Thorsvang, Danmarks Samlermuseum (Thorsvang: Denmark's Museum of Collectables) is located in the Lendemarke district of Stege on the Danish island of

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg Municipality, Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langeb ...

. It displays a wide variety of old items collected over the years principally by Henrik Hjortkær. They are displayed in a former powdered milk factory from 1919 which has been fitted out to represent a series of small shops typical of the early 20th century."Om os"
Thorsvang. Retrieved 19 July 2013.Phillippa Maigaard, "Danmarks Samlermuseum åbnede på Møn"
''tv2 øst''. Retrieved 19 July 2013.

History

The museum consists of countless items of all kinds which have been collected over the years by Henrik Hjortkær who developed an interest in

collectable A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any Physical object, object regarded as being of value or interest to a collecting, collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types ...

s when he was just eight years old. Hjortkær, now in his early fifties, and his wife Bente Bille are well-known figures on Møn as they used to run Café Frederik VII on the marketplace in the centre of Stege while Hjortkær's parents and grandparents ran the restaurant in Fanefjord Skovpavillion. In his efforts to find a suitable venue for displaying his collection, Hjortkær was assisted by Møns Bank and by the tourism agency Møn-Sydsjællands Turistforening. This led to the creation of a foundation, Fonden Danmarks Samlermuseum, which succeeded in purchasing the former powdered milk factory from

Vordingborg Municipality Vordingborg Municipality (, ) is a '' kommune'' in the Sjælland Region, which is on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. It was established in 2007. The municipality covers an area of 621 km2. It has a total popula ...

for just 1 Danish crown. In 2012, 124 volunteers — mostly pensioners — were involved in a project designed to convert the factory into a museum in the form of an old town complete with a variety of old shops in which items of various kinds could be displayed. On a typical day, some 20 elderly craftsmen could be seen laying out the old streets and building the shops. By July 2013, when the museum opened, 246 volunteers had assisted either in the work itself or in coming up with good ideas for the project. Thorsvang barbers

The collection

All the items are displayed in 18 small shops, typical of the 1920s. In addition to the grocer's which forms the entrance, there is an old bank, a locksmith, a lingerie store, a tobacco shop, a tailor's, an

ice cream parlor Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are parlor that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard- ...

, a butcher's, a photographer's and a post office. There is an old cigarette machine which used to deliver 10 cigarettes for 40 øre, a radio store with the second TV set ever to come to Møn and a

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...

's where, if you come on the right day, you can get a shave. The old classroom consists of eight small wooden desks from

Vordingborg Vordingborg () is a market town and old ferry town on the south coast of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

but these are soon to be replaced by desks from Møn's Sprove Skole.

Opening hours

The museum is located at Thorsvang Alle 7, Stege. During the summer months, it is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum also has its own restaurant, Palmehaven."Stege har fået sit nye samler-museum"
''Sydsjællands Tidende'', 18 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.

References

External links

Thorsvang
official site {{coord, 54, 58, 41, N, 12, 16, 22, E, display=title Møn Museums in Region Zealand Tourist attractions in Vordingborg Municipality Museums established in 2013 Living museums