About
In Aalborg, northern Denmark, a small underground museum occupies the site of a medieval monastery built by the Greyfriars, a monastic order following St. Francis of Assisi.
Gråbrødreklostermuseet, or the Franciscan Monastery Museum, which opened in 2001, is hidden about 10 feet beneath a busy pedestrian street in the city center. The monastery operated from the 1240s until its closure in 1530.
Visitors can explore the church foundations and monks’ quarters, where bones still jut from the walls, along with displayed intact skeletons, all signs of this former burial site. The museum also showcases Aalborg’s early history, featuring life before the monastery, remnants of a Viking market, and the city’s development after the monastery's closure.
Know Before You Go
Admission is self-service via a standalone elevator located outside, next to Salling department store in the downtown pedestrian zone. Pay with a card at the automated machine, and the elevator doors will open once your payment is accepted. The small museum has no on-site staff and is open daily—check the official website for current hours and fees.
The museum has an unusual entrance fee structure based on a group’s total weight. For 65 DKK (around $9.50), a family or small group can enter with a single ticket, as long as they don’t exceed 1650 lb (750 kg)—the weight limit of the elevator that takes visitors below street level.
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Published
June 4, 2025
