Hvolris Jernalderlandsby Viking and Iron Age, Open-Air Museum (Møldrup, Denmark)

During our first few months living in Denmark, we really wanted to have as many adventures as we could. This lead us to visiting the Hvolris Jernalderlandsby, archaeological open-air museum in Møldrup, Denmark. We were eager to see history come to life during the annual “Oldtidsmarked” that September with the many demonstrations, shows and cool “Vikings” that we would get to see and experience.

Located just north of the town of Viborg in northern part of Central Denmark, Hvolris Jernalderlandsby really made us feel that we had stepped back in time to the Iron Age (400-800AD) or Viking Age (800-1100AD) with the many physical displays. Because of the fantastic day that we spent there, our time at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby would not be easily forgotten!

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Our boys, ages 6 and 3, were very eager to explore and experience Denmark, and I thought that learning a bit about the local history would give us all something interesting to do together. We had only lived in Denmark for a short time, so there was a lot to learn.

The Anticipation of Driving to Hvolris Jernalderlandsby

On the way to Hvolris Jernalderlandsby, we started to get the feeling that we were lost, because we were driving out in the countryside for quite a while before arriving. It was nice to go out on a “treasure hunt” as we called it.

Parking was easy to find, and the entrance to the grounds was through a building that helpfully had the name on the front. We had arrived!

Arriving at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby

Inside the building, we were able to get some information on the olden-days festival that they had that weekend, and we were very excited to see all the cool, real-life displays. Entrance was also free for children, which made this a very budget-friendly trip, as well.

Outside the entrance building, my boys found trees filled with different decorations and ornaments. It made them feel that they were in a special place, and they lingered for a while to get a closer look. We had to keep an eye on them, because they kept saying that they wanted to take the decorations home. Luckily, they quickly became distracted by the tables of interesting items for sale, and we moved on from the “enchanted forest”. 🙂

Natural Items for Sale During our Visit

Along side of the the entrance building, we found many different tables on which visitors could browse items for sale. My boys were equally interested in these tables, especially with the one that had many different types of rocks.

Rocks for Sale

I don’t know if it is a “little boy” thing or perhaps it is just something my little boys are interested in, but my guys love rocks. They will often spend extra time on our walks if they find an interesting stone or rock. They didn’t have to go far at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby to find pretty rocks, because they were one of the first things that we noticed at their market.

Handmade, Wooden and Metal Items for Sale

The rocks weren’t the only items for sale that interested my kids. They also really liked those items made from wood and metal. The boys took the time to talk with all the vendors about their products like they were seasoned customers.

They are so funny. I am glad that they are cute, and that people find their over-enthusiasm endearing. One thing was for sure; if they were this interested in the “store” section of the fair, I knew for sure that they would have a great time with the rest of Hvolris Jernalderlandsby!

Finding a Small Playhouse Before Entering

Before making our way to the reenactments and demonstrations, we noticed a small, red house just near the main building. My boys can’t say no to an adventure, especially to one that involves going in what looked, to them, like a playhouse.

This little home was called Anders Hus (Ander’s House), which was dedicated to the man who started the excavations of the the ancient monuments of Hvolris. The boys couldn’t quite understand the significance of such a find, so they entertained themselves by playing with the chalkboard in the house.

Iron Age, Wooden Playground

Another stop before meeting anyone from the Iron Age was to the playground. One thing that Denmark does very well is making museums and historical places very kid-friendly (and fun).

This playground wasn’t just an average playground from the modern time period, but it was fully made of wood and made to look like something out of tales and legends of the Iron/Viking Age. Both boys and even their dad got to explore by walking on the wooden posts or playing what looked like a giant xylophone.

Real-Life Demonstrations at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby

After a bit of playing, we were more than ready to see what we came for, history in real-life. We could hear the sound of someone talking through a speaker, and it seemed that one of the demonstrations was about to begin just up the hill from the entrance.

As the voice became louder, we began to see a field with people wearing time-period clothing and riding on horses. My oldest son was very much into horses since the age of two, so we were very excited to see some demonstrations with horses. There was a section roped off, so the crowd was separated from the action, but we still felt extremely close to it all.

