The National Museum of Denmark

Posted on by Stephen Edwards

Copenhagen, Denmark

Overwhelming. It’s not an adjective I use lightly, but the National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) explores everything Danish from the Prehistoric to the Modern Era and all the dates in between. The exhibits can seem daunting, especially when we arrived at 3:00 and had less than two hours to view the collection. A limited time budget meant that we had to explore fast.

The Chariot of the Sun depicts the ancient belief that the sun was carried across the sky. This chariot was found well-preserved in one of the bogs.

The museum has an excellent prehistoric collection that includes bog bodies and other artifacts preserved by the ancients, reflecting their fascination with bogs. Many of the items on display were found during ancient sacrifices to the gods. Their sacrifice was our gain, as the bog environment preserved these artifacts for us today. Preservation allows us to gain some insight into our prehistoric ancestors.

The Gundestrup Cauldron was found in a bog in Denmark, but its design suggests it originated in either Thrace, in modern-day Turkey, or Celtic Ireland. The craftsmanship is outstanding, but it causes people to ask, why was something this exquisite sacrificed in a bog?

As expected in a museum focused on Denmark, there are also many exhibits relating to the Vikings. One was the largest collection of runestones that I have seen in one location. The Vikings placed runestones for many reasons, and fortunately, they have preserved a written record from this time period. Most runestones are actually found in Sweden, but about 250 have been found throughout Denmark. Part of me wonders when or if authentic Viking runestones might be found on the North American continent.

Runestones often were erected for important life milestones. The stone in the foreground was from Aarhus County. The inscription translates as:
“Þorgeirr son of Tóki raised this stone in memory of Múli, his brother, a very good thegn.”

The museum is also home to many different religious artifacts. From crucifixes to altars, the National Museum of Denmark shows how the country went from pagan roots to Catholicism to the Protestant Reformation. Much of the wealth of the Middle Ages was preserved in the church, and many of the thoughts of the population were of the afterlife. The museum preserves these artifacts that otherwise would have been destroyed. For example, the Roskilde Crucifix was found in a carved head of Jesus that was being chopped for firewood.

It is difficult to believe that the Roskilde Crucifix was found in the head of Jesus from the Roskilde Cathedral. It is believed that the crucifix contained a splinter of the cross. While that might be debatable, what seems wild to me is that someone was using this image of Jesus as firewood.

Much like the British Museum, I could have stayed here multiple days and still not have had enough time to see all of the exhibits. Unlike the British Museum, all the exhibits here are Danish or from one of Denmark’s current or former colonies. Kudos to the Nationalmuseet for holding to its Danish roots.

St. George slew a dragon in this vivid 16th-century carving. Originally, this carving by Hans Brüggemann was located in the Husem Church in Southern Schleswig, which was then part of Denmark but is now in Germany.

We visited the museum thanks to the Official Copenhagen Card, but otherwise a visit would be 150 DKK for adults, 135 DKK if purchased online in advance, or free for people under 18. Considering that this could easily be the one main place to visit on an itinerary, it might be better to visit without the Official Copenhagen Card. The National Museum of Denmark offers visitors an excellent overview of Danish history, and all visitors gain a better appreciation for the outsized impact this region has had on global history. For me, it helped me appreciate some of my ancestors. Closely related or not, we are all human, and travel helps me see that we all share similar hopes, wants, and dreams.