Handels- og Søfartsmuseet på
Kronborg
(Danish Maritime Museum)
Mission Statement:
Exhibits & Programs:
The museum has a unique collection of artifacts, pictures and records
which tells about Danish shipping and trade throughout the centuries.
The museum embraces Danish shipping from the 15th century upto the
present day. Various artefacts, ship's models, paintings, photographs
and information placards are used to tell the story of the Sound
Dues, the Napoleonic Wars, the China trade and trade with the former
Danish colonies in India. Other topics covered are the African slave
trade, plantations and the story of the Danish West Indies until
they were sold to the USA in 1916.
The museum describes a sailor's life in both war and peace from
the reign of Christian IV up until the present day. There are separate
permanent exhibitions about navigation, sea charts, life saving,
The Lights and Buoys Service, wooden and iron shipbuilding, on sail,
steam and diesel and about tramp shipping and liner services.
Beside the permanent exhibition special exhibitions on a wide range
of maritime and topical themes are mounted at regular intervals.
As well as exhibits on display the museum also houses in its storerooms
a collection of several thousand paintings and other items. The
museum's office building in the castle grounds also contains archives,
a photo collection with photos of almost every danish ship since
1880 as well as a library with approximately 30.000 volumes. The
library and the archives are open to the public.
