The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

is Denmark's largest museum of

cultural history Cultural history records and interprets past events involving human beings through the social, cultural, and political milieu of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors. Jacob Burckhardt (1818–1897) helped found cultural history ...

, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from

Strøget Strøget () is a pedestrian, car-free shopping area in Copenhagen, Denmark. This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe at 1.1 km. Located at the centre of the old city ...

at the center of Copenhagen. It contains exhibits from around the world, from

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. Additionally, the museum sponsors SILA - The Greenland Research Center at the National Museum of Denmark to further

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

anthropological Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behaviour, wh ...

research in

. The museum has a number of national commitments, particularly within the following key areas:

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

ethnography Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

, building

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

activities in connection with the churches of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, as well as the handling of the Danefæ (the National Treasures).

Exhibitions

The museum covers 14,000 years of Danish

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, from the reindeer-hunters of the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

s, and works of religious art from the

Middle Age Middle age (or middle adulthood) is the age range of the years halfway between childhood and old age. The exact range is subject to public debate, but the term is commonly used to denote the age range from 45 to 65 years. Overall This time span ...

s, when the church was highly significant in Danish life. Danish coins from Viking times to the present and coins from ancient

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, as well as examples of the

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

age and

currencies A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or currency in circulation, circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use wi ...

of other

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

s, are exhibited also. The National Museum keeps Denmark's largest and most varied collection of objects from the

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

cultures of Greece and Italy, the

Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. For example, it holds a collection of objects that were retrieved during the Danish excavation of

Tell Shemshara Tell Shemshāra (ancient Shusharra) (also Tell Shimshara) is an archaeological site located along the Little Zab in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, in the Iraqi Kurdistan autonomous administrative division of Iraq. The site was inundated by Lake Dukan ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in 1957. Exhibits are also shown on who the

Danish people Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

are and were, stories of everyday life and special occasions, stories of the Danish state and nation, but most of all stories of different people's lives in Denmark from 1560 to 2000. The Danish pre-history section was re-opened in May 2008 after years of renovating. In 2013, a major exhibition on the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

was opened by

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until Abdication of Margrethe II, her abdication on 14 January 2024. Ha ...

. It has toured to other museums, including the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

in London.

Restitution

In 2024, the museum repatriated a 17th-century sacred feathered cloak that was taken to Denmark in 1689 from the

Tupinambá people The Tupinambá ( Tupinambás) are one of the various Tupi ethnic groups that inhabit present-day Brazil, and who had been living there long before the conquest of the region by Portuguese colonial settlers. The name Tupinambá was also applied t ...

of Brazil, where it was placed in the custodianship of the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Notable artifacts

* Golden horns of Gallehus (only copies are on display since the originals were stolen and melted down in 1802) *

Gundestrup cauldron The Gundestrup cauldron is a richly decorated silver vessel, thought to date from between 200 BC and 300 AD, or more narrowly between 150 BC and 1 BC. This places it within the late La Tène period or early Roman Iron Age. The cauldron is t ...

Hjortspring boat The Hjortspring boat () is a vessel designed as a large canoe, from the Scandinavian Pre-Roman Iron Age. It was built circa 400–300 BC. The hull and remains were rediscovered and excavated in 1921–1922 from the bog of ''Hjortspring Mose'' on ...

Egtved Girl The Egtved Girl () was a Nordic Bronze Age girl whose well-preserved remains were discovered outside Egtved, Denmark in 1921. Aged 16–18 at death, she was slim, tall, had short, blond hair and well-trimmed nails. Her burial has been dat ...

coffin *

Kingittorsuaq Runestone The Kingittorsuaq Runestone (old spelling: ''Kingigtorssuaq''), listed as GR 1 in the Rundata catalog, is a runestone that was found on Kingittorsuaq Island, an island in the Upernavik Archipelago in northwestern Greenland. Description The King ...

Snoldelev Stone The Snoldelev Stone, listed as DR 248 in the Rundata catalog, is a 9th-century runestone that was originally located at Snoldelev, Ramsø, Denmark. Description The Snoldelev Stone was first noted in 1810 and was turned over to the national Antiq ...

Trundholm Sun Chariot The Trundholm sun chariot () is a Nordic Bronze Age artifact discovered in Denmark. It is a representation of the sun chariot, a bronze statue of a horse and a large bronze disk, which are placed on a device with spoked wheels. The sculpture ...

Seikilos epitaph The Seikilos epitaph is an Ancient Greek inscription that preserves the oldest surviving complete musical composition, including musical notation. Commonly dated between the 1st and 2nd century AD, the inscription was found engraved on a pilla ...

Holmegaard bow The Holmegaard bow (weapon), bows are a series of self bows found in the bogs of Northern Europe dating from c. 7000 BC in the Nordic Stone Age, Mesolithic period. They are named after the Holmegaard area of Denmark in which the first and oldest ...

