Mindeparken (The Memorial Park) is a memorial park and recreational area in the south of Aarhus City, next to

Marselisborg Palace Marselisborg Palace, ( da, Marselisborg Slot, ) is a royal residence of the Danish Royal Family in Aarhus. It has been the summer residence of Queen Margrethe II since 1967. There is a Palace Park in connection to the palace itself and outside th ...

History

The Park itself, was inaugurated in 1925 by

king Christian X Christian X ( da, Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 to his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, in the form of a personal union rath ...

and originally designed to accommodate larger gatherings of visiting Danish citizens living abroad. That role soon diminished and disappeared, as the annual gatherings in Rebild gained momentum. In 1934 a large monument in

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, engraved with the names of and commemorating the 4,140 Danes killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, was erected. Designed by the Danish architect Axel Ekberg and Danish sculptor

Axel Poulsen Rikard Axel Poulsen (1 December 1887 – 22 August 1972) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered for his memorials in Copenhagen's Fælledparken and Aarhus' Marselisborg Mindeparken. Biography Born in Copenhagen, he was brought up in Odense wher ...

, they choose limestone from

Euville Euville () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Euville light railways *Communes of the Meuse department *Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorraine Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc nat ...

in the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

department of France, a major battlefield in World War I. The memorial site is still in active use today and on 11 November, an annual ceremony is held here in memory of the dead. In 2012, a stone for Danish soldiers stationed abroad, was erected in the park.

Layout

Surrounding the memorial monument is a large park and lawn area, used for all kinds of gatherings, events and recreational activities by the citizens of Aarhus. The park offers a panoramic view across the

Bay of Aarhus The Bay of Aarhus, or Aarhus Bay, is a Danish waterway by Aarhus in eastern Jutland. The Bay of Aarhus is bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the east Jutland coast to the wes ...

. Mindeparken was extended in 1939 and again in 1944, and now includes different sections with their own peculiarities. In a corner of the park is ''Træsamlingen'' (The Tree Collection), a botanical selection of different tree species and nearby is ''Rømerhaven'' (The Rømer Garden), a sculpture and flower garden with a botanical bend. In the south of Mindeparken lies the Donbæk Houses, built in 1828 and 1850. They formerly served as residentials of the servants to the

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

of Marselisborg Manor, and also housing for forest workers in the

Marselisborg Forests Marselisborg Forests ( da, Marselisborgskovene), or simply Marselisborg Forest, is a forest to the south of Aarhus City in the Kingdom of Denmark. Many present day sources now includes the forest of Fløjstrup, as part of the Marselisborg Fores ...

at some point. The old Marselisborg Manor was located where Marselisborg Gymnasium has residence now, but caught fire several times in the early 1900s and does not exist anymore. The Donbæk Houses are thus not related to the Marselisborg Palace, a common misconception.

Gallery

Forår i Mindeparken.JPG, Spring scene from the Japanese cherry grove. Mindeparken (July).JPG, The lawn in July, with a view across the Aarhus Bay. Autumn in Mindeparken.jpg, Autumn scene Marselisborg Mindepark (vinter 02).jpg, Winter scene Spejlbassinet.JPG, Rømerhaven. The bronze sculpture '' Danaiden'' and a mirror-pond. Solhesten 01.JPG, Rømerhaven. The bronze- and water-sculpture ''Solhesten''. Træsamlingen 03.JPG, The path through ''Træsamlingen''. Donbækhaven.JPG, Donbæk Houses Donbækhaven (juni).jpg, The Donbæk garden. Kongevejen (avenue).jpg, The lime tree avenue. World War I monument Mindeparken (Monumentet).JPG, Entry path to the monument. Monumentet 2.jpg, Inside the World War I Memorial. File:Marselisborgmonumentet.jpg, Wide-angle view from the entrance 3 freden.jpg, From the inside walls

Sources

Mindeparken
Aarhus Municipality
Mindeparken
Arrangør i Aarhus, Aarhus Municipality

External links

Excursions to the Marselisborg Mindepark (pdf)
Aarhus Municipality (Nature and Environment) 2010 {{Coord, 56, 7, 46, N, 10, 12, 26, E, display=title Marselisborg Parks in Aarhus Denmark in World War I