AARHUS
CITY OF SMILES
Information
Read
Situated in Central Jutland [6].
Pronounced as ‘Oar-hus’ [6].
Its name derives from ‘Aros’, which means ‘place at the river’s mouth’ [6].
Denmark’s 2nd largest city [6].
[expand title=””]
A sizeable student population of 40,000 [6].
In 2017, it was one of European capital of culture [6].
In 2011, the city of ‘Århus’ returned to the old spelling of its name: ‘Aarhus’ [6].
the letter å was formally established to the Danish alphabet in 1948 [6].
The pronunciation of the letter is ‘aa’, as the ‘a’ in the English world ‘talk’ [6].
You may still see the spelling of Arhus on several signs, maps, etc [6].
[/expand]
Aarhus Festival
Denmark’s second city transforms in a festive for 10 days that celebrates music, food, short films, visual arts, and outdoor events of all ages [6].
The event takes place at the end of August [6].
[expand title=””]
Tonder festival (Town of Tonder)
Regarded as one of the best folk music festivals in Europe [6].
The event takes place in August, in southern Jutland [6].
The festival attracts over 20,000 people [6].
[/expand]
It’s believed that the city was founded around 900AD from excavations in the mid-1960s [6].
During the Medieval era, the city was at most despair from Viking raids and pirate attacks [6].
From the 1500s the city had prevailed to stability and flourished as a centre of trade, art, and religion [6].
Attractions
Read
A 9-story redbrick cube-shape building with a rainbow panorama on the top [6].
The museum contains Contemporary Art, Danish Modernism, and Golden Age Works [6].
The rooftop is a 360-degree walkway that provides technicolor views of the city [6].
That is, each glass window has a different shade of the rainbow [6].
Regarded as Denmark’s longest church with its ‘nave’ extending nearly 100 metres in length [6].
The church’s gothic exterior is from the 15th century, while the original Romanesque chapel is from the 12th century [6].
Like most Danish churches, its interior was once decorated with frescoes that conveyed biblical parables to uneducated children [6].
However, after the reformation in 1536, the frescoes were whitewashed as the church authorities believed they conveyed Catholicism [6].
[expand title=””]
Many frescoes from various churches have been restored [6].
The highlight fresco is the fairy-tale painting of St. George slaying a dragon [6].
The cathedral contains a stunning five panel gilt altarpiece [6].
[/expand]
An engaging, picturesque open-air museum with actors and historic architecture to re-create Denmark’s past [6].
The museum contains 75 half-timbered houses that have been brought from all parts of the country [6].
Its re-created neighborhoods from 1927 and 1974 are its latest additions [6].
You can explore the complex by a horse-drawn wagon ride [6].
A summer home of the royal family [6].
When they’re not staying in the palace, the public can explore the English style grounds and rose garden [6].
Located 10km south of the city [6].
The museum was refurbished and re-opened in October 2014 [6].
The building is spectacularly designed with a modern exterior [6].
The main attraction is the 2000-year-old Grauballe Man [6].
[expand title=””]
The body was found in 1952 in the village of Grauballe (35km west of Aarhus) and is in a well kept condition [6].
The time of death was around 290 BC, yet the cause of death is unknown, he could be sacrifice to fertility gods, an executed prisoner, or simply a victim of murder [6].
However, the result of death was a violent one as his leg was broken and there’s a deep neck wound [6].
Besides the body the museum has well-designed archaeological and ethnographic displays from the stone age and viking era [6].
Outside the museum there’s enjoyable walking trails that lead you across fields of wildflowers to ‘Moesgaard Strand’, which is one of Aarhus’s best sandy beaches [6].
[/expand]
Regarded as ‘Aarhus prettiest street’; filled with cobblestones and colored cottages [6].
Located in the city’s old town [6].
A 13th century red-brick church (1240) that was built upon the original Aarhus cathedral (1060 – 1240) [6].
Its basement contains the original cathedral, that was uncovered by chance in 1955 during a restoration [6].
A smaller-scale amusement park to Copenhagen’s Tivoli Garden [6].
Every Friday night from may to august has outdoor concerts from popular Danish performers [6].
Viking era artifacts that were excavated in the 1960s [6].
The museum contains a skeleton and 1000-year-old carpentry tools and pottery [6].
