Thorvaldsens Museum

Within the courtyard of this 19th-century art museum lies a small, leafy display. Buried beneath it is the very artist to whom the museum is dedicated. 

Bertel Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen in 1770, where he very quickly developed a love for art, entering the Royal Danish Academy of Art at just eleven years old. He spent the majority of his life working in Rome, sculpting neoclassical statues for patrons across Europe and earning him international acclaim.

In 1838, Thorvaldsen returned to Copenhagen with his works in tow, receiving a hero's welcome. Plans for a museum dedicated to him had long been discussed, and construction began the following year. During the building process, Thorvaldsen expressed his wish to be buried there so that he could rest eternally surrounded by his work. Although he died four years before the museum opened, his request was honored.

Gottlieb Bindesbøll, the architect behind the museum, was fascinated by symbolism in architecture, designing it to function both as an exhibition space and a memorial. When it opened to the public in 1948, it became Denmark's first public museum, showcasing Thorvaldsen's countless marble sculptures, paintings, and drawings, as well as his personal belongings and items he collected throughout his life. Visitors can also stroll through the Italian-inspired courtyard where his grave lies.

The building has remained largely unchanged since its debut as a Gesamtkunstwerk, or "total work of art," aside from rotating temporary exhibits.

It is located on the small island of Slotsholmen, right next to Christiansborg Palace in the heart of Copenhagen.