Vesthimmerlands Museum

About the museum

The impetus came from the writer Johannes V. Jensen: in 1919 he wanted to secure a large private collection of antiquities for the region. The purchase failed and the collection went to New York, but on January 21, 1920 the Vesthimmerlands Museumsforening was founded to collect and preserve evidence of life in Vesthimmerland.

After years in changing premises, the association financed, through inheritances, donations and its own fundraising, a new building by the local architect Windfeldt Brorson in the "Bedre Byggeskik" style. The building was completed in 1935 and opened at Easter 1936. In 1977 a cube-shaped extension followed, and in 1981 a hall for the inherited painting collection of the painter Jens Nielsen.

In 1999 an extension of about 1,100 square meters was built to a design by the artist Per Kirkeby and the architect Jens Bertelsen. Its floor plan recalls Thor's hammer: the long "shaft" holds the storage and permanent exhibition, and the "head" two skylit halls for changing exhibitions. The complex extends almost 80 meters into the old rectory garden, which is now a museum park.

Today Vesthimmerlands Museum is the state-recognized museum for archaeology and more recent cultural history of Vesthimmerlands Municipality. The museum also includes the Stenaldercenter Ertebølle (Stone Age center), the Viking fortress Aggersborg and the Livø Anstalten. In Aars it shows finds from the Stone Age to the present, including a replica of the Gundestrup Cauldron, as well as a new department on the former institution on Livø.

Highlights

• Museum building by Per Kirkeby and Jens Bertelsen (1999) in the shape of Thor's hammer
• Replica of the Gundestrup Cauldron, found in nearby Rævemosen
• Finds from the Stone Age to modern times, including from Borremose
• Department on the history of the Livø Anstalten (1911–1961)
• Free room on Per Kirkeby's works in Aars
• Museum park in the old rectory garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Vesthimmerlands kulturhistorie (Dauerausstellung) – Regional history from the Stone Age to modern times with archaeological finds from Vesthimmerland, including a copy of the Gundestrup Cauldron and finds from Borremose.
• Livø Anstalten 1911–1961 – Department of the permanent exhibition on the former institution on the island of Livø with original objects, accounts, photos, film and sound.
• Per Kirkeby i Aars – Room with panels, models and films about Per Kirkeby's paintings, sculptures and buildings in Aars; free admission.

Founded

1920

Operated by

Vesthimmerlands Museum (staatlich anerkanntes Museum)

Director

Anne Birgitte Jessen

Admission & discounts

The room on Per Kirkeby's works in Aars is accessible free of charge. School classes, kindergartens and youth education programs from Vesthimmerland: admission and instruction free.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum explicitly sees itself as a destination for the whole family; during the winter break and at Easter there are hands-on activities. Children and young people under 18 have free admission. Museum park in the old rectory garden.

Getting there & parking

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

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café (school classes may bring their own food); museum shop with, among other things, the museum's yearbook.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit