Denmark offers an extraordinary array of archaeological and historical sites, ranging all the way from prehistoric bogs and Iron Age villages to Viking settlements, medieval cathedrals, and maritime heritage. You can wander through magnificent museums, explore open-air reconstructions, or amble beside UNESCO World Heritage runestones, with the assortment of archaeological treasures on offer capable of captivating every curious traveller. Whether seeking to immerse yourself in Danish heritage, or participating in the joint Roman Archaeology Conference and Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference in Aarhus (see ‘Further information’ box below), you will find that spring is an ideal time to explore the country. It brings longer daylight hours, mild temperatures, and the countryside is in bloom, perfect for visiting some of Denmark’s iconic landmarks. This guide highlights must-visit museums, monuments, and sites, organised geographically to help you plan a visit.
Central Jutland
Jutland (Danish: Jylland) is the large peninsula that forms the continental mainland of Denmark and extends into northern Germany. Within this region, the archaeology ranges from Stone and Iron Age sites to Viking burial grounds and medieval towns. Starting at Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, visitors will find a vivid insight into the earliest history of the settlement beneath Sankt Clemens Torv, where the 13th-century red-brick St Clemens Cathedral stands. This square is also the home of the Vikingemuseet, which was built directly over the site of the archaeological excavations in 1964. The museum takes visitors below today’s street level to see the original Viking Age ground surface. Here, pit houses, everyday artefacts, and a plank road running alongside the town’s defensive rampart reveal a glimpse of Aros, as Aarhus was known in the Viking period. The museum focuses on the town around AD 980, during the reign of King Harald Bluetooth (r. c.960-986), who saw to it that Aros was heavily fortified by strengthening the defences established by his father, King Gorm the Old (r. AD 936-c.960).
Just south of the city, Moesgaard Museum is set within a stunning natural landscape, and presents exhibitions on archaeology, anthropology, and ethnography. Visitors can explore the history of humanity from its earliest beginnings, stroll among reconstructed Iron Age houses, discover Viking treasures, and engage with large-scale dioramas. Notable exhibits include the Illerup Ådal finds (see CWA 133), an extraordinary collection of military equipment from the Roman Iron Age in Denmark (AD 1-400). This material was uncovered north-east of Skanderborg, around 20km south- west of Aarhus. Approximately 15,000 items of weaponry and personal effects were deposited there, which are thought to represent the equipment and possessions of more than a thousand soldiers – Denmark’s first professional army. The museum is notable, too, for the so-called ‘Grauballe Man’, an Iron Age bog body that has been claimed as the best-preserved in the world. This 34-year-old individual was executed – possibly as a human sacrifice to the gods – around 390 BC, and the study of his remains has provided unique insights into ancient religious customs and rituals.
