Århus - Prehistoric Museum Forhistorisk Museum Moesgård

About 9km/6mi south of Århus (leaving along Strandvej) stands the Århus Prehistoric Museum, housed in the old Moesgård manor house. Here the visitor can gain an interesting insight into Denmark's history from the Stone Age up to Viking times. A particular attraction is the "Grauballe Man" (Grauballemann), a corpse dating back more than 2,000 years and perfectly preserved in a bog.

The museum also houses the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology and Ethnography of the University of Århus.

In the open-air section of the museum a "Prehistoric Trail" ("Oldtidssti") has been laid out, leading through woods and fields and past reconstructions of prehistoric houses and burial mounds.

Every year since 1977, on the last weekend in July, an open-air "Viking Event" (Vikingetræf) has been held on Moesgård beach. It shows the local Vikings returning in their ships from their summer raids and trading expeditions. Above all else, however, this event is a fun festival, with plenty to eat and drink and the Olaf market to visit.

The museum is surrounded by a Manor house, a mill in the wood, and a Stave church.

Although the vast majority of artefacts in the museum are Danish, there are also a few pieces from Bahrain and other areas of the Arabian Gulf.