Horseback Rider Demonstrations

There was one, main rider, who had on a microphone and explained what different activities the riders would have performed during olden days, like the middle ages and earlier.

The Ring Rider

One that we particularly enjoyed was the ring jousting. This is something that is also very popular even in modern times in Denmark, especially in the southern part of the country. A rider would hold a large stick and ride rather fast toward a post that had a ring on it. The point was to try to get the stick through the ring to “grab it”.

We cheered when they succeeded, and we sighed when they missed. It was a lot of fun for the boys. They also really liked watching the tricks some of the more “silly” riders would perform while on the horses as well as the jokes they would try to play on the main rider. It didn’t take long for the main rider to put the joker back in his place! 😉

You do not want to miss the Horse Show!

We stayed to watch the entire demonstration, since the boys couldn’t take their eyes off of what was happening. It was all so interesting to them, and I have to say that their dad and I agreed. There would be other demonstrations throughout the day, but we were keeping our plans open to see where the day would take us.

Life in the Iron Age in Denmark

As we walked out of the horse area, we started to see some different tents where volunteers/reenactors were making different types of crafts. They were so varied and contained baskets, animals furs, and other items.

I loved seeing the children dressed up as well. They really got involved, which I supposed might have been how life was like back in “the day”. I think that my boys also thought it was “cool” because they’d point out the fact that the “Vikings” were kids, too.

More than just Iron-Age Life at Hvolris Jernalderslandby

I know that Hvolris Jernalderlandsby was a place that highlighted life during the Iron Age, but they weren’t without their examples of Viking life and life during the Middle Ages. It was neat to see any bit of history come to life, no matter what the time period was.

Also, it was much more entertaining to see people reenact different aspects of history instead of just looking at it in a picture on the walls of a museum. Letting my boys walk through a village that was set back in time was the best type of history lesson, and I knew they would take more away from anything that they got to see or experience at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby than they would in many other situations when they would learn about these topics.

Real Craftsmen Sharing their Skills

We really liked how the reenactors were making different objects much like people did long ago. I know that I wouldn’t have lasted very long during those times. These people were true craftsmen, and I needed electricity to do anything.

Visiting an Iron-Age/Viking-Age Home

Another part of the grounds that was really “cool” in the words of my children was the replica of a long house. This very long building looked kind of like a barn, in my opinion. That wasn’t completely wrong, since there was often one section for the family to live and another for the animals. The thatched roof of this ancient dwelling was also a nice touch.

Though the inside wasn’t crowded, it still had enough to “wow” my boys! We really got a great idea of what life would have been like long ago. With animals skins all around and a fire in the middle, the boys couldn’t wrap their brains around the magnitude of this place. This was definitely a part of iron age history (or even Viking history) that they would never forget.

Becoming a Young Blacksmith During the Iron Age

Another section of the grounds had a volunteer showing visitors how to make different things with metal. This volunteer was also dressed in traditional clothes, but he stuck out a bit with a handmade name tag. I loved it! His name was Stig, which seemed to be the perfect Iron/Viking Age name if you asked me. He was also a really nice guy!

Never too small to try!

Stig encouraged my boys to help him work with metal. My little fella was a bit unsure of the whole thing. He was only 3, so I didn’t press him. We also just moved to Denmark about 6 months before, so their Danish skills weren’t perfect.

Big brother, however, was too curious NOT to give it a try. He stood on a log and hammered away at the metal piece he was instructed to hit. Stig turned the metal, and the process seemed to take some time. Luckily, dad was helping with the fire, and it all was enough to entertain me and little brother.

A very Memorable, DANISH Experience

I was so proud of big bro. He really was understanding some Danish at this point, and he was actively involved in, what I would call, an adventure. I could have never imagined doing anything like this in a country where they spoke a different language when I was a child.

Sure…we had villages for reenactments, but this was something I had never seen or experienced before. I was so glad to be having this moment with my family, and I was sure that this entire experience was one that would encourage our boys to explore new things in their lives in the future.

