Koldkrigsmuseet REGAN Vest

About the museum

REGAN Vest – short for Regeringsanlæg Vestdanmark – was built from 1963 to 1968 under the strictest secrecy, around 60 meters deep in a chalk hill in Rold Skov. In the event of war, the nuclear-proof facility was meant to accommodate the government, the regent and parts of the central administration, about 350 people in total, who were to lead the country through a crisis from here.

The entrance to the bunker was hidden behind an unassuming yellow brick villa in which the machine master lived with his family and looked after the facility's technology. In 2012 REGAN Vest was taken out of readiness, and in 2014 the roughly 5,500-square-meter facility was placed under heritage protection.

Nordjyllands Historiske Museum, today Nordjyske Museer, took over the interpretation and, after extensive construction work, opened the facility to the public on February 13, 2023 as Koldkrigsmuseet REGAN Vest. The bunker is fully furnished and preserved with its original equipment – from the government's situation room and the regent's room to the canteen.

The museum also includes the machine master's villa, furnished as it was around 1980, as well as a reception and exhibition building with a café that sheds light on everyday life for Danes during the Cold War, the fear of nuclear war and the secret civil defense planning of that time.

Highlights

• Fully original nuclear bunker 60 m underground
• Government situation room, regent's room and bunker canteen
• Machine master's villa in the style of around 1980
• Exhibition on Denmark in the Cold War with a cinema
• Smørrebrød in the bunker canteen as an add-on ticket

Permanent exhibitions

• Bunkeren REGAN Vest – Guided tour through the fully preserved government facility with situation room, communications department, sleeping quarters, the regent's room and canteen.
• Maskinmesterboligen – The machine master's villa from 1966, furnished as it was around 1980, tells of family life with the secret bunker in the garden.
• Udstilling om den kolde krig – Exhibition on everyday life, nuclear fear and secret civil defense in Denmark during the Cold War, with themed islands and a small cinema.

Founded

2023

Operated by

Nordjyske Museer

Admission & discounts

Plus DKK 20 ticket fee. Tickets online only (card or MobilePay); no exchanges, no refunds, no waiting list. With a REGAN Vest ticket you get 20% off at the Aalborg Forsvars- og Garnisonsmuseum.

Accessibility

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

The reception building with café, shop and exhibition is easily accessible and has an accessible toilet. The bunker, the machine master's villa and the paths on the grounds are not suitable for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers; the tour is about 2 km long without seated rest breaks and must be walked without mobility aids. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed everywhere except in the bunker.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 12+

• Family tours & workshops: not available
• Stroller-friendly: not available

The museum recommends visiting only from age 12, as the exhibition and the topic are geared toward adults. Children under 6 (including in carriers) are not allowed in the bunker; children under 12 only when accompanied by an adult, no more than one child per accompanying person.

Getting there & parking

When approaching via main road 180 onto Røde Møllevej, there is a height limit of 3.90 m at the underpass; taller vehicles should drive via Oplev.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café with coffee, cake, drinks, sandwiches and smørrebrød; food can be pre-ordered up to five days before the visit. Food you bring yourself only in the garden of the machine master's villa (tables and benches). Toilets only in the reception building, not in the bunker.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit