Life in Denmark before 1900s

As in Hans Christian Andersen's day
When entering Den Gamle By it is like travelling back in time, to when the streets were covered with cobblestone and the buildings were made with half-timbering, and where the transport was horse-drawn carriages. Just as it was in a Danish market town in Hans Christian Andersen's day.
Open the doors and step inside the buildings to get a glimpse of how people used to live and work before the 1900s. Visit the widow of the late Vicar in the Eilshou Almshouses and listen to her story of when the young Hans Christian Andersen came by to learn about poetry and culture.


Historical buildings and interior
In the first section of Den Gamle By, you will find historical buildings from all over Denmark, dated from the mid-1500s to around the late 1800s, each with their own story. Inside the houses you can see the interior decorating, the house plants and the clothings of various periods from before the 1900s.
At the market square, Torvet in Danish, you will find the Mayor’s House built in 1597, which is a complete Renaissance merchant complex housing a gallery showing the history of middle-class interior from 1600 to 1850. The Mintmaster’s Mansion, a magnificent home for the upper-class from the 1700s, is also worth a visit.


Urban trades and workshops
Throughout this area there are many different workshops with urban trades used in Denmark in the 1700s and 1800s. Step inside the workshops and homes, and see how the Danes worked and what tools they used back then. You can visit the Carpenter, the Candlemaker, the Shoemaker, the Tailor, the Cobbersmith, the Hatter, the Goldsmith and the Watchmaker, and many more.
At the Bakery on Algade, you will find the Baker's wife selling Danish pastry made using historical recipes from 1885, and inside the Merchant’s shop and house, you will see how a prosperous middle-class Danish family lived in 1864, showing the interior and tableaux. At the shop you can meet the Merchant himself and buy goods as sold in 1864.