Tjele helmet fragment The Tjele helmet fragment is a Viking Age fragment of iron and bronze, originally comprising the eyebrows and noseguard of a helmet. It was discovered in 1850 with a large assortment of smith's tools in Denmark, and though the find was sent to t ...

Directors

Christian Jürgensen Thomsen Christian Jürgensen Thomsen (29 December 1788 – 21 May 1865) was a Danish antiquarian who developed early archaeological techniques and methods. In 1816 he was appointed head of 'antiquarian' collections which later developed into the Na ...

(1825–1865) *

Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae (14 March 1821 – 15 August 1885) was a Danish archaeologist, historian and politician, who was the second director of the National Museum of Denmark (1865–1874). He played a key role in the foundation of scientifi ...

(1856–1874) *

Sophus Müller Sophus Otto Müller (24 May 1846 - 23 February 1934) was a Danish archaeologist. Biography He was born in Copenhagen, the son of C. Louis Müller. Sophus studied classical philology at Copenhagen University, graduating cand.philol. in 1871. ...

(1895–1921) * Olaf Olsen (1981–1995) * Steen Hvass (1996–2001) * Carsten U. Larsen (2002–2008) * Per Kristian Madsen (2008–2017) *

Rane Willerslev Rane Willerslev is a Danish anthropologist. In his academic career, he has travelled extensively and has a particular interest in tribal cultures, both present and prehistoric. On 1 July 2017, he was appointed director of the National Museum of ...

(2017–present)

Gallery

<> Image:Guldhornene DO-10765 original.jpg, Copies of the two golden horns of Gallehus from around the 4th century Image:Bronze Age Helmets, Nationalmuseet Copenhagen.jpg, The ''

Veksø helmets The Veksø helmets (or Viksø helmets) are a pair of Bronze Age ceremonial horned helmets found near Veksø in Zealand, Denmark. Overview In 1942 a workman was digging (c. 0.7m below the moss surface) at a peat bog extraction site in Brøns Mose ...

'' - Bronze Age horned helmets from Brøns Mose at Veksø on Zealand, Denmark Image:Gundestrup cauldron - F.I.4277.jpg, ''Gundestrupkarret'' (the

), dating from the 1st century BC File:Solvognen-00100.jpg, The

, an important late Nordic Bronze Age artifact Image:Nivisarsiaq (Mathias Blumenthal).jpg, ''Nivisarsiaq'', a painting of a

ic girl who came to Denmark in the mid 18th century Image:Egtvedpigen.jpg, The ''

'' coffin from the late Nordic Bronze Age Image:Aurochs, Danish National Museum.jpg, Exhibit of an

aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius''; or ; pl.: aurochs or aurochsen) is an extinct species of Bovini, bovine, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of t ...

skeleton Image:Danish Pride, National Museum of Denmark.jpg, Exhibit from the Danish 20th century section Image:Maori Face mask, National Museum of Denmark.jpg, Exhibit from New Zealand. Showcasing sections of global history and traditions Image:Huldremose_Woman.jpg, The

Huldremose Woman Huldremose Woman, or Huldre Fen Woman, is a female bog body recovered in 1879 from a peat bog near Ramten, Jutland, Denmark. Analysis by Carbon 14 dating indicates that she lived during the Iron Age, sometime between 160 BC and 340 AD. The mu ...

from 160 BCE - 340 CE found in a peat bog near Ramten,

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

Image:Golden altar of Lisbjerg Church.jpg, The golden altar of

Lisbjerg Lisbjerg is a village and suburb 7 km north of the city center of Aarhus, Denmark. Lisbjerg has a population of 1,930 (1 January 2025). Lisbjerg is situated on the northern slopes of the broad and flat valley of Egådalen, marking the northe ...

Church built Image:Dejbjerg wagon, Nationalmuseet Copenhagen.jpg, The

Dejbjerg wagon The Dejbjerg wagon (Danish ''Dejbjergvognen'') is a composite of two ceremonial wagons found in a peat bog in Dejbjerg near Ringkøbing in western Jutland, Denmark. These votive deposits were dismantled and ritually placed in the bog around 100 BCE ...

from the Pre-Roman Iron Age, thought to be a ceremonial wagon.

Publications (selected)

''Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark'' is the title of the museum's yearbook which has been published since 1928 and contains articles and other contributions.Om Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark
; jelling.natmus.dk ISSN 0084-9308 *''Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark 1807 - 2007''. København: Nationalmuseet, 2007

References

External links

*
Virtual tour of the National Museum of Denmark
provided by

Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world, operated by Google. It utilizes high-re ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:National Museum Of Denmark 1819 establishments in Denmark Archaeological museums in Denmark History museums in Denmark

Museums in Copenhagen Viking Age museums Rococo architecture in Denmark