Thorvaldsen Museum
A sculptor who spent 42 years in Rome is buried in his own museum's courtyard, surrounded by painted crocodiles and date palms.
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Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) lived and worked in Rome from 1796 to 1838 before Copenhagen built him this monument. Architect Bindesbøll fused Attic Greek, Pompeiian, and Egyptian references into a single building constructed between 1838 and 1848 — with every room carrying its own unique ceiling decoration in the grotesque style and a color palette unlike anything else in the city.
What to look for
- The inner courtyard where Thorvaldsen is buried, its walls painted with tall date palms, lions, crocodiles, and exotic birds in Egyptian motifs
- The enormous entrance doors cut in severe trapezoidal form — Bindesbøll's deliberate nod to Egyptian architecture alongside his Greek and Pompeiian references
- The ceiling of each gallery, all different, all in the grotesque decorative style
Located on Slotsholmen island directly beside Christiansborg Palace — straightforward to combine in a single afternoon.
Thorvaldsen Museum is one of 35 sights worth the detour in Copenhagen, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Copenhagen pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Copenhagen
- The Little MermaidAt 1.25 metres tall, she is smaller than almost every visitor expects — and that gap between legend and reality is the whole experience.
- Parken StadiumA 38,000-seat national football ground with a retractable roof and a three-Michelin-star restaurant on the eighth floor.
- AmalienborgFour matching palaces share one octagonal courtyard — and the Danish king actually lives in one.
- Tivoli GardensOpen since 1843 on a royal permit granted because, as the founder told the king, people busy having fun don't think about politics.
- Christiansborg PalaceThe only building on Earth where parliament, prime minister, and supreme court share one address — and the king still drops by.
- Rosenborg CastleA 1606 royal summerhouse that ended up storing the crown jewels and standing in as emergency palace twice.