Aarhus, Denmark

It might be the second largest city in Denmark, but I had never heard of it before. It's famous for its university (started in the 1930s), it's culture (named European Culture City--2017), ship building and maybe a recreated "town" of old houses from the 1500s to the present (Den Gamle By).

We drove through the university, walked through an old Lutheran Church, and we walked the grounds of Den Gamle By.

The church was great. It started out as a Catholic Church in the 1100s but was converted to a Lutheran Church by the mid-1500s. Over the years the church was added onto and painted so by the 1960s it was in need of a renovation. That's when they found a wealth of frescos under the whitewash dating from the late 1400s. While they are Catholic in nature they show pre-renaissance logic and form. Fascinating to look at--I took some pictures but I truly needed more time to study them.

The restored town of Den Gamle By was the dream of a teacher, Peter Holm, at the turn of the last century. He noticed that the old houses were being replaced by new ones so he decided that he would save a few from the wrecker's ball. During his lifetime he managed to recreate a village of 25 old homes in a back lot of the Aarhus Botanical Garden--now there are 75 homes and shops on display in a village setting. The houses are pretty authentic with stone streets and of course no sewage or water system. There are several streets each representing a different era from the 1500s, 1700s, 1850s, 1927 and 1974. As the houses become more modern so do the facilities. In the 1500s the streets are rocky--but by the 1700s the streets are paved with larger stones -- and by 1927 the streets are cobblestones with sidewalks. In 1927 a BP fuel pump and electric lights are included. Not quite like Williamsburg or Old Sturbridge Village, but of a similar ilk. Very interesting to see some grand half timbered homes.

The Queen of Denmark was in Aarhus today. We saw her boat and guard, and the back of her coat but we missed her smiling face as she walked up the gangplank. She was opening the annual culture festival of Aarhus.