Trips
Read
Billund is home to Legoland, the Danish product of Lego [6].
The amusement park is Denmark most visited tourist attraction outside of Copenhagen [6].
The park comprises mainly of Lego models with fun rides [6].
The park is divided into 7 theme areas: wild west, medieval, pirate, adventure, polar, duplo (for kids), and Atlantis (an aquarium built around Lego models) [6].
[expand title=””]
In total, there’s 20 million plastic Lego blocks that are shaped into miniature cities, global icons, and other various things [6].
The largest piece is the ‘Indian Chief sitting bull’ which has 1.4 million blocks [6].
While the smallest piece is a ‘dove’ which has 4 blocks [6].
Other than the amusement park the town has the ‘Lego House’ which is an experience centre that contains 25 million Lego bricks; and ‘Lalandia’, which an entertainment complex that contains a waterpark, a playland, a mini golf, tenpin bowling, and various sports activities [6].
[/expand]
Regarded as the best outdoor amusement park in Jutland [6].
The park includes a waterpark, 60 rides, and Denmark’s longest roller coaster [6].
The town contains all the elements for a summer getaway [6].
This includes cobblestone streets, picturesque half-timbered houses, white-sand beaches, and a classic warship [6].
The warship, ‘Fregatten Julland’, is the world’s longest wooden ship [6].
From bow (front) to stern (back), it’s 71 metres [6].
[expand title=””]
The ship played a pivot role in Denmark’s navy in the 19th century [6].
Now, it has been restored for visitors [6].
The main street ‘Adelgade Street’ is regarded as one of the loveliest main streets in Jutland [6].
The street contains colorful cafes and stores, an elegant courtyard, and an 18th century own town hall [6].
The chocolate box appearance town hall was built in 1789 and is a popular spot for weddings [6].
[/expand]
Pronounced as ‘es-be-air’ [6].
A new city by Danish standards, that has become prosperous [6].
The main attraction is the ‘Man Meets the Sea’ monument on the waterfront that was built in 1995 to commemorate the city’s centennial [6].
The landmark is four white, 9m high, stylish human figures sitting and look at the sea [6].
A safari park with African animals [6].
The park opened in 1969 with only lions [6].
To this day, the park has 700 animals with 70 species [6].
In specific areas, you can see the animals from your car or in the safari buses [6].
A purpose-built harbor with a historic old town and 7km of fine sandy beaches [6].
The main attraction is the Kattegatcentret, which is an aquarium that contains mostly sharks [6].
Translated to ‘Sky Mountain’, is one of the highest points in Denmark at 147 metres [6].
The centre point is the tower, and the area is surrounded by forests and lakes [6].
There are marked hiking trails around the vicinity with one trail leading to the lakeshore where boats from Silkeborg dock [6].
A UNESCO (1994) small town with big history [6].
Home to the birthplace of Christianity in Denmark, the monarch, and all that is truly Danish [6].
During the Vikings most dominant era, the town served as the royal seat of King Gorm [6].
Gorm the Old was the beginning of the millennium-long chain of Danish monarchs, which remains to this day [6].
[expand title=””]
The site of his castle remains a mystery; however, various relics of his reign can still be found [6].
The main attractions of the town are all found at Jelling Kirke, a small, 12th century whitewashed church (1100) [6].
At the front of the church are two well-preserved rune stones [6].
The smaller stone was erected by King Gorm in the 10th century to honor his wife [6].
The larger stone was erected by Harald Bluetooth (Gorm’s son) to honor his parents and officially establish Christianity to Denmark [6].
Because of this, the stone is dubbed as ‘Denmark’s Baptismal Certificate’ [6].
The stone is exactly written ‘King Harald ordered this monument to be made in memory of Gorm his father and Thyra his mother, the Harald who won for himself all Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christians’ [6].
A replica of the stone in full color and in its original appearance is in ‘Kongernes Jelling’, opposite to the church [6].
To the sides of the church there are two large burial hills [6].
It was believed that the bones of Gorm and Thyra were buried here, however no remains were found in two excavations (1820 & 1866) [6].
In the 1970s, archaeologists dug under the church and found remains of 3 earlier wooden churches (It’s believed that one of them was erected by Harald Bluetooth), gold jewelry, a burial chamber, and human bones [6].