Making Iron-Age Memories to Last a Lifetime

It was times like these that really made living in Denmark such a magical experience. The combination of new adventures, learning new things and friendly helpers, like Stig, really made me very glad to live in Denmark. I loved how children were encouraged to help out with the blacksmith duties, instead of just being silent observers.

When it was all said and done, big brother got to take home his twisted nail that he made as a souvenir. Well done, bro and well done, Hvolris Jernalderlandsby!

What’s to Eat at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby?

Little brother and I were ready to try a culinary adventure at the food tent. I always loved seeing what places would serve as typical Iron Age/ Viking Age/ Medieval Times meals. For this particular festival, they had a couple of different options.

Vegetarian Option for Food at Hvolris Jernalderslandby

I chose the one vegetarian option of vegetable soup and homemade bread. It didn’t taste like any vegetable soup I had ever had before, but Danes never seemed to be the “vegetable soup” type of people. They tend to stick to meat and potato options. 

Meat Options for the Vikings

One meat that always seemed a part of Danish meals would be pork of some sort, and that was coincidentally the option that the fellas went with. They each got a rather large sausage with a side of kale and homemade bread. The green kale dish was something that was very Danish. It was called grønlangkål, which is kind of like a creamed kale dish. It is something that is quite often served during holidays. I actually like it a lot! 🙂 

Mixing Up History

It was fun to have a “Viking meal”, as my boys called it. The idea of Iron Age and Medieval Times seemed to be just other ways of saying “Viking” to them. It was kind of funny, but since I had no idea which parts of the fair were from the Iron Age and which weren’t, I pretty much just let them think what they wanted. I was sure that they’d hear about this stuff many times during their years in Danish schools, so I wasn’t worried!

How Hvolris Jernalderlandsby Brings History to Life

Once we were all recharged of energy with our hearty “Viking” meals, we continued to walk around and see more of the displays. My boys particularly loved the “war tent” as we called it, since it had lots of weapons, shields and war-wear. The helmet and shirt of mail were very interesting examples of things that were probably made during the Iron Age. It was all very “Lord of the Rings”-ish.

We even saw some modern weapons made out of wood that my boys could actually try. Throughout the event were also some other things that you could buy. Most of these items were handmade either out of wood, metal or animal skins. Of all that they found, I would have to say that the crossbow was their favorite!

The Volunteers Made it all feel REAL

All around were people dressed in costumes. It was really interesting to watch them interact with each other as if it was just a normal day for them. They were either really into their characters or this was very much a part of their lives. I could imagine how easy it would be to take on this life on the weekends and for festivals such as this one.

The fantasy of a historical life with handmade crafts, bonfires, and group circles was interesting, but I was glad just to be a part of it for the few hours that we spent at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby. I’m too much of a modern-day-needs snob! 😉

Looking the Part

The thatched roof buildings, small huts with grass growing on the roofs, and the beautiful tents could be enough to persuade me to try the life out for a weekend, though. Being in nature was and is one of our family’s favorite things to do together, and it was great that we were able to experience such a nice day out in nature learning about Danish history.

Overall Impressions

If you would like to have an authentic experience learning about Danish history, Hvolris Jernalderlandsby offers families a unique way to see history come to life. Be sure to visit during their summer season or for their annual Oldtidsmarked in September to see exciting, live demonstrations in the village.

If you are a parent, teacher or just someone who is looking to have a fun, historical experience in the middle of North Central Jutland (Jylland), you won’t have a far drive from Viborg, Denmark to be transported back in time. Denmark is truly the land of the Vikings, and Hvolris Jernalderlandsby gives visitors a peek into the lives of those people who came even before the Vikings. Come and see for yourself why history lives at Hvolris Jernalderslandsby!

Plan Your Visit to Hvolris Jernalderlandsby

Website: https://hvolris.viborg.dk/

Address: Herredsvejen 135, 9632 Møldrup, Denmark 

Telephone: +45 87 87 32 45

Email: hvolris@viborg.dk

Click here to see the events planned at Hvolris Jernalderlandsby. 

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Here’s another fun place for families not far from Hvolris Jernalderlandsby in Denmark that I know you’ll love. (Vikingegaard Fyrkat, Viking Village)

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