TID – Museum for Odense

About the museum

TID – Museum for Odense is the city's museum of cultural history, located in a block of buildings between Overgade, Sortebrødre Stræde, Claus Bergs Gade, and Hans Mules Gade. The former Bymuseet Møntergården takes its name from the half-timbered courtyard house that the nobleman Falk Gøye had built in 1646 as a winter residence on Møntestræde; a mint workshop stood on this site around 1420. The municipality bought the house in 1930 and had it restored.

In the following decades, further historic buildings from Odense and Nyborg were moved here, including Ejler Rønnows Gård from 1547, where Fyens Folkemuseum had already opened in 1910, as well as Österbyes Gård and the Nyborgladen. Since 1955, the almshouses Pernille Lykkes Boder, founded in 1617, have also been part of the museum.

In 2013, a modern exhibition building by the architects Frank Maali and Gemma Lalanda was added, echoing the half-timbering with a visible steel skeleton. Here the exhibition "Fyn – Midt i verden" shows important archaeological finds such as the skeleton of Koelbjerg Man and the oldest runes in Denmark, along with the exhibition on the sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, featuring around 200 original models and sketches. The old buildings explore life in the city from the Viking Age to the Renaissance, poverty, and the ring fortress Nonnebakken. For children there are the Børnemuseet and the Børnenes Baggård, where everything can be touched. The museum is operated by Museum Odense.

Highlights

• Skeleton of Koelbjerg Man, the oldest known person in Scandinavia
• Denmark's oldest runic inscription, "Lille sværd"
• Around 200 original models by the sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, including the wax room
• Renaissance half-timbered courtyard house Møntergården from 1646 and Ejler Rønnows Gård from 1547
• Pernille Lykkes Boder almshouses from 1617
• Børnemuseet and Børnenes Baggård for play and hands-on fun

Permanent exhibitions

• Fyn – Midt i verden – Danish and world history seen from a Funen perspective, with finds spanning about 12,000 years, including Koelbjerg Man, the "Lille sværd" runes, and the pistol whose shots set off the August Uprising in World War II.
• Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. At forme liv – Around 200 original models and sketches by the sculptor in a show created together with the artist Jesper Just, plus a climate-controlled room with her wax figures.
• Byens liv – Exhibition in the half-timbered courtyard house Møntergården about Odense and its inhabitants from the Viking Age to the Renaissance.

Operated by

Museum Odense

Admission & discounts

The ticket is also valid for a visit to the Carl Nielsen Museet (Claus Bergs Gade 11, 200 m away). With a ticket from H.C. Andersens Hus, you get 50% off within 30 days. Visitors with a Ukrainian passport have free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The 2013 new building (ticket desk, shop, "Fyn – Midt i verden", Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen) has an elevator and an accessible restroom. The historic houses are crooked and have many steps and stairs, and the courtyards are cobblestoned; these exhibitions are only partly accessible. Assistance dogs allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Playground / play area

In the Børnemuseet, a half-timbered house from the 18th century spanning three floors, children and adults can crawl, touch, and try things out; along the way you can look for the hidden "Worm" in ten places. The Børnenes Baggård brings to life the workshop and home of a carpenter's family in the 1890s. The old buildings have high thresholds, stairs, and cobblestones. Children under 16 only with adults.

Getting there & parking

Entrances through the gate at Overgade 48 and from Sortebrødre Stræde and Claus Bergs Gade.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Lockable cubbies in the coat check in the basement; backpacks and large bags are not allowed in the exhibitions. Food you bring yourself may be eaten indoors in a designated area and in the courtyards. Museum shop with books on archaeology and history, items related to Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, and a children's selection, accessible without admission. Dogs only in the courtyards, not in the exhibitions (except assistance dogs); smoking is prohibited throughout the grounds.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Museum Odense puts together customized events for companies and associations, with guided tours, talks, and catering, in its venues; the Nyborgladen also serves as an event space. Inquiries via info@museumodense.dk.

Plan your visit