Archaeologists now believe that the remains are those of Gorm as it’s presumed that Harald moved his parents remains from the soil to within the church, in out of respect [6].
However, the bones of Thyra have not been found [6].
[/expand]
The town of Kolding is home to the Koldinghus, which is the town’s extravagant showpiece [6].
A fortress was present on the current site in 1268 [6].
Parts of the castle present day castle can be traced to the mid-15th century [6].
However, in 1808 a huge fire damaged the castle [6].
[expand title=””]
The castle has been rebuilt and contains a contrast of old and new architectural styles [6].
[/expand]
A town with two unique attractions: Randers Tropical Zoo & Graceland Randers (Elvis Presley Museum) [6].
The zoo is a triple domed enclosed tropic zoo with crocodiles, monkeys, pythons, iguanas, and various rainforest flora and fauna [6].
The temperature inside is always between 20 to 30 degrees [6].
The 3 domes represent Africa, Asia, and South America, with the latter being the standout [6].
[expand title=””]
Graceland Randers is a replica of the Graceland Mansion in Memphis, in fact, its double the size [6].
The museum opened in 2011 by a local superfan [6].
The building contains his personal collection of memorabilia, an Elvis shop, an American dinner, and a mini movie theatre [6].
[/expand]
Pronounced as ree-buh, this village is the oldest town in Denmark, dating from the late 9th century [6].
The entire ‘old town’ has been designated as a preservation zone, with more than 100 buildings listed by the national trust [6].
The town was first founded around 700, and it transformed into a key post during the Viking Era [6].
It then became a centre of trade between Frankish Empire and the Scandinavian States [6].
[expand title=””]
At the end of the medieval period, the town entered its most horrid time that sent the village into 250 years of decline [6].
The first factor was a big fire in 1580 [6].
The second factor was the relocation of the royal family to Copenhagen, which saw the saw the royal money leave the town [6].
Thus, the old town remained virtually untouched, which can be regarded as a blessing [6].
The main attraction is Ribe Cathedral, which dates to 948 from the earliest record of a bishop ruling in the town [6].
Thus, making it the oldest cathedral in Denmark [6].
In 1150, the cathedral was largely rebuilt when the town was the heart of the royal and government money [6].
Other features of the town include crooked cobblestone streets, and handsome half-timbered homes [6].
[/expand]
A collection of animals from all parts of the world (5 different continents), with the most being from Africa [6].
This includes 800 animals from 80 species [6].
The gateway to the ‘Lake District’, Jutland’s most prized area [6].
The district comprises of dazzling hills, forests, and lakes [6].
It’s also home to Denmark’s longest river (Gudena, 160km), Jutland’s biggest lake (Mosso), and Denmark’s highest point (Mollehoj – 171m) [6].
The area is great for hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, and boat trips [6].
[expand title=””]
The ‘Hjejlen Boat Company’ is the world’s oldest operating paddle steamer [6].
It has been operating since 1861 [6].
The city’s main attractions comprise of museums, art galleries, and an aquarium [6].
Silkeborg Museum is home to the 2350-year-old Tollund Man [6].
The body was found in the outskirts of the town in the 1950s, and it’s believed to have been dated around 350BC [6].
His life and death remain a mystery, yet autopsy suggests he had been hanged due to the a leather hat over his face and thin leather noose around his neck [6].
The Jorn museum is home to the works of native-born Asger Jorn and other modern artists [6].
The Art Centre is home to beautiful modern art in a former 19th century spa building (1883) [6].
The Aqua is an aquarium and exhibition centre that is built upon several outdoor lakes [6].
[/expand]
GUIDE
INFORMATION
Situated in Central Jutland [6].
Pronounced as ‘Oar-hus’ [6].
Its name derives from ‘Aros’, which means ‘place at the river’s mouth’ [6].
Denmark’s 2nd largest city [6].
[expand title=””]
A sizeable student population of 40,000 [6].
In 2017, it was one of European capital of culture [6].
In 2011, the city of ‘Århus’ returned to the old spelling of its name: ‘Aarhus’ [6].
the letter å was formally established to the Danish alphabet in 1948 [6].
The pronunciation of the letter is ‘aa’, as the ‘a’ in the English world ‘talk’ [6].
You may still see the spelling of Arhus on several signs, maps, etc [6].
[/expand]
Aarhus Festival
Denmark’s second city transforms in a festive for 10 days that celebrates music, food, short films, visual arts, and outdoor events of all ages [6].
The event takes place at the end of August [6].
[expand title=””]
Tonder festival (Town of Tonder)
Regarded as one of the best folk music festivals in Europe [6].
The event takes place in August, in southern Jutland [6].
The festival attracts over 20,000 people [6].
[/expand]
It’s believed that the city was founded around 900AD from excavations in the mid-1960s [6].
During the Medieval era, the city was at most despair from Viking raids and pirate attacks [6].
From the 1500s the city had prevailed to stability and flourished as a centre of trade, art, and religion [6].
ATTRACTIONS
A 9-story redbrick cube-shape building with a rainbow panorama on the top [6].
The museum contains Contemporary Art, Danish Modernism, and Golden Age Works [6].
The rooftop is a 360-degree walkway that provides technicolor views of the city [6].
That is, each glass window has a different shade of the rainbow [6].
Regarded as Denmark’s longest church with its ‘nave’ extending nearly 100 metres in length [6].
The church’s gothic exterior is from the 15th century, while the original Romanesque chapel is from the 12th century [6].
Like most Danish churches, its interior was once decorated with frescoes that conveyed biblical parables to uneducated children [6].
However, after the reformation in 1536, the frescoes were whitewashed as the church authorities believed they conveyed Catholicism [6].
[expand title=””]
Many frescoes from various churches have been restored [6].
The highlight fresco is the fairy-tale painting of St. George slaying a dragon [6].
The cathedral contains a stunning five panel gilt altarpiece [6].
[/expand]
An engaging, picturesque open-air museum with actors and historic architecture to re-create Denmark’s past [6].
The museum contains 75 half-timbered houses that have been brought from all parts of the country [6].
Its re-created neighborhoods from 1927 and 1974 are its latest additions [6].
You can explore the complex by a horse-drawn wagon ride [6].
A summer home of the royal family [6].
When they’re not staying in the palace, the public can explore the English style grounds and rose garden [6].
Located 10km south of the city [6].
The museum was refurbished and re-opened in October 2014 [6].
The building is spectacularly designed with a modern exterior [6].
The main attraction is the 2000-year-old Grauballe Man [6].
[expand title=””]
The body was found in 1952 in the village of Grauballe (35km west of Aarhus) and is in a well kept condition [6].
The time of death was around 290 BC, yet the cause of death is unknown, he could be sacrifice to fertility gods, an executed prisoner, or simply a victim of murder [6].
However, the result of death was a violent one as his leg was broken and there’s a deep neck wound [6].
Besides the body the museum has well-designed archaeological and ethnographic displays from the stone age and viking era [6].
Outside the museum there’s enjoyable walking trails that lead you across fields of wildflowers to ‘Moesgaard Strand’, which is one of Aarhus’s best sandy beaches [6].
[/expand]
Regarded as ‘Aarhus prettiest street’; filled with cobblestones and colored cottages [6].
Located in the city’s old town [6].
A 13th century red-brick church (1240) that was built upon the original Aarhus cathedral (1060 – 1240) [6].
Its basement contains the original cathedral, that was uncovered by chance in 1955 during a restoration [6].
A smaller-scale amusement park to Copenhagen’s Tivoli Garden [6].
Every Friday night from may to august has outdoor concerts from popular Danish performers [6].
Viking era artifacts that were excavated in the 1960s [6].
The museum contains a skeleton and 1000-year-old carpentry tools and pottery [6].
TRIPS
Billund is home to Legoland, the Danish product of Lego [6].
The amusement park is Denmark most visited tourist attraction outside of Copenhagen [6].
The park comprises mainly of Lego models with fun rides [6].
The park is divided into 7 theme areas: wild west, medieval, pirate, adventure, polar, duplo (for kids), and Atlantis (an aquarium built around Lego models) [6].
[expand title=””]
In total, there’s 20 million plastic Lego blocks that are shaped into miniature cities, global icons, and other various things [6].
The largest piece is the ‘Indian Chief sitting bull’ which has 1.4 million blocks [6].
While the smallest piece is a ‘dove’ which has 4 blocks [6].
