen Louise. The sepulchral monument of the current Queen Margrethe II his already in place. As something unique, you can sit on the bench covering the monument until the death of the regent.
HOW TO BECOME A COPENHAGENER
Copenhagen is one of the world’s most livable cities. But who are the Copenhageners and what kind of city is Copenhagen? Begin your visit in Copenhagen at the Museum of Copenhagen, located in a beautiful, historical building right behind City Hall. You’ll be introduced to all the most important places and events in the history of the Danish capital. From the city of the Viking Age, through the building boom and plague, fires and bombings, to the free city of Christiania today. A vast array of unique, original exhibits bring the city and its people to life. Our interactive model gives you an overview of the entire city – perhaps you will end up as a Copenhagener yourself!
THREE HIGHLIGHTS
See the 600 years old shipwreck of a keel
Examine an early edition of today’s Copenhageners’ favourite means of transport – the bicycle!
Get an overview of the city on the Copenhagen Panorama with our large scale, interactive model.
In a hurry? Se the highlights of the museum in just 30 minutes.
CAFÉ & SHOP Find an original gift in our museum shop, which offers everything from postcards to handcrafted design or relax in the café or in the ‘hyggelige’ courtyard.
Special Exhibition: The Local Business – Photos from Wong’s Takeaway to RC Dry Cleaners, 01 May. - 20 Oct. 2024
Copenhagen’s small businesses are often declared in danger of extinction as they battle to survive competition from chain stores and shopping centres. Photographer Ulf Svane and historian Mathias Kobberrød Rasmussen take us to the Copenhagen dog salon, jewellers, dry cleaners and other enterprises in the Danish capital to give us a snapshot of the businesses and their proprietors. Join us on a tour of a colourful world of charismatic retailers and a hotchpotch of style and local spirit far removed from the city’s department stores. The exhibition opens to the public on 1 May at the Museum of Copenhagen just behind Copenhagen City Hall (cphmuseum.kk.dk)
Experience the history of Roskilde, once one of the most powerful cities in northern Europe and a religious epicentre in the medieval ages. Follow the traces of the past and meet the people who once lived here. It is the story of an unusual city that has put its clear marks on Denmark as we know it today.
At Roskilde Museum in the heart of one of Denmark’s most historical and culturally rich cities you can get a closer look on the pre-Christian times in Denmark, you can get to know the mysterious double Viking grave from Gerdrup, the story of the rise of a powerful catholic church in the Middle ages – and you can grasp the modern Roskilde.
Join us on a journey, which takes its start before the foundation of the city in approximately 980 before Christ, experience the unique Ely book where ‘Roskilde’ was mentioned for the first time in history a 1000 years ago, and go through our special exhibition about trash and recycling in the contemporary city.
AMAZING ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS
The exhibitions in Roskilde Museum contain many amazing objects found in excavations in and around the city of Roskilde. Ranging from the full skeleton of a prehistoric auroch and the mysterious tomb of Gerdrup to medieval silvercoins, chesspieces and weapons, and so much more!
Lejre Land of Legends is a unique and stunningly beautiful open-air museum, which offers its visitors to embark on a journey through time and space.
Explore the reconstruction of the largest Viking Kings Hall ever found, an impressive high seat fit for the warrior kings from the dawn of the Viking Age. Visit a series of authentic reconstructed settlements, houses, and active workshops from the Iron, Stone, and Viking Ages, and immerse yourself in the past brought to life.
Lejre Land of Legends is an atmospheric and exciting tourist attraction for the whole family. 10.000 years of Danish history brought to life. Houses and settings from the Iron Age, Stone Age, Viking Age and the 19th century, historic workshops and domestic animals, located in the beautiful historic landscape near Roskilde.
A day filled with experiencies for all senses. Many amusing and challenging activities for children and adults the whole season (see opening hours); 43 ha of space and peace to enjoy an excursion in the past
Try activities for all ages, and go sailing in a dugout canoe or test your aim with bow and arrow. Meet the researchers and craftsmen and let them fill you in on new theories of how to interpret the relics from the past.
History brought to life Discover an atmospheric attraction for the whole family. 10.000 years of Danish history brought to life, located in the beautiful historic landscape in National Park Land of the Scyldings.Approx travel time from Copenhagen Central Station 50 mins.
Frederikssund Museum is Roskilde fjord's cultural history museum. Frederikssund Museum's new permanent exhibition deals with the interaction between man, life around the fjords and Frederikssund's history.
Frederikssund Museum is located just above the Crown Prince Frederiks Bro at Hornsherred in the historic red building from 1893. In the late 1900s, the old Færgegård (ferry house) was used as a guesthouse, where there were both guest rooms, kitchen and utility room that was often rented to families with children who would like to experience the fjord and the scenic surroundings around the area. It is said that Mr. Lorentzen who was hiring out of the farm at that time was a nice man towards the children and were allowed to pick wild raspberries in the woods behind the farm.
Visit Vedbækfundene Museum and meet the hunter-gatherers who lived a tough and dangerous life 7000 years ago!
At the museum Vedbækfundene you can experience unique finds from Danish prehistory. In our main exhibition a reconstruction of the life in the Stone Age Denmark, containing both graves and lifelike dioramas, will bring you back in time. The Special Exhibitions gives you the opportunity of meeting Jacob – a bog skeleton from the Iron Age, admiring beautiful neckpieces from the Bronze Age and much more.
A young woman from Vedbaek, Denmark, buried with her newborn child who had been placed on the wing of a swan, 4000 BC.Vedbaek 'The swan's wing burial' Tomb 8 is the most famous of the burials, containing a young woman, who may have died in childbirth, and a premature baby.
The archaeological finds are of international importance because it has given great insight into human life and society in Stone Age Northern Europe.
It is possible to book a guided tour.
Transport
The Vedbæk Finds is included in COPENHAGEN CARD - DISCOVER, which also includes public transport in zone 1-99. To get to The Vedbæk Finds, you can take bus 150S from Nørreport (approx 25 minutes) to the stop "Øverødvej" and walk about 10 minutes to the museum.