Thisted Museum

About the museum

On the initiative of the Historisk Samfund for Thy og Hanherred, the teacher P. L. Hald built up a museum for Thy and Vester Hanherred. On June 7, 1905, the Thisted Museum opened, at first in the basement of the Technical School in Kr. Koldsgade. Later it moved to the neighboring house in Skolegade and received state recognition. The wholesale coffee merchant N. L. Spangberg finally bequeathed to the museum his yellow villa at Jernbanegade 4, which was soon expanded with an extension.

After the municipal reform, the house was called Museet for Thy og Vester Hanherred; today it is the main museum of Museum Thy, which also includes Heltborg Museum, Vorupør Museum, and, since the 2018 merger, the Bunkermuseum Hanstholm. From 2020, renovation took place across from the old villa: on June 24, 2023, the Thisted Museum reopened at Jernbanegade 11, made possible in part by a donation from the Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond. In early summer 2025, a permanent exhibition on the poet J. P. Jacobsen followed in the renovated villa.

On about 1,600 square meters in three connected buildings, seven permanent exhibitions tell the history of Thy – from the Stone Age flint mines near Hov through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Vikings, and Middle Ages to industry, town life, and today's surf and newcomer culture around "Cold Hawaii". A highlight is the Kallerup find from the Bronze Age, discovered in 2019.

Highlights

• Kallerup find: Bronze Age ceremonial axe and figures, discovered in 2019
• Gold boats of Nors from the Bronze Age
• Staging of the Stone Age flint mines near Hov
• Runestone from Sydthy and 14th-century gauntlet
• Exhibition on J. P. Jacobsen in the historic villa
• Pulterkammeret play room for children

Permanent exhibitions

• Gravhøjen – The Bronze Age in Thy with the Kallerup find discovered in 2019 and gold boats from the Nors hoard.
• Flintminen – The Stone Age in Thy with offerings from Stathove Mose and a lively depiction of flint mining near Hov.
• Striden – Viking Age and Middle Ages with a runestone from Sydthy, jewelry, coins, weapons, and church art.

Founded

1905

Operated by

Museum Thy

Admission & discounts

The ticket is also valid for the exhibition J. P. Jacobsens Verden at Jernbanegade 4.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Elevator in the museum building, all exhibitions accessible for visitors with walking difficulties. A wheelchair can be borrowed from the museum hosts. Accessible toilet available (without hoist).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

In the Pulterkammeret under the roof, children may play with history: a merchant's shop, hand puppet theater, an Iron Age farm with animal figures, and a reading corner; there is also a toilet with a baby changing table and space for food you bring. Low hooks for children hang in the cloakroom. During school holidays, creative activities in the Værkstedet.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the middle of downtown Thisted.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Small museum café with water, coffee, tea, and sweets. Museum shop with books, jewelry, and merchandise. Cloakroom on the first floor near the cash desk, lockers with a free key; large suitcases cannot be locked up. Pets are not allowed in the building.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit