Vendsyssel Historiske Museum

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1889 on the initiative of the dentist Jørgen Jacob Lønborg Friis and moved into its current main building on Museumsgade in Hjørring in 1900. The museum's historic buildings are grouped around a garden: they include the old provost's farm, the oldest property in town, where the architect Hack Kampmann grew up, as well as part of the parsonage from Sindal of 1678, which was rebuilt in the museum garden in 1928/29.

In 1959 the museum received state recognition as a cultural history museum, and since 1974 it has been an independent institution supported by the state and Hjørring Municipality. Besides the main museum, it operates Hirtshals Museum, the Bunker Museum in Hirtshals, and the Landscape and Agriculture Museum in Mosbjerg, and is responsible for archaeology in several neighboring municipalities.

In the main museum, exhibitions show life in Vendsyssel from the Stone Age to the present, including the German occupation of 1940–1945 and the story of Thomas Bisp, who was executed in 1822 as the last person in Hjørring. The museum garden with its herb garden and Stone Age graves was designed in 1941 by the landscape architect C. Th. Sørensen. During school holidays a 1950s-style grocery shop also opens.

Highlights

• Exhibition "Vendsyssel Besat" on the occupation period 1940–1945
• "Forbrydelsens Ansigt" about the last execution in Hjørring in 1822
• Museum garden and herb garden designed by C. Th. Sørensen
• The provost's farm, the oldest house in Hjørring
• Old 1950s grocery shop (during school holidays)

Permanent exhibitions

• Vendsyssel Besat – Presents in snapshots everyday life under German occupation in 1940–1945 between blackout, rationing, and resistance, and asks about collaboration and the treatment of refugees; texts also in German.
• Forbrydelsens Ansigt – Tells of the poisoning murder committed by Thomas Bisp and his execution in 1822, and of how attitudes toward the death penalty changed in Denmark; his skull is on display.
• Museumshaven og Urtehaven – Museum garden designed by C. Th. Sørensen with Stone Age graves, old trees, and a herb garden with historical medicinal plants.

Founded

1889

Operated by

Vendsyssel Historiske Museum (selbstständige Institution)

Director

Anne Dorthe Holm

Admission & discounts

With the annual pass of Nordjyllands Kystmuseum, 20% discount on admission.

Accessibility

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

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

During school holidays a family program, e.g., in fall break family tours, an open schoolroom with dress-up, old games in the museum garden, "Metal Detector for a Day", and a craft room.

Getting there & parking

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

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum café with home-baked bread and cake; food and drinks also in the herb garden. Museum shop with crafts, jewelry replicas, books, and local specialties.

Events & venue rental

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

Plan your visit