Stiftsmuseet Maribo

About the museum

The foundation was laid in 1879 by the merchant Laurits Schrøder, who donated about 400 antiquities to the town of Maribo. The collection was initially displayed in the old town hall. As it grew, a museum association for the whole diocese of Lolland-Falster campaigned for a building of its own; supported by the director of the Oldnordisk Museum, J.J.A. Worsaae, donations were collected and in 1885 a plot near the station was acquired.

The three-story museum building was designed by Ove Petersen, the architect of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. It was inaugurated in October 1890 and in the 1940s was expanded with a larger exhibition hall and a mezzanine.

Originally the Stiftsmuseum also included an art collection; it was separated off in 1966 and today forms the core of the Fuglsang Kunstmuseum. In 2009, Lolland-Falsters Stiftsmuseum merged with the museum in Nykøbing Falster to form Museum Lolland-Falster and has since been one of its exhibition sites.

Today the house tells the story of the islands from the Stone Age to modern times. At the center are the Stone Age exhibition LOLA with finds from the excavations before the construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel and the exhibition OMG on medieval piety with a collection of triumphal crosses unique in Denmark. In the entrance hall stand two runestones from Lolland.

Highlights

• Stone Age exhibition LOLA with rare wood, bone, and fiber finds from the Fehmarnbelt excavations
• The story of "Lola", whose genome was recovered from a 5,700-year-old birch pitch chewing gum
• Nine restored triumphal crosses from churches on Lolland and Falster
• Runestones Sædingestenen and Skovlængestenen in the entrance hall
• Museum building from 1890 right at Maribo station

Permanent exhibitions

• LOLA – A walk through the Stone Age landscape of Lolland from the primeval forest of the hunters to the fields of the first farmers, told from the perspective of the girl Lola. On display are exceptionally well-preserved finds from the excavations before the Fehmarnbelt tunnel.
• Oh My God (OMG) – Atmospheric exhibition on faith in the Middle Ages with nine triumphal crosses from churches on the islands, which elsewhere in Europe were mostly destroyed after the Reformation. It also covers church building, wall paintings, and Christian symbols.

Founded

1879

Operated by

Museum Lolland-Falster

Admission & discounts

Online day ticket DKK 90 plus a DKK 5 fee, valid for one week from purchase; not for special events. School classes and daycare groups, together with accompanying adults, have free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Via a ramp in front of the building, the shop, tourist information, toilets, and the exhibition OMG on the first floor are accessible to wheelchair users; the other floors only via wide stairs with handrails. Bright rooms with spot lighting, in part with motion detectors. Assistance dogs welcome, small dogs in a bag allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Playground / play area: not available

The Stone Age exhibition LOLA is explicitly aimed at children as well. During the fall holidays there is the hands-on activity "Stenaldermissionen" with tasks about life in the Stone Age.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on National Cycle Route 8 (Østersøruten) and on regional cycle routes around the Maribo lakes.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Museum shop with tourist information point on the first floor. For school classes there is a room for packed lunches by arrangement.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit