Sea War Museum Jutland

About the museum

Sea War Museum Jutland opened in Thyborøn on September 15, 2015. Its initiator is the diver and entrepreneur Gert Normann Andersen from Holstebro, who as a young man explored the wreck of U 20 – the submarine that sank the Lusitania in 1915 and ran aground a year later a few kilometers south of Thyborøn. Over decades he collected finds and, with his company JD-Contractor, financed numerous diving expeditions in the North Sea.

The museum is housed in historic buildings of the former hydraulic engineering authority (Vandbygningsvæsenet), whose conversion was supported by Realdania and the Lemvig Kommune. It is run by an independent, non-profit institution that manages without public operating subsidies and relies on a circle of friends and many volunteers.

The focus is on the naval war in the North Sea 1914–1918, above all the Battle of Jutland (Jyllandsslaget) of 1916, the largest naval battle in history: around 250 German and British ships met more than 100 kilometers off the coast, 25 ships sank and 8,645 sailors lost their lives. Original finds from wrecks also tell of submarine, mine and airship warfare. The museum expressly sees itself as a place that does not glorify war but commemorates the victims.

In the dunes behind the museum lies the memorial park for the Battle of Jutland, whose granite blocks in the shape of ship bows each represent a sunken ship. In the neighboring former Kystcentret, the sister museum Havets Hemmeligheder shows further maritime exhibitions.

Highlights

• Original finds from World War I wrecks in the North Sea
• Exhibition on the Battle of Jutland in 1916
• Memorial park with granite ship bows for the sunken ships
• Stories of submarine, mine and airship warfare

Founded

2015

Operated by

Selbstständige Institution (Sea War Museum Jutland S/I)

Director

Gert Normann Andersen

Admission & discounts

Tickets for the Sea War Museum are available from the machine at the entrance (card payment only); cash at the ticket desk of Havets Hemmeligheder (Kystcentervej 3). A ticket is valid for one day. Annual passes at the ticket desk of Havets Hemmeligheder or on request.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Wide entrances and doors, level floors; wheelchairs and walkers can be borrowed. Accessible toilets on request from staff. Wheelchair users and people with walking difficulties may park at the ramp at the entrance. Dogs are not allowed (service dogs excepted); outside there are dog hooks and water.

Kids & families

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

Getting there & parking

The museum is located at Kystcentervej 11 in Thyborøn, right next to Havets Hemmeligheder (Kystcentervej 3); the memorial park can be reached in five minutes on foot through the dunes.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Self-service café with coffee and cake on the first floor of Havets Hemmeligheder (elevator, view). Books on the naval war and marine archaeology for sale in both museums.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit