Gammel Estrup, Danish Manor Museum at Easter

Have you ever taken a drive down a road and noticed a place that made you wonder? That is how we felt every time we drove past the Gammel Estrup Manor Home in Denmark.

This was mostly because we only saw the outside wall and not the manor home itself. If we would have noticed the large, beautiful home that hid behind this wall, we would have stopped much sooner.

However, one Easter Sunday, we decided to take a peek behind that wall and see just what the Gammel Estrup Manor Home was all about!

Finding Gammel Estrup Manor Home in Denmark

On Good Friday one year, we went to an aquarium in Grenaa called Kattegatcentret, and on our way to and from the aquarium, we passed the Gammel Estrup Manor Home. Though Gammel Estrup is situated in the countryside, it is easy to reach from Randers, Denmark and can even make one of many great day trips from Aarhus, Denmark, the country’s 2nd-largest city.

Therefore, if you are on a trip to visit Aarhus and enjoy the Aarhus attraction of Den Gammel By, you will certainly love what Gammel Estrup has to offer! Gl Estrup is located on a main road that connects many other bigger towns.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I will make a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

Is Gammel Estrup a Castle?? (Gl Estrup Slot??)

For some reason, I thought that Gammel Estrup was a castle from the way that it was hidden from the road, but it was actually not owned by royalty. Instead, it was considered a manor home due to the fact that it was just owned by a wealthy family. Though parts of it date back to the late 1400s, the majority of what you see was built in the early 1600s. That is amazing!!! Who would have thought it was so old!?

After parking and paying the entrance we, found that the manor home was so much more. It was actually just one of the buildings on the property. There were also other areas: a barn with sheep and goats (and tractors), a chicken coop, a garden maze, the Green Museum, etc. There were also other gardens, buildings and even an outdoor playground, but we didn’t have time for those, since we arrived to the museum a bit later in the day. It was also quite cold on that Easter Sunday, so we spent most of our time indoors.

Animal Farm at Gammel Estrup

We thought it would be best to see the animals first. It was a bit on the cold side that Easter, so the animals were in the barn. Once inside, we took a peek at them and even were able to feed them some hay. My boys really enjoyed this. The animals were very different from each other, being different breeds of sheep and goats. We particularly liked the ones with curly horns and of course the babies!

Do you love animals? What about sea creatures? Check out the Kattegatcentret Aquarium in Grenaa, Denmark! (33 minutes away)

Botanical Garden (Landbrugsbotanisk Have)

Not far from where we found the animals, we located a very nice botanical garden. This was designed in a maze style, which my boys had to explore every path. It wasn’t a large, Alice-in-Wonderland maze by any means, but it looked like it was one used more for growing plants to eat. What an interesting idea. From the pictures, it appeared to be much more spectacular in the summertime, but since it was early spring, we could only imagine what would come. Seems like we would need to make another trip when the flowers were in bloom.

Just opposite of the garden was a building which was decorated for Easter, but it wasn’t open that day.

As we continued along, we passed a sandbox and a chicken coop where they had a bunch of roasters. We loved that we got the added bonus of getting to visit a farm during our trip, since we only had anticipated the royal home. It really was a family-friendly place with a lot to entertain guests. 

Det Grønne Museum

The Green Museum (Det Grønne Museum) was a building located in the middle of the property. There was a statue of a maid from the olden days just outside, and the outside look of the building gave us no indication of what we would find inside.

The Playground

We were told that there was a playground in the area of the museum, but I didn’t see it. I just assumed it was my poor Danish skills that allowed me to hear the man incorrectly. When we walked into the building, I understood what he was saying. There was a large room, just inside the entrance that was the children’s play area. This was neat! They had staged it to have different sections to represent different aspects of farm life. The different areas included the fields, the farm house, the general store, and the tractor yard.

Inside each area were toys that children could use to act out life during the olden days. It was very sweet to see the old farm kitchen and bedroom. I particularly like the general store, which was set up more like a food stand. My boys were big fans of the tractor yard and enjoyed driving the tractors around.

The Gift Store

In the middle of the building was a very interesting gift store. There weren’t any walls. It was just there in the middle of it all. I guess it is hard to miss that way! They had all kinds of things from books to honey, from yarn to jewelry, etc. There were many unique items that might have been hard to find anywhere else. We took a look through before another area caught our eye. It was the kitchens.

Det Grønne Museum

Past the gift shop, there was a room that looked like an old farm kitchen. Inside, two volunteers were there to help families with Easter egg crafts. Because of the special week, they were doing different crafts with eggs. One allowed you to blow the guts out of an egg into a bowl and cook them over the old-fashioned stove. When you were done, you could not only eat the egg, but also decorate the shell with paint. We chose option number 2, which was to use parts of flowers and plants to cast an imprint on the egg as it cooked in some warm water.

Would you like to make other crafts from Denmark’s past? Visit the Håndværksmuseet in Randers, Denmark! (22 minutes away)

My boys were very creative with this using many different things inside their onion peel and cloth. I have to say that I was very interested in this, since I had seen something similar to it on Pinterest, but I didn’t get around to it this year.

We just dyed eggs as any family in the US would, because I had a dye kit that I had bought over there and brought back to Denmark. We were in France last Easter, so we didn’t get to do any dying of eggs then. My boys were happy with what we did at home, but I was very excited to do something from my “Pinterest wish list”, even if it was only vicariously through them. 🙂

Would you like to see how they celebrate Easter in France? Check out the Easter activities at Chateau Vaux le Vicomte outside of Paris, France.

The Farm Museum

We had some time to kill while the eggs cooked, so we decided to check out the rest of what the Grønne Museum had to offer. We noticed a doorway by the gift shop, and when we peeked in, we saw lots of farm stuff on the walls and inside the room. This was the beginning of a farm-life museum. It was really interesting, if I do say so.

Some people might not care so much about farms, but this was really much more than just a farm house, a field and a tractor. This was a walk in the past of what Denmark must have been like hundreds of years ago, and it was the window into the lives of many past generations of my children’s (and husband’s) family heritage.

Do you love visiting historical places? Take a trip to Den Gamle By in Aarhus, Denmark, which is very close to Gammel Estrup! (39 minutes away)

My husband’s father grew up on a farm, and I know that had always been very important for him. He was always very interested in sharing with us what he could remember about his life on the farm. I know that he would have loved to take the boys to such a museum and connect it to his life.

Stepping Back in Time!

The museum had so many different artifacts of farm equipment, that one might feel close to being an expert after visiting it. I liked the staged homes that they created to help the visitor experience as much of that life as one could. Many of the fake roofs were thatched with hay, and the floors were made of large, uneven cobble stones. Even though we were in a modern building, they did a great job in making you feel that you were somewhere else, during another time.

My boys paid attention to everything. That’s when you know you have done something right…when two rowdy boys slow down a bit in order to take it all in. There were no whines to return to the play room when we were in the museum. They found it just as interesting as I did. Great job, Gammel Estrup!

Return to the Kitchen and our Easter Eggs

When we returned to the kitchen, it was time to reveal just what we created with the flowers and plants wrapped around our eggs. I have to say that I was a bit hopeful but also a bit realistic. Though I loved Pinterest, I often felt that some of those images and crafts were too good to be true. I trusted the ladies in the kitchen to steer us in the right direction! 🙂

As we unwrapped our eggs, we saw that it did work. The eggs were not pink or blue, but they were a yellowish-greenish-brown color. Obviously, had I seen an egg with such a color, I would not have eaten it, but since I knew why it was that color (red onion peel), I loosened up a bit. I thought they were glorious! 🙂 I totally need to remember to post those on Pinterest later! The boys also felt proud of their work, which is the important part. They don’t even know what Pinterest is, so no pressure for them.

Inside the Gammel Estrup Manor Home

Egg-tastic Event at Gammel Estrup Manor

After getting the eggs safely in my bag, we decided to check out the “castle”. Okay! So it isn’t a castle, but my kids don’t understand the idea of a “manor house”. I was fine with calling it a castle. It had a moat and everything!! It was quite impressive to see, so I was eager to check out the inside.

We had heard that there would be another Egg-tastic event at 3pm, and since it was 2:55pm, we hightailed it out that way in search of some more Easter fun. After walking through the opening of the house, we found ourselves in a large courtyard of sorts. We saw the sign for the Æggetrilning and waited for one of the workers to come out to help us get the party started.

When 3pm arrived, one of the workers from the gift shop (one of the doors just inside the entrance) came to direct the children (and parents) where to go. We had to put some blue, plastic covers on our shoes and head up the steps of a tower. I’m not the greatest with steps, so I was a bit unsure of what was going on. The staircase was winding, which caught the boys off guard. Luckily, there was a rope to hold on to as we climbed up.

Æggetrilning, Traditional Danish Easter Game

Being Greeted by the Past

As we reached what seemed to be the second floor, a man in a traditional costume greeted us. I think he said his clothes (and wig) were all the rage during the 1700s. My oldest son said he looked like George Washington. This made me happy, considering he remembered what George Washington looked like and that he picked someone from the correct time period. Way to go, dude!

“George” or whatever his name was began telling the kids about the game of Æggetrilning, which was apparently what the kids in the house did during Easter for fun. They would roll eggs down a platform to see which one went the farthest. He even said something about having your egg hit someone else and you being able to keep that egg. It was all done in the house, so an egg collision might have been something that happened often.

Would you like to learn more about Denmark at Easter? Watch this video to learn how to make a Traditional Danish Craft for Easter.

I have heard of some areas in Denmark doing this very same thing, but outside and down a hill. We did something similar to this last year in France, but the kids used sticks with plastic eggs. I guess everyone has their special egg traditions. The boys were very excited to participate in this. Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition?!?!

Let the Race Begin!

“George” supplied the Styrofoam eggs for the kids, and he was also the one to roll them down some wooden boards that were laid out in the winding steps. The kids just needed to count down in Danish and remember the color of their egg. All’s well that ends well, since all the kids got to have a chocolate no matter which egg came down first.

George was nice and allowed them the chance to race three or four times. There were two groups, since there was a decent amount of kids wanting to participate. While one group raced, the other group was free to check out the floor we were on.

The Museum at Gammel Estrup

This place was cool!! I have been in many different museums and castles, but I have to say that I was really impressed with this one.

I absolutely loved the furniture and all the extras. The shelves had books on them, the pool table had balls, and there were even cigar stubs in the ashtrays!! It felt that the owners were away and would be back at any minute. We needed to check it out quickly before they returned. It felt very authentic and lived in.

If you would like to Get a Guide of Aarhus, Denmark that includes a planned trip, check out this Aarhus Guide!

I really liked that, because I was reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen at the moment, and the idea of the manor home was very much in my mind those days. I was awaiting Miss Fanny Price to walk through the door or any other character from the book…even that nasty Mrs. Norris. I was ready to tell her what I thought of her, but then I realized that I was there with my children and thought it might be best to see where they were.

Back to the stairway is where I found George and my two boys with all the other kids who were having one final race. My little guy won finally and was happy, since his egg wasn’t as lucky as the others until that final race. With chocolate in hand, we headed downstairs to see the chapel and the rest of the courtyard. We didn’t check out the other floor, since it was getting late, but I’d really like to see it on another visit.

Other Places to See at Gammel Estrup

As I had mentioned, at the manor home building, there was a small gift shop just as you walked into the entrance. On the other side was a kitchen that was unfortunately closed. I’ll have to visit again when the weather is nicer and when we are able to start our visit earlier in the day. This kitchen is where they make food from the olden times and you can actually eat it. Could be tasty! The courtyard overlooks a nice field in the back. It is very pretty, and I can imagine how nice it must have been to live out there. Lots of trees, flowers and plants. It was quite lovely, and I’m sure it would have looked much prettier in June.

Thoughts of the Gammel Estrup Manor Home 

Overall, we were very happy to have made the stop at the Gammel Estrup Manor Home in eastern Denmark. We felt it was a great way to celebrate Easter, and though we didn’t have as much time to spend there (less than 2 hours), we still felt that we had a nice time at Easter. If you decide to visit here for the summer, you will find a full calendar of events and activities. Be sure to check out their website to see what they have planned during your visit! Thanks for coming along!t

It was near closing time, so we decided to hit the road, feeling pretty good for what we did and saw at Gammel Estrup. We felt like rock stars! This will be a place to put on our “must return” list for when we get warmer weather/more time. You’ll have to stay tuned for an updated blog telling all about when we discover more treasures of Gammel Estrup!

Getting in Touch with the Gammel Estrup Manor Home 

Website: https://gammelestrup.dk/en/

Address: Randersvej 2, 8963 Auning, Denmark

Telephone: (+45) 8648 3001

E-Mail: post@gammelestrup.dk

Directions: Find Gammel Estrup on the MAP

Pin it, Save it, Share it!

*Updated from February 2019