If you want to understand a country, you have to go to museums. The Danish National Museum is the best place for that…
The Danish National Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the country. It is very easy to get to because it is located near the historic city center.
It is located in an excellently renovated building from the 18th century.
The museum is fully wheelchair accessible, which is another reason why I love going to museums.
The National Museum has a large number of exhibits, covering the period of 14,000 years of Danish history from prehistoric times to the present day.
I arrived at the Danish National Museum on a rainy afternoon in May eager to connect with the culture and history of this country.
What to see in the National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark is too big for one visit. That’s why I advise visitors with limited time to choose in advance the part that interests them the most.
It is recommended that if you have to choose, spend your time in the museum primarily on the part that deals with Danish prehistory and the Viking era. The Danes are very proud of this part of the museum, and how could they not be, when the Vikings once controlled a significant part of Europe. This Collection is located on the ground floor.
The rest of the museum is represented by the collection, which includes the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the part that represents Denmark from 1660 to the present day.
Today, Denmark is one of the most developed countries in Europe and the world, and I wanted to find out why.
This part of the museum shows stories from everyday life, illustrations of special events and shows how Danish society developed over time.
Like everyone else, the Danes also went through a period when the church dominated all aspects of life.
Besides the church, the absolute monarchy was the second pillar on which the Danish state relied.
Villages and cities developed, society was divided into classes, and for a long time the country was at war with Sweden. The war ended with a lot of territory lost.
At that time the Danes hid their valuables in special hiding places, waiting for better times.
In that period, inequality in society was great. Child labor was also not foreign in Denmark. At the beginning of the 19th century, 10% of the workforce was made up of children. They were especially popular in the tobacco industry.
The law, which was considered progressive at the time, prevents children under 10 from working more then six and a half hours with a half hour break. You can read all these interesting facts on the cards next to the exhibits.
There were also those who lived well in Denmark at that time.
The oldest dollhouse was made in 1500. These were small miniature palaces intended for play in noble families. Later, around 1800, they were more accessible to a wider population. Thanks to these houses, the girls were preparing for their role as mistresses of the house.
Danes have not stood still in their rich history. In the past, they lost some important wars. The disastrous decision to support Napoleon led to the bombardment of Copenhagen by the British navy and the loss of Norway during the Peace of Vienna in 1814-1815. year.
The war with Germany, then Prussia for provincial Silesia, ended very unfavorably for Denmark.
However, all this led to the middle of the 19th century, when the golden age for Danish society began.
Despite the failures on the diplomatic front, there was a time of development of art, science and industry.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Danes were doing well. They could afford a vacuum cleaner, a carpet, and kitchen utensils, but a car, a refrigerator, and a telephone were still beyond the reach of the common man.
World War II brought some changes. This time the Danes did not stand out much and are not shy about this fact. The practical Danes realized that they could not match the military power of Germany and surrendered to the occupier without losing their lives and destroying their cities. Cooperation with the occupier enabled the Danes to achieve the highest standard of living of all countries in occupied Europe. There was also a Nazi party in Denmark.
It is believed that 6,500 of their compatriots actively participated in the war on the side of Hitler.
Also after the war, about 3300 soldiers were prosecuted and convicted. Some resistance began only in 1943, when Germany began to lose on other fronts. Denmark remained under occupation until the surrender of Germany and was liberated without a fight.
From the middle of the twentieth century, a positive period continues for Denmark. Wages were higher, there was more free time.
New devices appeared. Single records were replaced by LPs.
VCRs have led to a decline in movie ticket sales.
Teenagers had less and less responsibilities, a generational gap appeared. A sexual revolution took place, which increased freedoms in every sense and enabled the creation of Christiania, which I wrote about here.
The museum also houses some ethnographic collections, which are very rich and illustrative.
The parts concerning the Arctic region and Greenland are particularly interesting to me.
Most of these exhibits arrived at the National Museum in the mid-19th century.
These exhibits were collected during the 1921-24 expedition. year.
Many other exhibits were brought back in the 17th century as part of the royal collections and are being added to today.
The section with exhibits from the East is also interesting.
Although it is not a part, which is on the priority list, it provides an interesting insight to everyone, who did not have the opportunity to travel to that side of the world.
There is also a section in the museum related to money and its flows.
Even the elderly can learn a lot here.
There are also a lot of interactive elements.
Conclusion
And finally. Was it worth visiting the Danish National Museum? Absolutely yes, just take enough time to enjoy everything presented.
I must emphasize that since the museum is located near Christiansborg, another must-see attraction in Copenhagen, don’t fall into the trap of visiting them at the same time. If you don’t have enough time, choose only the part of the collection that interests you the most.
Have you visited the National Museum in Copenhagen?
Did I miss something?
Traveled and enjoyed,
Marko Veličković
