Den Gamle By

Den Gamle By in Aarhus is a living open-air museum that gathers old buildings from across Denmark into a recreated town, staffed in period costume. Uniquely, it recreates not just old Denmark but the twentieth century too, with a 1927 street and a 1974 quarter of a jazz bar, a gynaecologist's and a hippie collective, letting visitors walk through changing everyday life.

Background

By 1908 the old Mayor's House of Aarhus stood unused and was due for demolition, but Peter Holm (1873-1950), a teacher and translator, had it dismantled instead. Rebuilt as the centrepiece of the historical section at the Danish National Exhibition of 1909, it moved again and opened in 1914 as The Old Mayor's House, the first open-air museum in Denmark devoted to town life. Holm directed it from 1914 to 1945 and saved some fifty buildings. In 1923 he raised money to move an Aalborg merchant mansion of eight buildings. Today 75 buildings from 20 towns stand in the Aarhus Botanical Gardens, and over 400,000 people visit each year.

Source: Wikipedia, "Den Gamle By"

Highlights

• The historic streets - the half-timbered old-town houses and shops.
• The 1974 quarter - the recreated 1970s street of everyday life.
• Costumed townspeople - the staff bringing the past to life.
• Seasonal events - the Christmas market and living-history days.

When to go

Summer for the full living-history programme; December for the popular Christmas market. The 20th-century quarters are open year-round and a highlight.

Things to know

It is a paid open-air museum, so it is a curated experience rather than a real town, though a very good one. It involves a fair amount of walking. The recent-decades quarters are what set it apart and delight older visitors.

Nearby

The ARoS art museum and central Aarhus are close; the museum sits by the botanical garden.

Key facts