CLAY Keramikmuseum Danmark

About the museum

When the guesthouse in Villa Grimmerhus closed in 1991, the ceramics group Clay Today happened to be looking for a place for a national ceramics museum. With the support of Middelfart Kommune, Danmarks Keramikmuseum moved into the restored house in autumn 1994. There was no collection of its own at first: the first pieces were donated by ceramicists themselves, and the holdings have grown steadily since 1998.

The villa was built in 1856/57 to plans by Johan Daniel Herholdt as the dower house of the Hindsgavl estate and is considered an early example of Danish villa architecture in the Historicist style; the main building and stable building have been listed since 1993. It later served as, among other things, a women's clinic, summer residence, gymnasium, library and, for over 65 years, a guesthouse, before the municipality made it available for the museum.

In 2010, Royal Scandinavia handed the museum the Royal Copenhagen Samlingen with over 55,000 objects from the porcelain factories Den kongelige Porcelainsfabrik, Bing & Grøndahl and Aluminia. To create space, the building was extended largely underground into the slope toward the Lillebælt by Kjaer & Richter following a 2009 competition; with the opening in 2015, the museum took the name CLAY Keramikmuseum Danmark. In 2023, a high-security exhibition hall and new storage rooms were added.

Further donations, such as more than a thousand works from the collection of Erik Veistrup, made CLAY the largest ceramics collection of its kind in the Nordic region. The museum is an independent institution supported by the municipality and private foundations and is seeking state recognition.

Highlights

• Skatkammeret with Flora Danica and porcelain from 235 years of Danish factory history
• Royal Copenhagen Samlingen with over 55,000 objects
• Historicist villa Grimmerhus by J. D. Herholdt (1856/57)
• Underground exhibition halls with glass fronts toward the Lillebælt
• Ceramic relief by Asger Jorn (1954) on the main staircase
• Sculpture park and ceramics routes through Middelfart

Permanent exhibitions

• Skatkammeret – Underground treasure chamber with highlights from the Royal Copenhagen Samlingen, including Flora Danica, figurines, faience and stoneware from the great Danish manufactories.
• Keramikkens magi – Collection presentation in themes such as form, ornament, narrative and nature, bringing together historical and contemporary ceramics and explaining in the middle the path from clay through glaze to firing.

Founded

1994

Operated by

CLAY Keramikmuseum Danmark (selbstständige Institution, gefördert von der Middelfart Kommune)

Director

Pia Wirnfeldt

Visitors per year

approx. 46,303 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Admission only at the museum ticket desk. Shop and café are accessible without admission. Kulturpas is accepted at the ticket desk. The museum publishes further discount agreements annually.

Accessibility

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

Step-free entrance to the left of the main building with access to the elevators; all exhibitions and the café are accessible by wheelchair and mobility scooter. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms in the main building and at the café. Two wheelchairs (indoor use only) can be borrowed by arrangement (+45 30 30 10 34). Two accessible parking spaces at the main entrance and at the side entrance. For visually impaired guests, a visit can be arranged in which selected works may be touched. Guide dogs and service dogs welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

During school holidays, open family workshops for working with clay, free with admission (children are free anyway). Worksheets for children accompany exhibitions, and there are also tours for parents with babies. Strollers and buggies may be brought into the exhibitions; baby changing areas at the accessible restrooms in the main building and at the café, breastfeeding is allowed everywhere.

Getting there & parking

By car via E20 exit 59 on the Jutland side, over the old Lillebæltsbro and then take the first street on the left. Navigation: Kongebrovej 42, 5500 Middelfart. It is better to bypass Middelfart's old town via Brovejen; for buses over 3.8 m in height there is a separate route description. Bicycle parking in front of the main entrance.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café CLAY with a view of the sculpture park and the Lillebælt (60 seats inside, 40 outside), Tue–Sun 10:00–16:30 with brunch and lunch menu; from October 27, 2026 until probably February 2027, temporarily in the Havestuen with a smaller menu due to kitchen renovation. Museum shop. Bags, tripods and umbrellas are not allowed in the exhibitions; free lockers in the cloakroom. Bike Friends station with air pump and repair kit.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties: not available
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies: not available

Up to 120 guests.

Conferences and events: Havestuen in the listed villa (up to about 30 people) and Café CLAY (about 70 at tables, up to 120 in rows of seating); conference packages and tours can be added. Generally no private parties; requests are reviewed individually.

Plan your visit