Other than the amusement park the town has the ‘Lego House’ which is an experience centre that contains 25 million Lego bricks; and ‘Lalandia’, which an entertainment complex that contains a waterpark, a playland, a mini golf, tenpin bowling, and various sports activities [6].
[/expand]
Regarded as the best outdoor amusement park in Jutland [6].
The park includes a waterpark, 60 rides, and Denmark’s longest roller coaster [6].
The town contains all the elements for a summer getaway [6].
This includes cobblestone streets, picturesque half-timbered houses, white-sand beaches, and a classic warship [6].
The warship, ‘Fregatten Julland’, is the world’s longest wooden ship [6].
From bow (front) to stern (back), it’s 71 metres [6].
[expand title=””]
The ship played a pivot role in Denmark’s navy in the 19th century [6].
Now, it has been restored for visitors [6].
The main street ‘Adelgade Street’ is regarded as one of the loveliest main streets in Jutland [6].
The street contains colorful cafes and stores, an elegant courtyard, and an 18th century own town hall [6].
The chocolate box appearance town hall was built in 1789 and is a popular spot for weddings [6].
[/expand]
Pronounced as ‘es-be-air’ [6].
A new city by Danish standards, that has become prosperous [6].
The main attraction is the ‘Man Meets the Sea’ monument on the waterfront that was built in 1995 to commemorate the city’s centennial [6].
The landmark is four white, 9m high, stylish human figures sitting and look at the sea [6].
A safari park with African animals [6].
The park opened in 1969 with only lions [6].
To this day, the park has 700 animals with 70 species [6].
In specific areas, you can see the animals from your car or in the safari buses [6].
A purpose-built harbor with a historic old town and 7km of fine sandy beaches [6].
The main attraction is the Kattegatcentret, which is an aquarium that contains mostly sharks [6].
Translated to ‘Sky Mountain’, is one of the highest points in Denmark at 147 metres [6].
The centre point is the tower, and the area is surrounded by forests and lakes [6].
There are marked hiking trails around the vicinity with one trail leading to the lakeshore where boats from Silkeborg dock [6].
A UNESCO (1994) small town with big history [6].
Home to the birthplace of Christianity in Denmark, the monarch, and all that is truly Danish [6].
During the Vikings most dominant era, the town served as the royal seat of King Gorm [6].
Gorm the Old was the beginning of the millennium-long chain of Danish monarchs, which remains to this day [6].
[expand title=””]
The site of his castle remains a mystery; however, various relics of his reign can still be found [6].
The main attractions of the town are all found at Jelling Kirke, a small, 12th century whitewashed church (1100) [6].
At the front of the church are two well-preserved rune stones [6].
The smaller stone was erected by King Gorm in the 10th century to honor his wife [6].
The larger stone was erected by Harald Bluetooth (Gorm’s son) to honor his parents and officially establish Christianity to Denmark [6].
Because of this, the stone is dubbed as ‘Denmark’s Baptismal Certificate’ [6].
The stone is exactly written ‘King Harald ordered this monument to be made in memory of Gorm his father and Thyra his mother, the Harald who won for himself all Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christians’ [6].
A replica of the stone in full color and in its original appearance is in ‘Kongernes Jelling’, opposite to the church [6].
To the sides of the church there are two large burial hills [6].
It was believed that the bones of Gorm and Thyra were buried here, however no remains were found in two excavations (1820 & 1866) [6].
In the 1970s, archaeologists dug under the church and found remains of 3 earlier wooden churches (It’s believed that one of them was erected by Harald Bluetooth), gold jewelry, a burial chamber, and human bones [6].
Archaeologists now believe that the remains are those of Gorm as it’s presumed that Harald moved his parents remains from the soil to within the church, in out of respect [6].
However, the bones of Thyra have not been found [6].
[/expand]
The town of Kolding is home to the Koldinghus, which is the town’s extravagant showpiece [6].
A fortress was present on the current site in 1268 [6].
Parts of the castle present day castle can be traced to the mid-15th century [6].
However, in 1808 a huge fire damaged the castle [6].
[expand title=””]
The castle has been rebuilt and contains a contrast of old and new architectural styles [6].
[/expand]
A town with two unique attractions: Randers Tropical Zoo & Graceland Randers (Elvis Presley Museum) [6].
