Hjerl Hede

Hjerl Hede was begun in 1930 on a stretch of west Jutland heath, with buildings moved here from across Jutland to make an old village: farms, a church of 1500, a school, a mill, a smithy, an inn, a grocer's and a dairy, arranged along a street with fields and heath around them. A separate area holds reconstructions of much older settlements, a Stone Age camp and an Iron Age village, built from excavation evidence. In the peak summer weeks the village is staffed by people in period dress who work it as a living museum, with animals, crafts and cooking, and outside that season it is walked as an empty village, which some visitors prefer. The heath itself is a protected area of heather and bog.

What you actually see

• A relocated Jutland village - farms, church, school, mill and inn on one street.
• Stone Age and Iron Age reconstructions - settlements built from excavation evidence.
• The living village weeks - staff working the buildings in summer.
• Protected heath - heather and bog around the museum.

When to go

June to August for the living museum weeks, which is when the site is fully staffed and animated; spring and autumn are quieter with buildings open but empty. A full day. Heather flowers in August.

Honest expectations

The living museum runs only in peak summer weeks and the rest of the season is much quieter, which catches people out. It is entirely outdoors. Ticket prices are high in the animated weeks. It is remote and needs a car.

Nearby

Spottrup Castle is north; Holstebro lies south-west.