Satisfy your cultural hunger in the industrial town of Horsens

Husband and wife on a trip filled with culture in front of Horsens Art Museum

With captivating charm, the old industrial town has transformed itself into a mecca of culture

Horsens is not Milan, Amsterdam or Copenhagen. It is neither a metropolis nor particularly exotic. It is, on the other hand, a incredibly charming town with exciting culture rooted in its historical background. A town that has managed to exploit the past as a prison and industrial town to its advantage, and today creates authentic experiences for everyone who comes to visit. A town that offers great taste, great art, and great culture – its modest size notwithstanding.

Start the day with a potpourri of museum experiences

Horsens is a pure gift shop in terms of innovative communication of both art and history. Are you a story nerd, art aficionado, science geek or slightly morbidly inclined? The town’s museums have it all!

You can choose one of the museums that can easily take all morning, or you can combine and see how many you can get round. The ambitious can buy a museum pass, which gives entry to four exciting museums over seven days,

Horsens Art Museum Museum is home to modern, experimental art, as well as the world’s largest collection of Michael Kvium works. The museum is also beautifully located at the top of Horsens in the old park Caroline Amalie Lund. Colloquially, the park is called Lunden, and on a beautiful sunny day it is worth a visit in itself.

Kristoffer Loft

Family with two children visiting The Industrial museum in Horsens

David jervidal

If you have the courage for more, the next museum experience is just around the corner. Horsens Museum is a five-minute walk, and here you are immersed deep into the soil layers of the past. The museum is known for its Vitus Bering exhibition and also often organises guided tours and town walks, which are highly recommended. Keep an eye on the calendar or book your own trip.

Just 500 metres to the south you will find the I ndustrial Museum. A museum that has far more to offer than its name suggests and is certainly not just for boys who like machines.

The many diverse exhibitions tell a unified but nuanced story about the development of production in Denmark from early industrialisation to the welfare society we live in to this day – both at work and privately. For example, explore working-class life in the apartments on Villavej! Here, each room tells a very personal, period story of a life that has changed in every conceivable way over 140 years. The level of detail is eerie, and the impression stays in the body long after the visit.

Smell your way to the town’s best cafés

When the culture starvation is sated and the real hunger begins to subtly emerge, you can move towards the town’s shopping and café centre Søndergade. Here in the area you will find many delicious places to eat and pavement cafes where you can refuel so you are ready for an afternoon with more art and street art.

Afternoon delight with coffee and afternoon tea at restaurant Møhr in Horsens

Møhr Steakhouse

Afternoon Tea at MØHR

Enjoy a delicate cup of tea, delicious sandwiches, light airy scones or sinful pastries. Only the imagination puts an end to the pampering.

Café GRaN

Experience the authentic café atmosphere in this modern eatery in Horsens’ lively Latin Quarter. Classic Danish “hygge” and care for detail is in focu...

CORFITZ

In the middle of the main shopping street in Horsens you will find this ideal setting for romantic restaurant experiences, cosy sidewalk café atmosphe...

The Board Game Café

Enjoy a large selection of hot drinks, light dishes and crispy snacks. Also experience the café’s large bottle shop with both Danish and foreign (very...

In the mood for more art?

Large gable painting at Kulturstationen in Horsens by street art artist Welin

Street art in Horsens

Do you love art, but do you want to go out and enjoy the weather, or do you just prefer the slightly less established?Then street art might be for y...

Gallery Hjorth

Gallery Hjorth is an art gallery in the centre of Horsens, established in 2011. We focus on modern contemporary art by younger artists, and on challen...

Galleri Gasværk

Galleri Gasværk is an untraditional gallery with high-quality art and now with more artists on display.The gallery’s beautiful display rooms are sit...

Art'M

Art'M gallery and showroom is Horsens’ largest art gallery with 1.800 square metres of show rooms in the southern part of town. Here you can immerse y...

The old harbour - with a brand-new harbour pool (2023)

You can also choose to walk down to the town harbour, just minutes from the museum triangle. Here you will find charming Restaurant Dollys, that serves good traditional Danish food. From the restaurant’s outdoor area you can enjoy a good beer or a cup of coffee, with a view of the upcoming new harbour pool and the 3.5 metre high marble sculpture of a polar bear made by artist Maria Rubinke. Then it’s perfect with a small walk along the waterfront promenade down to Langelinie - the town’s harbour oasis with a beach, playground and green areas. Take a pit stop at a bench and new an Italian gelato at Langelinje’s ice cream parlour at Pynten.

Horsens Old Harbour

Hanne Nielsen

A captivating museum

Is there time for a little more before returning to daily life? Then don’t miss a trip to the Prison Museum.

The Prison, which has served as a cultural institution and prison museum since 2012, offers a unique insight into life as an inmate. It is an overwhelming experience to see cells, corridors, a church, visitor rooms and an infirmary exactly as when the prison closed in 2006 and (literally) follow in the footsteps of a prisoner.

As a visitor, you choose an identity of a specific prisoner or prison guard, which makes the afternoon relevant, enlightening and extremely personal. THE PRISON’s museum is actually one of the big must-sees in Horsens, and when you need a cup of coffee on top of all the impressions, it is obvious to pop by THE PRISON’s atmospheric café Spisehuset 8F.

Udsigt set fra Fængslet mod vagttårn i Horsens

Lola Åkerstöm/Destination Kystlandet

Couple are sitting in the courtyard at spisehuset f8

Spisehuset 8F

Destination Coastal Land

Evening fun and nightlife – and where do you actually go in the town?

If there is energy to spare when going out in the evening, then we recommend going for a walk through one of the cosiest streets in the town, namely Grønnegade, which in the evening buzzes with life from the many bars, cafés and restaurants.

Or enjoy a craft beer and beat your partner at shuffleboard at the The Board Game Café.

The Board Game Café

If, on the other hand, you want more culture, then there are plenty of other options. Horsens has a long tradition as an experience town, and there are often concerts and events around the town, so be sure to check out the calendar. Go to a concert, comedy or theatre performance at Horsens Ny Teater, experience exciting artists at Platform K and check whether Forum Horsens has something good on the programme.

Fall asleep behind bars, at the castle in the park or in a restored mansion

SleepIn THE PRISON

Whether you are a general museum guest, conference guest behind the walls or a school class on a trip, with an overnight stay here you get an overall authentic experience. SleepIn THE PRISON is a unique place to stay with food for thought, and an overnight stay at SleepIn in Horsens Prison...

Scandic Bygholm Park Hotel

Scandic Bygholm Park is a former manor house from 1775. The spirit of the manor can still be experienced in the beautiful old rooms, where you will find the hotel restaurant. Come and enjoy the atmosphere of the fantastic surroundings we have to offer.

Jørgensens Hotel

Jørgensens Hotel overlooks life of the pedestrian street in an historic setting in the heart of Horsens. The beautiful old mansion is decorated as a modern hotel, which at the same time manages to be in touch with its long history. A stay at Jørgensens Hotel is a sumptuous experience.

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