Århus Things to Do

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The building of the Cathedral started at the end of the 12th Century. The Romanesque basilica was finished about 1350. The outer walls of this church and the chapels along the eastern wall of the transept are the only surviving Romanesque elements today.
The rest is the result of a rebuilding in Gothic style around 1500.

With a length of 93 metres it is the longest church in Danmark.

Until the Reformation most of the cathedral’s walls were decorated with frescoes. Many of them have disappeared, but the Cathedral still has the largest total area of walls and arches covered by frescoes, including one of 220 square metres, in Denmark.
The frescoes were all made around 1500, except one surrounding a window in the northwest corner of the church. It was painted in about 1300, and it is the oldest piece of art in the church, the only one left from the Romanesque church.

From the beginning it was dedicated to St Clement, the patron saint of sailors. The Votive Ship “Unity” dates back to 1720. With 2.65 m long and 3.50 m tall it is the largest votive ship in any Danish church. Ships hanging in churches symbolize man’s “navigation” from cradle to grave.

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Himmelbjerget was and is the sight of important meetings called "popular meeings" beginning in 1838. Hence, the sight became an important one in the history of popular government in Denmark. Rising to a height of 25 meters, the Himmelbjerget Tower was built in commemoration of King Frederik VII in recognition of his legacy to the Danish people -- a constitution. This bestowing of rights on the people of Denmark was a monumental step in the history of the country. The tower was designed by the architect Fenger and the tower was unveiled in 1875. The solemn inscription reads: "In commemoration of the King - Frederik VII - a friend of the Danish people - the giver of the Constitution." About 16 years later, the king's portrait and commorative wreaths were added.

The Rostrum itself was unveiled in 1925 at the 50th Anniversary of the "Unveiling" of the tower. The Rostrum is made from larch wood from Central Jutland and was designed by Anton Rosen. The portraits carved into the Rostrum are those of the men of greatest importance to the Himmelbjerget meetings.

We didn't have time to stop here, but I would have really liked to see this unsual and interesting museum! This museum is rather a conglomeration of displays, exhibits and craftsmen. Video can be seen on exhibits and local history, but the films are only in Danish.

The Gl. Rye Mill which was built in 1872 and is considered a "Dutch Gallery" or "cap" mill. An entrepreneurial innkeeper named Jens Petersen tok advantage of central Jutland's inland winds and built this mill to grind farme'rs corn, a portion of which he would keep to be his payment. After the turn of the century, a sawmill was added to the property, then a diesel motor was installed to supplement power, and even today the mill is still operational. However, the last miller, Thorvald Jensen, died in 1990.

I have always associated wooden shoes with Holland, but Ry, Denmark, became quite a center of wooden shoe production itself. The area was not suited to many agricultural crop farming but there were good supplies of timber. In the late 1700's, a group of farmers embarked upon "mass production" of wooden shoes to supplement their income and wooden-shoemakers earned much more than day laborers. In the Wooden Shoe Museum you can watch craftsmen fashioning wooden shoes with the tools used from those early days of production.

Interesting facts: each shoemaker had his own symbol which he engraved on the instep of each shoe!!

Newly made wooden shoes had to be "smoked" in a chimney to prevent the fresh wood from cracking as it dried out!

A good shoemaker could produce on average 5 pairs of shoes per day and earn twice what a day laborer could!

When copy milling machines were introduced, 18 men could produce the same amount of shoes as it used to take 60 men!

Admission to the museum is 20 DKK for individual adults; 5 DKK less if groups of 10 or more. Children are 5 DKK. Guided tours available at extra charge.

The Museum is open from May to September, Tuesday - Sunday --10am to 5 pm
Open on Mondays during School Holidays (summer?)

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This is a great place if you need some time to yourself. Its relatively close to the center of the town, but still it seems far away.
You can go for a walk and study all the interesting trees, talk to the ducks, or just sit on a bench and enjoy the birds singing.

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Himmelbjerget is one of the most popular destinations on Jutland, famous for the beauty of the natural surroundings and being the highest point in Denmark. Himmelbjerget refers to the mountain or hill itself which rises to approximately 149 meters at its zenith and overlooks the beautiful Lake Jul - So in the Danish Lake District. This is the grandest view on the mountain. Himmelbjerget was said to have been formed by glacier movement during the Ice Age, and therefore is not a "genuine" hill/mountain but this does nothing to diminish its appeal.

Himmelbjerget is also famous for being the site where the Himmelbjerg Tower was erected, as well as The Rostrum on its peak and the many monuments devoted to revered people and even one to womens' right to vote which are scattered around the hillside. It was on Himmelbjerget that King Frederik VII gave the Danish people a constitution in 1849.

On lower part of the mountain you will find a hotel, restaurant and cafeteria, snack vendors, gift shops and amusements for children. The fairly easy hikes up and around the mountain make this a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon. This park-like area has no admission fee. Himmelbjerget is open from Palm Sunday to April 30 on weekends and holidays only from 10 am to 5pm.

May - June Open everyday from 10am to 7pm;
July - Open everyday 10am - 7pm
August - September 15 Open everyday 10am to 6pm

Fall days and hours vary and opening hours may vary at anytime of year based on weather conditions.

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This is a wonderful place. You can take the bus from town and start off at the Moesgaard museum, then walk through the woods and end up at the beach.
If the weather is good its a great place to go for a swim , elax or make a fire and eat marchmallows.

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The Botanical garden of Arhus is next to the museum-village "Den Gamle By" and the horse-carriage, that takes you for a journey through Den Gammle By will also take you through a part of the botanical gardens, next to it.
Another attraction next to the openair-museum is the old wooden Windmill, high above the museum and outside of its walls.
During the day you may walk through the museum ONLY, when you pay the entrance-fee, BUT then also the houses are open and the staff in their traditional costumes will be walking around, and you may watch the craftsmen producing their goods in the traditional way.
In the early morning and late in the evening you may walk through the museum without paying an entrance-fee, but of course you may see everything just from the streets, as the buildings will be locked.

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In the open-air-museum "Den Gamle By" you may go shopping like in the good old times and it might be a good idea to get some equipment for the next carneval there : gloves, hats, stockings etc. everything is made in a perfect way and it looks excactely like in former centuries. The goods in these shops are not really a bargain, BUT they are of extra quality and made the traditional way and will last almost forever.
Especially the hatters were my favorites, because hats of that type are hard to get anywhere else