Background
One hundred years old and a brand new museum.
From a distance it is almost invisible, but below ground, in the middle of the newly renovated Culture Harbour Kronborg in Elsinore and neighbouring the majestic Kronborg Castle, is Denmark’s maritime museum, the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark. If one follows the gently sloping bridges down to the old dry dock, one will experience one of the recent year’s most spectacular new buildings in Denmark.
The M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark tells the story of Denmark as one of the world’s leading maritime nations, in an evocative and dramatic way, within an innovative architectural setting designed by the award winning architectural firm, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group. But the museum is not so new.
M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark is the Danish national maritime museum, and the museum’s patron is Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.
From the castle to the docks
Before the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark opened it’s doors in the new building in October 2013, it was housed in the Kronborg Castle since 1915 and it was known as the Trade and Maritime Museum.
Over a number of years new proposals were made to relocate and create a brand new museum. The chosen site – and old dry dock – is one where, between 1882 and 1985, one of Denmark’s most significant and progressive modern shipyards was located.
The move from the old location at Kronborg Castle to the new one at the docks, allowed for an opportunity to rethink the entire museum and tell the last 600 years of Danish maritime history in a whole new way.
“At the museum you can lose yourself in film, objects and texts for hours, or you can walk through the exhibition in 20 minutes and still get a glimse of maritime, past and present, it’s structure and elements. Many people see maritime history as a niche, but we are trying to show that it is a framework for all sorts of stories, like love, death, courage, science, drama and much more.”
- – Curator Thorbjørn Thaarup regarding the remodeling and themes of the exhibition.