Den Gamle By
Den Gamle By (Danmarks Købstadmuseum), German for "the old town" , is an open-air museum in Aarhus , Denmark . In contrast to most open-air museums, it is not about rural, but rather urban culture and history. As such, it is the oldest of its kind.
origin
The museum was founded in 1909 and opened in 1914 when Den gamle Borgmestergård, west of the city, was rebuilt. This old merchant's yard had recently fallen victim to the pickaxe in the fast-growing city of Aarhus, but the impressive half-timbered ensemble was saved in this way. This gave the go-ahead for the rescue of historical buildings from all over Denmark, which had to give way to a "clear-cut renovation" at their original location. The idea of preserving old buildings by dismantling them and rebuilding them elsewhere was still unusual at the time. At best, historically important buildings were preserved in place.
City within the city
The museum was built in the shape of a medieval town along the river. This concept gives the visitor the impression that he is really in an old city. In the meantime, this illusion is severely disturbed by an office high-rise built in the immediate vicinity in 1999/2000, especially since it rises exactly in the alignment line along the river. The central point is the market square, where the Old Mint ( Møntmestergården ) from Copenhagen (17th century) was rebuilt a few years ago . This building originally stood there in Borgergade, was dismantled during renovation work around 1940 and stored temporarily for over 50 years. Between 1998 and 2000 the only surviving half-timbered house in Copenhagen was rebuilt. Today there are no fewer than 75 historical buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries (as well as a few important small buildings from the 20th century) in Den Gamle By. These come from many cities in Denmark, with the large Jewish cities of Aarhus and Aalborg , which grew rapidly in the 20th century, being most strongly represented.
Exhibitions
Many of the houses have special functions and almost all of them are open. Not only historical living culture is shown. There are also exhibitions on old clocks, costumes , textiles, silversmiths , toys and faiences . Old handicrafts and earlier economic forms are also shown, for example the brewing of beer or distilling of brandy . You can also see an old printing house, for example. Historical institutions were also set up, such as a 19th century post office in a merchant's house in Aabenraa .
A permanent Christmas exhibition shows the development of Christmas from the Renaissance in the mayor's courtyard in 1625 to the festival in the interwar period in 1929.
Theater and film
The Helsingør Theater , rebuilt in 1961, is used both in its original function and for seminars and lectures. In addition, the museum works closely with the Department of History at the University of Aarhus in the Center for Byhistorie .
In 1977 the museum village served as the backdrop for the film adaptation of Astrid Lindgren's novel The Lionheart Brothers .
See also
Web links
- Museum website (Danish, English)
Coordinates: 56 ° 9 ′ 32 ″ N , 10 ° 11 ′ 30 ″ E