Designmuseum Danmark

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1890 by the Industrieforeningen in København and the Ny Carlsberg Museumslegat. It was meant to show exemplary objects in order to raise the quality of Danish industrial products and to make buyers aware of good design. In 1895 it opened for the first time in a new building of its own on what is today H.C. Andersens Boulevard.

Since 1926 the museum has been housed in the former Royal Frederiks Hospital in Frederiksstaden. The Rococo building had been constructed by Nicolai Eigtved and Lauritz de Thurah in 1752–1757 as the country's first public hospital; clinical operations ceased in 1910. Ivar Bentsen and Kaare Klint converted the building for the museum; Klint also designed the entire furnishings, taught in the building, and from here shaped generations of Danish furniture designers.

Later a design workshop pavilion for schools (2012) and a redesigned forecourt on Bredgade (2018) were added. From 2020 to 2022 the museum was closed for a comprehensive renovation and reopened in June 2022 with new exhibitions, a café, and a shop. Since 2026, a knowledge house for a library, reading room, and workshop has been under construction, to be inaugurated in 2027.

The independent, state-recognized institution is regarded as the central research and knowledge center for design history in Denmark and collects industrial design, furniture art, and crafts from past and present.

Highlights

• Danish Modern exhibition with icons of 20th-century Danish design
• Permanent exhibition on Danish silver
• Seven historically set tables in "Bord, dæk dig!"
• Furnishings by Kaare Klint in the Rococo building by Eigtved and Thurah
• Museum garden with sculptures and a café terrace
• Design library and poster collection

Permanent exhibitions

• Danish Modern – Long-term exhibition on the history of Danish design from the 1920s to 2000, with well-known and lesser-known pieces from the collection.
• Dansk sølv – Permanent exhibition on Danish silver from Skønvirke through Art Deco and organic modernism to the present.
• Bord, dæk dig! – Seven historic tables from the collection, set with silver, glass, and porcelain, tell the story of table culture from the Renaissance to the modern era.

Founded

1890

Operated by

Selbstständige Institution, staatlich anerkanntes Spezialmuseum

Director

Anne-Louise Sommer

Visitors per year

approx. 356,570 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the Copenhagen Card and K7 Plus. The shop, café, library, and museum garden are accessible without a ticket.

Accessibility

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

All exhibitions as well as the shop, library, and café are reachable by wheelchair; a ramp leads from the entrance hall into the museum garden. Lightweight loan wheelchair at the entrance. Accessible restroom on the first floor by the entrance hall. A few accessible parking spaces to the left of the museum square (entrance via Bredgade, display the parking permit visibly). Free sunflower lanyard at the ticket desk; visit preparation with AutismGoTo. Only guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed in the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Family workshops on selected Saturdays and during the holidays. In the exhibition "In the making," children can design a digital everyday design themselves. In the museum garden, the play figures "Legekammeraterne" by Anne Brandhøj invite children to climb. Your own strollers are not allowed in the exhibitions; loan buggies are available at the coat check (for children from about 1 year), and for babies the museum recommends a carrier. Baby changing facilities at the restrooms in the entrance hall, breastfeeding allowed everywhere.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on Bredgade in Frederiksstaden, near Amalienborg and Marmorkirken.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Café FORMAT (during museum hours, also without a ticket) with a terrace in the museum garden, children's menu, and high chairs. Coat check to the right behind the main entrance with lockable lockers; backpacks, large bags, and umbrellas may not go into the exhibitions. Free Wi-Fi throughout the building. Museum shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 120 guests.

The historic ballroom is rented out for celebrations, lectures, concerts, and receptions (up to 120 seats in theater-style seating, with AV equipment); catering packages via Café FORMAT.

Plan your visit