The Occupation Museum () in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

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 ...

is a history museum dedicated to the history of Aarhus during the German occupation in the Second World War. The museum focuses on the major events of the war in Aarhus, especially the Aarhus Air Raid, the 1944 explosion in the Port of Aarhus, the activities of the prolific informant Grethe Bartram, and the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

in general. The museum exhibition make use of the history of the building as a place of interrogation and torture to tell the story of the events of the war. The cells are furnished with original items and equipment, while the torture implements used at the time are on display. The exhibition features an extensive array of items from the 1940–45 period such as uniforms, weapons, mines, tools, passes and German, English and Danish propaganda.

History

The museum was originally established in 1982 with the name ''Museet for Besættelsen i Aarhus, 1940–45'' (English: ''The Museum about the Occupation in Aarhus''), but was commonly referred to as the Occupation Museum. For the first year they borrowed premises in the Barracks on Langelandsgade, but moved to their current location in 1983. The Occupation Museum is run by volunteers and the only revenue comes from ticket sales and donations from private individuals and organizations. In 2003 the museum went into a partnership with the museum ''Bymuseet'' and in 2008 the museum administrations were merged. In 2010 Bymuseet moved to The Old Town and had a total renewal in 2017, moving underground in a "time travel" journey through Aarhus history called "Aarhus Story". The Occupation Museum contributed with the exhibition "Occupied 1940–1945". From 2018 till late August 2020, the museum was closed while going through a thorough renovation and renewal. The new museum focusses on the

ethical dilemma In philosophy, an ethical dilemma, also called an ethical paradox or moral dilemma, is a situation in which two or more conflicting moral imperatives, none of which overrides the other, confront an agent. A closely related definition characterizes ...

s everyday citizens were faced with during the occupation, but presented in a way that engages the visitor.

Building

The museum is situated in the historical centre, the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

, in Midtbyen and shares the building of the Gender Museum. The building is a listed structure and it is the former city hall and police station of the city, constructed in 1856–57. In the later part of the war it served as the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

headquarters for

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 ...

after the university buildings—where the Gestapo previously resided—were destroyed during an air raid by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. The museum is a part of The Old Town in Aarhus, despite not (tilterally) physically being moved there, which is the case with all houses in The Old Town.

References

{{reflist Museums in Aarhus Museums established in 2001 2001 establishments in Denmark