HOVEDGÅRDEN MUSEUM (HOVEDGÅRDEN MUSEUM)

This imposing manor house was built between 1767 and 1770 by the Rittmeister (master cavalry officer) Hans Nicolai Hoff. It was used as a chapel for the paper mill workers from 1848 onwards and also served as a post office. In 1904, the museum opened its doors.

This Silkeborg museum positions itself as the guardian of the past and attracts many visitors for the "Tollund Man", about 2,400 years old, the star of the museum. His naturally mummified body was found in a peat bog, 10 km west of Silkeborg, in 1950, in a perfect state of preservation, as evidenced by his facial features. Around his neck, a leather strap (perhaps used during a ritual, to strangle him). Other bodies of men, women or animals have been found in these peat bogs, leading archaeologists to believe that they were linked to a cult dedicated to the gods of fertility. Or to human sacrifices during the enthronement of a king. These mummies are very impressive. This body, completely dried out, was actually reconstituted in 1987 in order to give it back the appearance it had at the time of its discovery (explanations in French).

A wing of the museum was built especially to house his remains, as well as temporary exhibitions, at the end of the courtyard. In the showcases, you will see handicrafts with pieces found in the marshes and a reconstruction of Viking mythology, in model.