Nationalmuseet

About the museum

The roots of the Nationalmuseet reach back to the royal Kunstkammer (cabinet of curiosities) of the 17th century. In 1807 the king set up a commission for the preservation of antiquities, tasked with protecting archaeological sites and building a museum of Nordic antiquities. The collection was first displayed in the attic of the Trinitatis Kirke. Its secretary and later director Christian Jürgensen Thomsen arranged the finds by Stone, Bronze and Iron Age, thereby shaping archaeology far beyond Denmark.

After the Kunstkammer was dissolved, the ethnographic collection, the antiquities collection and finally the Oldnordisk Museum moved from 1849 into Prinsens Palæ, a city palace from the 1740s on Frederiksholms Kanal. In 1892 the collections were combined as the Nationalmuseet with separate departments; the Dansk Folkemuseum was added later.

Between 1929 and 1938 the palace was fundamentally rebuilt, and in 1992 the large exhibition hall under the glass roof was added. Today the museum shows about 9,000 years of history: Danish prehistory and early history with the Sun Chariot and bog finds, the Middle Ages and Renaissance, everyday life since 1660, coins, antiquities, and collections on the peoples of the world and the Arctic.

The Nationalmuseet is Denmark's main museum of cultural history and runs 15 museums and castles across the country, including the Frihedsmuseet, the Krigsmuseet and the Frilandsmuseet.

Highlights

• Trundholm Sun Chariot from the Bronze Age
• Egtved Girl with avatar staging
• Golden Horns of Gallehus and gold treasures of the Viking Age
• Space suit of astronaut Andreas Mogensen
• Eckhout paintings and Arctic collection
• Great Hall under the glass roof in Prinsens Palæ

Permanent exhibitions

• Danmarks Oldtid – De første mennesker – The prehistory of Denmark from the first hunters to the Vikings, with the Sun Chariot, bog bodies and the Egtved Girl.
• Danmarkshistorier 1660–2000 – Everyday life, society and change in Denmark since absolutism, spread over three floors, up to the space suit of the first Danish astronaut.
• KA-CHING! – Exhibition on the history of money from the coin and medal collection.

Founded

1849

Operated by

Nationalmuseet (dänischer Staat)

Director

Rane Willerslev

Admission & discounts

Online DKK 135, at the ticket office DKK 150. The ticket is valid for one visit for one year from purchase and can be credited toward an annual pass before you leave the museum. Free admission with a press card and with an ODM or ICOM card.

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; wheelchairs and walkers can be borrowed. Assistance dogs allowed, other dogs not. Quieter rooms (e.g. in "Ukendt Land") on request at the information desk.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The Children's Museum with a Viking ship, bazaar and medieval castle to touch, dress up in and climb closes on October 18, 2026 and reopens in summer 2027. During school holidays there are activities for children aged 6 to 12 with their parents. Your own strollers stay at the entrance; the museum lends buggies and locks.

Getting there & parking

Visitor entrance at Ny Vestergade 10.

Amenities & dining

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

Café Daisy (Danish cuisine, especially smørrebrød) and the museum shop are accessible without admission. Lunch room for food you bring yourself, with power outlets. Free lockable lockers; backpacks and large bags are not allowed into the exhibitions. Free Wi-Fi "NATMUS_Guest".

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 400 guests.

Great Hall (450 m², up to 288 seated or 400 standing, outside opening hours), banquet hall from 1672 (up to 200 people), cinema hall (up to 176), Glass Hall (up to 200 standing), Café Daisy (from 18:00, up to 76) and meeting rooms; catering by Madkastellet.

Plan your visit