Denmark
Denmark’s rolling landscape and mild climate have made it easy to cultivate the land and exploit the sea. Over time, agriculture and fishing have left such a deep mark on nature that few havens remain for wild plants and animals. And yet, pockets of rich and varied nature still survive.
In the Denmark exhibition, we take you on a journey across the country, offering a glimpse of what a wilder Denmark could look like if we gave nature room to thrive. Along the way, you will be challenged, amazed and come away knowing much more about the natural world of our small country.
Denmark has not always been so neat and cultivated. Wolves, deer and large wild boar once roamed here, and encountering them brings you into direct, physical contact with a past that few people know about.
And there is hope along the way: cranes have returned to the bog Lille Vildmose. Streams are being restored. Heathland is being allowed to return to a wilder state. The last raised bogs are being preserved. The exhibition shows that Danish nature is not just something that is disappearing; it is also something we can bring back. A wilder Denmark is not a dream, it is a choice we can make if we give nature room to thrive.
The journey takes you from eastern Denmark across the island of Funen to the landscapes of mainland Jutland, ending far to the west in the ever-changing world of the Wadden Sea.
What you can experience
Join us on a journey through six iconic Danish landscapes. Come face to face with animals in large, lifelike dioramas, listen for the cranes in the bog and the spectacular bird migrations across the Wadden Sea. Each place tells a new story about Danish nature.
Wild natural woodland. See a section of one of Denmark’s last areas of wild natural woodland – a place teeming with life, where everything is in balance and constantly changing.
The open countryside. Discover a landscape that has become less wild year by year and learn the story of biodiversity loss in the open countryside. Crawl into the secret cave and explore Denmark at night. Can you spot the nocturnal animals?
The stream. Get close to life beneath the surface of the river Gudenå and discover what it takes to create better habitats for the river’s salmon and eels. See the fish that once lived in the river and discover what a large watercourse can look like without human intervention.
The raised bog. Step into a section of Lille Vildmose, a mist-shrouded bog that is one of the last untouched areas of raised bog in Denmark. Hear the story of the cranes that have returned to Denmark after decades away, and listen to audio stories from the bog’s past.
The heathland. Meet nature on its return: the wolf has returned to the heath. Although we no longer associate this animal with Danish nature, it has migrated back from the south. Large predators help keep ecosystems healthy and in balance – if we give them room.
The Wadden Sea. The journey ends in the west, at the Wadden Sea, where the sea is never still. See the grey seals, hear one of Denmark’s largest predators, and take the quiz: can you recognise their calls?
- The large dioramas: Experience lifelike scenes, complete with light and sound, from some of Denmark’s natural gems, featuring wolves, wild boar, deer and grey seals.
- The wolf: Meet the newly taxidermied wolves and see the skulls of the large wild animals that once lived in Denmark. Discover the story behind their disappearance, the wolf’s return and why it is still debated.
- The tree trunk: Climb onto the six-metre-long trunk of an oak tree from Suserup Forest and discover the life that inhabits it and its surroundings.
- The cranes of Lille Vildmose: Hear the story of the cranes that have returned to Denmark after decades away.
- The river Gudenå: Dive beneath the surface and discover what it takes to provide better habitats for salmon and eels.
- Denmark at night: Explore the darkness of the secret cave and see if you can spot the nocturnal animals.
Denmark has not always been so neat and cultivated
Danish nature is not simply something that exists as it is. It is something that has taken shape over time. A few thousand years ago, Denmark was covered in primeval forest, bogs and open rivers, and wolves, red deer and large wild boar roamed freely across the landscape. Then we began cultivating the land: forests became fields, bogs were drained and streams were straightened. Every piece of nature we took for ourselves put food on our tables, but it came at a cost. Today, Denmark is one of the most intensively farmed countries in Europe, and the great wild animals that once lived here survive only in our collections as skulls and skeletons.
The question of the wolf is about more than an animal. It is a question of what Danish nature should be. The wolf arouses strong feelings and divides opinion in Denmark today, just as it did a hundred years ago. The exhibition does not tell you what to think. Instead, it gives you the background: why the wolf disappeared, why it has returned and why it is still debated.
