Klosterlund Museum

About the museum

The Klosterlund Museum is on the northwest shore of Bølling Sø east of Ikast, in the granite buildings of the large Klosterlund peat estate. The peat entrepreneur Martin Anchersen built a modern peat factory here from about 1901 and had the red brick main building erected in 1912; later the estate served the Hedeselskabet as a peat factory and machine station. Since the merger in 2010, the museum has been one of the visitor sites of Museum Midtjylland.

At Klosterlund, traces of an early phase of the Maglemose culture were discovered, known as the Klosterlund culture; a find from the 1930s was considered at the time the oldest evidence of human presence in Denmark. The exhibition "Stenalderjægerne ved Søen" shows how reindeer hunters came to the lake about 11,500 years ago after the end of the Ice Age. Under the roof, "Ansigt til ansigt" presents the museum's most valuable archaeological finds, including the almost 2,000-year-old, exceptionally well-preserved garment of the Hammerum Girl.

Further exhibitions tell stories around the lake and about peat extraction and the reclamation of the heath. In summer, volunteers demonstrate peat cutting on selected days. In 2025 Ikast-Brande Municipality approved funds to develop the museum into a stopping point on the Hærvejen.

Highlights

• Almost 2,000-year-old garment of the Hammerum Girl
• Finds of the Stone Age Klosterlund culture
• Exhibition on the peat industry in the old peat factory
• Play corner for children in the Stone Age exhibition
• Hiking route "Hærvejsperlen" (11.6 km) around Bølling Sø

Permanent exhibitions

• Ansigt til ansigt – The museum's most important archaeological finds under the roof, with personal stories of people of prehistory – including the almost 2,000-year-old garment of the Hammerum Girl.
• Stenalderjægerne ved Søen – Finds of the first hunter-gatherers at Bølling Sø since the end of the Ice Age, with a play corner for children.
• Den gamle tørvefabrik – Machines, objects and pictures on the peat industry and the reclamation of the heath around Bølling Sø, shown in the former peat factory.

Operated by

Museum Midtjylland (selbstständige, staatlich anerkannte Institution)

Director

Kristine Holm-Jensen (Museumsdirektørin von Museum Midtjylland)

Visitors per year

approx. 4,029 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Members free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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 entire museum is wheelchair-accessible; the outdoor areas can be difficult when wet. Pets not allowed, only guide dogs for the blind.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

In the Stone Age exhibition there is a play corner where children look for arrowheads and firewood for the hunters; in "Ansigt til ansigt" hidden clues are scattered for children. During the summer, fall and winter holidays there are family programs, such as archaeological workshops, old games and peat cutting. Changing facilities at the restrooms; strollers are not allowed in the exhibitions.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the forest at Bølling Sø east of Ikast; GPS address Kragelundvej 6A, 7442 Engesvang.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Small café with hot and cold drinks, ice cream, cake and sausages in dough; for children there is a snack bag (DKK 39). Small museum shop. Free coat check; large bags, backpacks and umbrellas are not allowed in the exhibition. Food brought from outside at tables under the trees or in the dining house with a lake view; not allowed in the exhibitions. Restrooms at the coat check and an outdoor restroom accessible around the clock.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit