About Tojhusmuseet
Tojhusmuseet, translated as The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum or the National Museum of Military History, is a military museum in Copenhagen.
The building which houses Tojhusmuseet was originally constructed under Christian IV as the royal arsenal, containing weaponry and cannons since 1604.
Today, this vast building, which boasts Europe’s the longest arched renaissance hall, exhibits an impressive array of weaponry dating back as far as 500 years.
History of Tojhusmuseet
Tojhusmuseet was built from 1593 to 1604 as an arsenal – a space to store weapons and military equipment – as part of a new naval harbour constructed by Christian IV. It continued serving this purpose well into the 19th century but from the 1680s also housed historical collections.
From the 1880s, the building was deemed too small to be an arsenal, and was repurposed as a museum in 1926.
The building is 163 metres long, and is both one of Copehnagen’s oldest renaissance structures, and home to Europe’s longest arched renaissance hall.
Outside the building, facing the harbour, once stood the Isted Lion which was reclaimed from Germany after World War II. It was moved to Flensburg in 2011.
Tojhusmuseet Today
Today, visitors can enjoy the museum covering Danish war history from the 1500s until today; from Samurai swords to World War II and the war in Afghanistan.
The Tojhusmuseet’s collection of weapons is one of the most extensive in the world, with more than 100,000 in their collection, which includes guns, cannons, small firearms, rocket launchers, medieval armour, swords, and even a World War II flying bomb.
The Cannon Gallery boasts more than 300 cannons, and there is a designated space for a rotating schedule of temporary exhibitions.
Visiting the Tojhusmuseet makes for a perfect combination with a visit to the Frihedsmuseet – ‘The Museum of Danish Resistance’ – which is dedicated to the Danish Resistance movement against Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1945, and is just north of the city centre.
Getting to Tojhusmuseet
The museum is reachable in around 3 minutes by car from the centre of Copenhagen, via the H. C. Andersens Blvd. and Ny Kongensgade roads. By foot, it it takes around 10 minutes via Vester Voldgade. Equally, there are a number of buses — the A, B, C, E, and H – that depart every 15 minutes from the city centre and take around 20 minutes to reach Tojhusmuseet.
From the museum to Frihedsmuseet , it is a 16 minute bus – the M3 or M4 – or a 25 minute walk.
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