The Danish Castle Centre

Type
Museum

Address
Slotsruinen 1, Vordingborg, Denmark

Area
1,440 m² total
910 m² new built
330 m² renovation

Client
The Danish Castle Centre
Anlægsfonden Vordingborg Borg

Engineer
COWI A/S

Years
Construction 2012-2014
1st prize in competition 2011

Awards and nominations
2015 Award for Good Architecture Vordingborg Municipality

The museum is integrated into the cultural-historical landscape by the ruins of Valdemar the Great's castle from 1160 and the Goose Tower. The new building tells the story of Vordingborg as Denmark's center of power in the Middle Ages. Here, the past meets the present, and young and old alike can experience the history of Denmark.

Vordingborg Castle was one of Denmark's largest medieval castles. Kings such as Valdemar the Great, Valdemar the Victorious and Valdemar Atterdag reigned here. Today, only the 36 meter high Goose Tower and the southern ring wall are visible. The new museum building is located on the ruins of the castle from 1160.

Denmark's Castle Center is a wedge-shaped object with a rust-red steel surface that rises out of the terrain, or seems to sink into it. The museum is connected to a half-timbered building from 1673, which we have renovated into the museum café.

The architectural approach is based on the desire to avoid a dominant new building at the castle ruins and to emphasize the special landscape of the site and the view of the sea. The shape of the building is also determined by the boundaries of the site, the conservation regulations in the castle terrain, the presence of ancient monuments underground and the topography of the site.

A steep staircase running the full width of the new building opens to the underground level that juts out under the castle park. This creates a dramatic staging of the exhibition, which consists of both historical objects and interactive audiovisual media.

The new building is clad in corten steel, patinated in red-brown rust that harmonizes with Vordingborg Castle's red bricks. The discreet use of materials helps to downplay the new building's role in the historic surroundings and sets the right mood when visitors arrive.