Den Gamle By

Stepping into Den Gamle By, a live historic, open air museum in Aarhus, is truly like taking a ride in a time machine. As we walk through the gates, two ladies in full 17th Century costume mosey past with their baskets of flowers and fruit. They look me up and down with mild amusement before continuing on. One turns past the school house, the other disappears into a small shop.

I am immediately intrigued despite tripping on the cobblestone before entering the first building, the Eilschou Almshouse (Odense).

Almshouse

This building has been assembled here but was originally built in 1767 at No. 2-4 Munkemoltestade, across the street from Hans Christian Andersen’s childhood home. Eilschou, the merchant who build it, did so, setting up a foundation for lodgings for middle class widows and spinsters.

Through into a tiny living room (1833) a woman sits, knitting. The room is sparsely decorated and the furniture is old fashioned, even for the time as most of it would have been saved after selling the most valuable pieces to survive. Despite previous status and wealth, the death of a husband, father or close male relative often had devastating effects on the women and other dependents in the family.

The flats at the foundations had three rooms. The kitchen in the main building was shared and the outhouse consisted of a privy (toilet), a henhouse and woodshed. A bucket collects slop and waste from the sink and water must be fetched from a public pump.

The kitchen fireplace heats embers for the living room jamb stove heater. There is another, even smaller, room off the kitchen for children and the canopy bed in the main room looks rather lumpy to me. With the bare floor boards and stark furniture, I shiver at the mere thought of living here in the depths of winter, despite the warmth of the day.

Randers Workshops

Back outside in the sunshine I trip on more cobblestones as we discover the Randers Workshops. A row of 1741 workshops, named Little Rosegarden from Vester Grave, depicts small craftmen’s shops known as ‘hire shops’. These were rented by sole traders or small businesses, the owners who built them were generally far more prosperous merchants.

These little shops would often double as lodgings for the lower socio-economic classes. Again, the furniture is scarce and functional and designed such that the whole family could make use of the small space. Thankfully here they use mannequins and don’t require a girl to sit looking dirty and forlorn all day.

Haderslev House

Across (yet more) cobbled way stands two 18th Century houses, originally from 11 Slotsgade. These houses are unique in their design due to their close-boarded structure, built using horizontal planks between vertical joists. This design is rare in Danish towns. The houses have been fitted out with workshop displays dedicated to carpentry, cabinet making, wood carving and painters. They are interesting enough and we take a walk through, ducking our heads at appropriate moments to avoid low ceilings.

In these days, paint had to be made by hand and consisted of variously sourced color pigments mixed with varnish on a marble slab. By kneading the paste with a cone shaped piece of granite (called a muller) the gritty paste can become transformed (ground) to a fine powder. The powder is then dried and stored to be mixed with water when required to be used.

Victorian Living Room

This Victorian living room is decorated with plush, over stuffed furniture, a large patterned rug and heavy textile curtains not to mention an excess of pictures, plants and bric a brac in an effort to exude cosines as was the fashion at the time. Although I could use a nice cup of tea right now, I would not want to spend all day in here writing letters, albeit preferable to the almshouse or workshop alternatives.

Pharmacy

The pharmacy, with its own laboratory, has apparatus for pounding, filtering, boiling and distilling, is a workshop all of its own. Other equipment includes glass flasks, scales and a chocolate mill as well as a machine for making stick licorice (doubt it was as good as Darrell Lea!).

Most ingredients needed to be kept dry and cool and were thus stored in the cellar. I love the intrigue of all the labeled glass jars and little drawers lined up. Some of the equipment looks downright terrifying though and honestly, I am increasingly glad that my maladies can be treated with more modern medicine.

Merchant’s Warehouse

This 15th Century (circa 1600) warehouse from Jomfru Ane Gade, a street in central Aalborg, has a heavy timber frame and thickly carved brackets. A mansard roof, a four sided sloping roof which become steeper halfway down, in the British style was added around 1800. There are wrought iron rings on the wall originally for tethering horses.

House from Kalundborg

Another fine example of a unique building is this house from Kalundborg. The half timbered structure from 27 Cardilgade dates from circa 1700, with the characteristic shutters having been added towards the end of the 18th Century, contributing to the uniqueness of the building. This house is the only surviving building of its kind and was reconstructed here at Den Gamle By as a hatter’s workshop.

The hatter’s workshop is of mid 19th Century set up. After the scoring and milling of the cloth to clean it of dirt and oils, known as the fulling process, the hat was shaped and dried in a stove before the crown was pressed. Then final adjustments to the shape were made by hand including forming the brim with a hot iron before another band, sweat band and trimming could be added.

House from Aarhus

This half timbered house built in 1650 at 78 Mejlgade has heavily profiled brackets and contains the clockmaker and silversmith workshops.

The clockmaker’s has all sorts of stock, with clockmakers in general having two things in common – the work desk was always situated under the window for best use of light for any fine mechanical work and the day was filled with the loud ticking of the many clocks on display.

The Mayor’s House

One of the most important half timbered Danish Renaissance building, the Aarhus Mayor’s house, is originally from the corner of Immervad and Vestergade, dating to 1597.

The early 17th Century kitchen contains utensils of copper, tin and brass denoting a wealthy home. Black earthenware was used for pots as food was cooked over an open fire while water had to be brought in from either the pump in the yard or the town square. The larder holds the plates, dishes and bowls while the scullery maid slept in an extension bed which was hidden in a chest of drawers.

A tea party is set in the living room with fashionable porcelain services manufactured and popular in Denmark.

There is also an excellent exhibition of Queen Margarethe II’s wardrobe displaying costumes, gowns and outfits worn by the Queen over many important royal occasions.

Another section of Den Gamle By explores architecture, activities and artifacts of the 20th century however, after our couple of hours exploring here we are ready to head back into town, and perhaps find that cup of tea after all.

Good To Know

Den Gamle By is located a short walk from the Arhus city centre. Once on site, there is also a Den Gamle By app that you can download to take you on tour through the museum and explain buildings, uses and history as you work your way through. It’s a good idea to download before you go as the WiFi is rather slow.

The museum is a short walk from the centre of town (10 mins) and the port (20 mins).

Would I Return?

Yes. There is plenty to explore and learn about in the open air museum and, although I did my best, a couple of hours is not enough to take it all in.