Ragnarock Museum

Ragnarock opened in 2016 in Musicon, a former concrete factory site in Roskilde being redeveloped as a creative quarter, and its building is deliberately loud: a box clad in gold-anodised studs and cantilevered over the entrance, designed by MVRDV and COBE. Inside it covers Danish and international pop, rock and youth culture from the 1950s onward, with instruments, stage clothes, posters, fanzines and a large sound archive, and it leans heavily on interaction rather than glass cases, with listening rooms, a rehearsal space and a simulated stage where visitors can stand in front of a projected crowd. A permanent section covers the Roskilde Festival, held on the fields nearby since 1971 and one of the largest music festivals in Europe.

What you actually see

• A gold-studded cantilevered building - the museum announcing itself from outside.
• The Roskilde Festival section - fifty years of the festival held next door.
• Listening rooms and archives - Danish popular music you can play.
• The simulated stage - standing in front of a projected crowd.

When to go

Year round. Two hours. Closed Mondays outside high season. It is busiest during school holidays and in the week before the festival. Evening events run through the year.

Honest expectations

The focus is strongly Danish, so much of the content will mean little to foreign visitors. It is loud and aimed at teenagers and young adults. The Musicon district around it is still largely a building site. The ticket price is high for the size.

Nearby

Roskilde Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum are in the town centre.