Copenhagen Museums and Libraries

From: Copenhagen, Denmark

Frilandsmuseet - Open-Air Museum Copenhagen

ABOVE: Frilandsmuseet, a.k.a. the Open-Air Museum, recreates life in Denmark from 1650 to 1950.

Museums and Libraries

Note: Where possible, we've linked to the English-language versions of the museums' Web sites. URLs sometimes change without notice, so if a link doesn't work, try backing up to the home page's address (e.g., if the non-working URL is "www.museum.dk/en/listings.htm," delete everything in the address bar except "www.museum.dk.")

The Arnamagnæan Institute
Scholars are the main audience for this collection of historic manuscripts from Scandinavia and Continental Europe. The institute also has a 12,000-volume reference library.

Botanical Garden
A Royal Decree led to the establishment of Copenhagen's botanical garden and museum more than 400 years ago. Some of the collections date back to the 1700s, when Danish botanists roamed the Earth in search of unusual specimens.

Museum of Copenhagen
Eight centuries of Copenhagen history are illustrated via models and other exhibits that show everything from building models to a cross-section of modern underground Copenhagen and an archaelogical excavation.

Design Museum Denmark
Royal Copenhagen porcelain, Danish furniture and industrial design, glass, textiles, and East Asian art among the items on display here.

Old Denmark - Open-Air Museum
The Frilandsmuseet, which occupies 86 acres or 35 hectares in Copenhagen's suburbs, has more than 50 farms, mills, and houses from all over Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and former Danish provinces in Sweden and Germany. It's one of the world's largest "living history" museums, and it appeals to visitors of all ages.

Kroppedal Museum
This museum of astronomy, modern history, and archaelogy is located outside the city, but you can get there by S-train and bus.

ABOVE: The Rundetårn, or Round Tower, was built in 1642 as an astromical observatory. The viewing platform and telescope are 115 feet (35 m) above Copenhagen's university quarter.

National Museum of Denmark
The Nationalmuseet consists of four parts: the main National Museum in central Copenhagen, the delightful Open-Air Museum or Frilandsmuseet in Lyngby, Brede Works (a former cloth mill), and the Museum of Danish Resistance, 1940-1945. Click the Union Jack icon for English text.

Ripley's Believe or Not Museum
Copenhagen joins the more than two dozen cities around the world with museums that celebrate things "so extraordinary, so shocking, you’ll wonder how they could possibly be true." (The museum's Web site also promotes three other commercial attractions in Copenhagen: Guinness World Records, The Mystic Exploratorie, and Hans Christian Andersen's Wonderful World.)

The Round Tower
Climb the spiral ramp to the top for a great view. The tower still houses Europe's oldest functioning observatory, where visitors can look through an antique telescope during the winter months. (Note: This site will open in a new browser window.)

The Royal Library
Even if you aren't up to the rigors of research, Det Kongelige Bibliotek is worth visiting for its exhibitions.

Tycho Brahe Planetarium
This isn't your granddad's planetarium. In addition to star shows, it has Omnimax movies and laser shows in the dome-shaped auditorium. (Narration is in Danish, but you can rent headphones to hear an English translation.)

Copenhagen main index

Introduction