Museum of Danish Resistance — Attraction in Copenhagen Municipality

Outstanding museum. Engaging from start to end for me & 11 yr old son ("Best museum on war I've been to"). Lots of quality contemporary images and digital "re-construction". We spent 3 hrs to see everything. You could do it in an hour using only the audio guide.

Thoroughly recommended for anyone with an interest in the realities of global conflict of the period. Only caution is that its lit for "atmosphere" - which might be challenging to navigate around for some (it might be nice to have some days with better lighting for those who need it - the narratives, big screens and audio would work)

The concept works well - personal stories of 5 varied Danes during war period to tell the WWII history from a Danish perspective 1940 – 1945.

They each tell their story - with some original artefacts of their life and sometimes death. An equal amount of material explaining the Govt or Nazi actions. Addressed particularly well are the dilemmas faced by govt and individuals - and how hard these are to navigate without hindsight. At one scale, Govt agreeing to Nazi demands in an attempt to save lives when faced with 40,000 troups against 3,000 Danish - then the gradual breakdown of that co-operation, despite cunning gestures by the Nazis to encourage engagement. At a human scale Communists and patriotic Danes risking their lives and their family in the Resistance (the central theme) - leading to a sense of doing the right thing but loss of life for uncertain gain. Collaborators are criticised heavily - both those with ideological sympathy and others who thought the Nazis would win - following what they thought would be a pragmatic choice.

The bitter-sweet nature of liberation in May 1945 by British forces commanded by Field Marshal Montgomery was addresses well - joy and relief naturally but the Resistance members were scarred for life. Good to hear how they addressed their trauma.

The technology is excellent and really adds value if you can use it all. Criticism that its "just YouTube" is missing the point of experiencing something in context and "immersively". Included are digital "typewriters" for a decoding exhibit and an excellent audio transcription summary exercise. If tech not for you - a companion to help will get most of the value or just follow others - if someone drives it you get can plenty from the exhibits.

Most of the 1star reviews bemoan the loss of the Freedom Museum - I'd be curious to know what was there .. since it burned down the artefacts may not exist - so we are lucky to see genuine articles here.

(pictures here chosen which are not...

I was very impressed by this museum on a recent visit to Copenhagen. It blends audiovisual displays and physical artefacts really well to create a fully immersive experience that covers Danish history during the Second World War.

Starting from the invasion of Denmark by the Nazis, the museum ably takes visitors through the initial reactions - presenting the government's initial decision to cooperate and different reactions to that, going through how the resistance gained increased popular support and its actions, through to the allied liberation of Europe and the immediate aftermath of the war in Denmark. It feels informative - not shying away from the less savoury parts of Danish WWII history.

The museum is fully bilingual in Danish and English. As an English speaker, the experience was as if I were at a museum in the UK - there were no linguistic barriers or problems. Similarly, all the technology worked well and the staff were friendly welcoming us.

The cafe also does some nice, if slightly expensive, smørrebrød and other sandwiches. All in all, a highly...

Very disappointing experience at the Danish Resistance Museum. We arrived 25 minutes before closing time, and were greeted with no hello, no smile, only a cold and unfriendly attitude from the receptionist.

We asked if our Copenhagen City Card was valid there; she said yes, but immediately advised us to come back another day because “the museum closes in 25 minutes.” We found that quite shocking — 25 minutes is enough for a short visit — and insisted on entering. She finally agreed, but told us that in this case, we wouldn’t be allowed to use the audio guides, without any logical explanation.

Inside, we saw several other visitors using their guides, which made her refusal even more incomprehensible. She also told us that we had to be back in the lobby 10 minutes before closing, even though many other people were still inside.

Overall, the experience felt unwelcoming and unfriendly, as if foreign visitors weren’t particularly wanted. No sense of hospitality, no warmth — a real disappointment for a museum meant to honor a story of courage...