Skanderborg Bunkerne
Museum in two German Luftwaffe command bunkers in the Skanderborg Dyrehave from the occupation period, with a rare Enigma cipher machine.
About the museum
In February 1944 the German occupying forces seized the Sølund institution and, shortly afterward, the Skanderborg Dyrehave forest on Skanderborg Sø. The Danish headquarters of the Luftwaffe was established here, with about 500 men, barracks, workshops, and a network of telephone lines. Only six bunkers were completed, including the two command bunkers of the Luftwaffe general on the lakeshore, a communications center near Sølund, and a bunker on Vestergade in the town.
After the end of the war, the site served as a camp for German refugees until July 1946. Afterward the installations were dismantled; only the bunkers with their concrete walls several meters thick remained standing; the officers' mess became a youth hostel in 1948. From 1963 to 1993 the bunker on Vestergade served as the command center of civil defense in the Cold War and is preserved to this day with its original furnishings.
In 1980 volunteers set up a museum in the two command bunkers under the name Frihedsmuseet; in 1995 it became a department of what is now Museum Skanderborg. One bunker shows the occupation period from the Danish perspective – police, resistance, Allied drops, and the post-war reckoning –, the other the German side with bunker construction, the general staff, and a well-preserved Enigma. Since 2022 a sound installation has made the operation of the bunkers audible, right up to the air-raid siren of October 1944. In 2011 two more bunkers in the forest were uncovered.
Highlights
- Two original Luftwaffe command bunkers from 1944
- Well-preserved Enigma cipher machine
- Danish and German perspectives on the occupation
- Sound installation with the air-raid siren of October 1944
- Bunker hikes through the Skanderborg Dyrehave
Permanent exhibitions
- Dänischer Teil – The occupation period in Skanderborg and Denmark with police, resistance, dropped supply containers, wreckage of Allied aircraft, and the reckoning after liberation.
- Deutscher Teil – Bunker construction, Luftwaffe generals, and the headquarters staff in the Dyrehave, plus a rare Enigma cipher machine and a sound installation from the operation of the bunkers.
- Founded
- 1980
- Operated by
- Museum Skanderborg
Admission & discounts
| Adults | DKK 60 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | DKK 40Students with student ID |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 25 · Children and young people up to and including age 25 free. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · With a Ledsagekort, free admission for the companion. |
| Students & apprentices | DKK 40With student ID. |
| Groups (10+ people) | DKK 40 per personPer person with at least 10 paying visitors. |
| Guided bunker hike (admission included) | DKK 100 |
| Private guided bunker hike (2½ hours) | DKK 1,400Plus DKK 75 per person. |
| Special opening outside opening hours (1 hour) | DKK 1,000Plus admission. |
Payment only in cash or via MobilePay, no card payments. Free admission for members of the museum associations of Museum Skanderborg, with the ICOM museum card, and for school classes with a teacher during class. Special prices for guests of events at Danhostel Skanderborg and Skanderborghus.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- 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
Dogs are allowed in the museum on a leash.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 2.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | In the bunkers it is about 8–10 °C all year round – bring warm clothing even in summer. Guided bunker hikes through the Dyrehave on fixed dates; private hikes last 2½ hours. Two more uncovered bunkers in the forest (near the Friluftsscenen and at the Landsbyen Sølund) are open only during events but can be viewed from the outside. Museum Skanderborg offers school programs, including a role-playing game about the Cold War. |