The zoo is a triple domed enclosed tropic zoo with crocodiles, monkeys, pythons, iguanas, and various rainforest flora and fauna [6].
The temperature inside is always between 20 to 30 degrees [6].
The 3 domes represent Africa, Asia, and South America, with the latter being the standout [6].
[expand title=””]
Graceland Randers is a replica of the Graceland Mansion in Memphis, in fact, its double the size [6].
The museum opened in 2011 by a local superfan [6].
The building contains his personal collection of memorabilia, an Elvis shop, an American dinner, and a mini movie theatre [6].
[/expand]
Pronounced as ree-buh, this village is the oldest town in Denmark, dating from the late 9th century [6].
The entire ‘old town’ has been designated as a preservation zone, with more than 100 buildings listed by the national trust [6].
The town was first founded around 700, and it transformed into a key post during the Viking Era [6].
It then became a centre of trade between Frankish Empire and the Scandinavian States [6].
[expand title=””]
At the end of the medieval period, the town entered its most horrid time that sent the village into 250 years of decline [6].
The first factor was a big fire in 1580 [6].
The second factor was the relocation of the royal family to Copenhagen, which saw the saw the royal money leave the town [6].
Thus, the old town remained virtually untouched, which can be regarded as a blessing [6].
The main attraction is Ribe Cathedral, which dates to 948 from the earliest record of a bishop ruling in the town [6].
Thus, making it the oldest cathedral in Denmark [6].
In 1150, the cathedral was largely rebuilt when the town was the heart of the royal and government money [6].
Other features of the town include crooked cobblestone streets, and handsome half-timbered homes [6].
[/expand]
A collection of animals from all parts of the world (5 different continents), with the most being from Africa [6].
This includes 800 animals from 80 species [6].
The gateway to the ‘Lake District’, Jutland’s most prized area [6].
The district comprises of dazzling hills, forests, and lakes [6].
It’s also home to Denmark’s longest river (Gudena, 160km), Jutland’s biggest lake (Mosso), and Denmark’s highest point (Mollehoj – 171m) [6].
The area is great for hiking, cycling, canoeing, kayaking, and boat trips [6].
[expand title=””]
The ‘Hjejlen Boat Company’ is the world’s oldest operating paddle steamer [6].
It has been operating since 1861 [6].
The city’s main attractions comprise of museums, art galleries, and an aquarium [6].
Silkeborg Museum is home to the 2350-year-old Tollund Man [6].
The body was found in the outskirts of the town in the 1950s, and it’s believed to have been dated around 350BC [6].
His life and death remain a mystery, yet autopsy suggests he had been hanged due to the a leather hat over his face and thin leather noose around his neck [6].
The Jorn museum is home to the works of native-born Asger Jorn and other modern artists [6].
The Art Centre is home to beautiful modern art in a former 19th century spa building (1883) [6].
The Aqua is an aquarium and exhibition centre that is built upon several outdoor lakes [6].
[/expand]
Aarhus Experience
Aarhus (Oar-Hus) is the second largest city of Denmark with a sizeable student population. Its history starts from around 900AD; however, it took a while for the city to have stability due to numerous viking and pirate raids. From the 1500s, the town flourished as a centre of trade, art, and religion It was eventually awarded the European capital of culture in 2017. The best time to visit the town is late August/ early September for its annual ‘Aarhus Festival’. This is a 10-day festive that celebrates music, food, short films, and visual arts. For sight-seeing there are many options. You have an open-air museum with actors and historic architecture to re-create Denmark’s past (Den Gable By). A picturesque street that is filled with cobblestones and colored cottages (Mollestien). And Denmark’s longest church that is 100 metres in length (Aarhus Cathedral).
[expand title=””]
When you’ve seen everything in Aarhus, it’s time to expand beyond the city’s boundary. This includes the birthplace of Christianity in Denmark and the monarchy (Jelling). A town that is home to Legoland (Billund). And the oldest village in Denmark, dating from the late 9th century (Ribe). Overall, Aarhus is a pleasant second city if you need to take a break from the bustling capital. Strolling through the town is an enjoyable experience as you’re welcomed to its stunning canals and modern architecture. The best time to go is during its annual festival, as the city comes even more alive.
[/expand]
