Aarhus : Experience The Glory of Medieval Lost Times

Aarhus is a city located on the Jutland Peninsula’s East Coast in the gorgeous country of Denmark. It is an open town with charming timbered houses along the cobbled streets and encapsulates the visitors with its vibrant architectural bliss. It is the second largest in Denmark on the banks of the ever pristine Aarhus River that flows along the gorgeous Aarhus Bay. It is one of the landmark cities for commercial fishing and practice of age old agricultural practices. The spread of the Renaissance styled buildings takes one to the memory lanes of its vivid past. Here are the top places to visit:

1. Aros Aarhus Kunst Museum

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The Aros Art Museum was opened in the year 1859 and features a number of prolific art work and exhibitions. It is the largest art museum in Northern Europe that is frequented by millions of visitors every year. It has four large spacious galleries that is artistically designed and built with art work from some of the best national and international artists. The new building was opened in 2004 and is an impressive ten story building that is fabulously designed. The amazing collection of art work from Danish Golden Age is the major attraction.

2. The New Moesgard Museum

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The New Moesgard Museum offers cultural experience per se through the representation of archaeological and ethnographic exhibitions. It displays amazing and absolutely elaborate taste of the rich cultural heritage. The newly designed museum was opened in 2014 and displays a line of history of Denmark beginning from the Stone Age to the Viking times. One of the major attractions of the museum is a corpse dating back from 2000 years that is well preserved. There is also pre-historic trail along the woods near the museum.

3. Den Gamle By

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It is an open labyrinth air museum that houses around 75 authentic historic buildings and is one of the prominent historical landmarks of the city. It is one of the best places to learn about the social history of Denmark and Danish culture. It was established in 1700 and has number of snapshots from the 18th, 19th and the 20th century. This is a place where you witness the Danish history coming to live and the open air museum has over 34 shops, pharmacy and a number of workshops.

4. Aarhus Cathedral

The Aarhus Cathedral is a rustic and brick built architecture that reigns to maintain the primordial charm. The medieval cathedral is dedicated to St. Clement and the original structure was established in the 12th century. However, there have been a lot of changes that is made since early 1500s that includes Romanesque features. The external walls reflect the gorgeous rustic look with single tower on the façade that is designed with number of motifs. There is a winged altar dating from 1947 along with rich array of figures. There are number of painting from 15th century adorning the church.

5. Marselisborg Deer Park

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The Deer Park is spread across the vast expanse of the land that is located in the Thor Woods located south of the city. It is part of the large Marselisborg-Moesgaard forest and a number of Deers in their natural habitat can be found. It is a great place to visit with friends and families as it is an open park. There are number of benches set up to relax and feel comfortable. It is a perfect place to get close to the deers and have an enjoyable outing.

6. Botanical Garden

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The Botanical Garden was founded in 1875 and is spread across 53 acres of land with wide range of plants. There is a large hothouse that is lined with substantial number of subtropical plants from across the globe. It has a gorgeous tropical dome adding to the aesthetics. The new conservatory for the plants has been rebuilt and modified extending the oval shaped original greenhouse that was established in 1969. It is energy efficient place and host a number of summer programs for the kids.

7. Aarhus City Hall

It is also known as the Radhus that stands tall on the southern part of the city. It was built in 1941 and was designed by architects Arne Jacobsen and Erik Moller. It is a glorious landmark that has gorgeous Norwegian marble and the highlight is it 60-meter high tower. It offers spectacular view of city and bay. The interior of the city hall includes the Council Chamber along with Marriage Room. The hall is beautifully designed along with accents with wood. There is a fountain called Agnes and the water carrier.

8. The Church of our Lady

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The church was built between the 13th and the 15th centuries and was a part of the Dominician priory. It is one of the largest churches in the country and is Gothic styled building. There are number of fine frescoes present in the church along with magnificent altarpiece that dates back from 1520. In the excavation of 1955, an older church dating from the 11th century was found out that has been beautifully restored. The gorgeous and medieval paintings on the wall make it a great place to visit.

9. Marselisborg Palace

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The Marselisborg Palace is the summer residence of the Royal Family of Denmark and it given as a gift to the Crown Prince by people of Denmark. It was built in 1899 – 1902 by Architect Hack Kampmann. The changing of the guard takes place when the queen and her family are present in the residence. It is not open to public but the gorgeous lush green garden and parklands are. It has a park spread across sprawling campus of 32 acres and has number of sculptures and ponds surrounding it.

10. Viking Museum and Festival

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The Viking museum has a large collection which is based on discoveries from number of builders that was found while excavating the bank’s foundation in the year 1960s. The museum has number of fascinating pictures and paintings from the Viking community who moved to Aarhus thousands of years ago and made the city its home. Some of the major highlights include remains of the ramparts which surrounded the settlements, typical house from Viking era, ancient tools. It is one of the most fascinating museums of Danish culture.

◎ Closing

Aarhus is one such city that drives you into the past with its rich cultural history and heritage. With number of museums, architectural structures and palaces, it is a haven for historians and cultural buffs.

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