Hjerl Hede – Danish village life as it was

Country: Denmark
Place: Hjerl Hede, open-air museum
Visited in: May 2009

As the landscape turns to heathland and the road becomes narrower and narrower, you’d be forgiven in thinking that you’ve taken the wrong turn. But the remoteness of Hjerl Hede supports the mental image of stepping back in time.

Its modern entrance aside, the open-air museum is a historic record of the buildings, craft, trade and type of life you may have encountered in a typical Danish village between the years 1500 – 1900.

I’ve enjoyed visits to Hjerl Hede at different times of the year, but I’d particularly recommend a visit on one of their enactment days, when the museum comes alive with people dressed in old costumes performing some of the many activities that would have taken place in a Danish village. As a child I particularly enjoyed the enactment at The Stone Age settlement and in the grocer’s shop.

With more than 50 different buildings, including a school, a baker, an inn, a dairy, a forge, farms and mills, set in beautiful, rural surroundings complete with sheep, goats and geese, Hjerl Hede should have enough to keep all ages entertained and is the perfect place to let your children take charge of your holiday.

A few more photos of Hjerl Hede are available on our Hjerl Hede photo page and you can get more information about the open-air museum on the official Hjerl Hede website.

TAGS: Denmark, Hjerl Hede, travel