Danevirke Museum Breaks Ground

His Majesty the King of Denmark has marked the start of construction of the Danevirke Museum in Schleswig Holstein. The museum is set to open in 2026 and will convey the history of Danevirke that spans 1500 years.

The historic fortress of Danevirke in South Sleswig, Germany is Northern Europe’s largest ancient monument and a UNESCO world heritage site. This site marks the beginning of Denmark as a nation. The new museum is located at the intersection between the historic access road of Ochsenweg and the main rampart, next to the Gate – for centuries the only passage between Europe and the North. The historic significance of this site is immense.

At the ground breaking ceremony on October 22 partner and architect Michael Kvist Madsen presented the model to HM The King and HM The Queen. The primary materials of the model is birch, birch ply and oak. The model’s roof is clad in over 20.000 individually fixed wooden tiles to fully express the building’s material qualities.

Danevirke Museum will have a strong presence to reflect the site’s role as gateway to the entire area of Southern Sleswig. Therefore, a single, large roof symbolizes the unification of people across borders as well as an ambition to embrace and encompass a history that spans 1500 years. At the same time, the only historical remains – the main rampart - is visible today only as a subtle hill. We have worked with the precondition that the main rampart forms the prime focal point. To this end the roof meets the rolling landscape at its lowest point. From inside the foyer, the deep eaves serve to frame a distinct view of the rampart, thereby drawing focus towards the site’s main attraction.

Foto: SSF/Tim Riediger

Visualization: Kvant-1

Foto: SSF/Tim Riediger

Foto: SSF/Tim Riediger

Fie Lindholm