Brede Værk

About the museum

In the Mølleå valley north of København, water was already driving mills in the Middle Ages, which later became industrial mills; the river valley is therefore regarded as the cradle of Danish industry. Among other things, Brede had a copper and brass hammer works from 1668, and as early as 1784 the small industrial settlement was given a school.

In 1831 Theodor Suhr and J. C. Modeweg took over the works, and from 1832 a cloth factory operated here. For over 100 years, Brede was a community unto itself: the workers' families lived and worked on the site, and there was a general store, a school, a dining hall, a day nursery, housing for foremen, and the residence of the factory director. Cloth production ended in 1956.

Today the site is Denmark's largest protected industrial complex and belongs to the Nationalmuseet (National Museum of Denmark). From the 1960s the museum showed exhibitions here on Danish industrial history, which were redesigned in 2009; in 2018 the Nationalmuseet announced the end of exhibition operations.

Today the grounds, with factory buildings, workers' houses, and directors' villas, are freely accessible year-round. The buildings, including the main building with the director's apartment and a workers' apartment, can only be entered on public or private guided tours. A free audio walk with twelve stops and original recordings of former workers leads across the grounds.

Highlights

• Factory buildings, workers' houses, and directors' villas from the 19th century
• Guided tours including the main building and a workers' apartment
• Free audio walk with 12 stops and memories of former workers
• Setting in a protected nature area on the Mølleå
• Restaurant Brede Spisehus in the former workers' canteen

Founded

1849

Operated by

Nationalmuseet

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

The grounds and audio walk are free; the buildings are accessible only as part of a paid guided tour.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All buildings have stairs and no elevator; they are not accessible to wheelchair users or people with severe mobility impairments. The tours take place mostly outdoors on the factory grounds.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

Restaurant Brede Spisehus (Danish-French cuisine) in the former canteen of the factory workers; Brede Høker, a small shop with a café.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit