Aarhus, Denmark

17 DAYS!!!

I decided to continue researching my scheduled shore excursions. 

Today I've been looking at our second stop.  Aarhus, Denmark.  In this port we opted for a "City Drive" with stops at the Aarhus Cathedral and Den Gamie By Museum.

Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark with a population of around 300,000.  It is nicknamed the "World's Smallest Big City".  This surprised me since I had never heard of it.  Guess I'm not up on my Denmark geography.  The tour description doesn't give alot of detail.  It lists a number of buildings that we will drive by during the tour such as the Aarhus Town Hall, Aarhus University, the Botanical Garden, The Music Hall and the Aros Art Museum.

The tour drives through the Marselisborg forest.  The brochure says that it is a "lush stretch along the coast dotted with beech trees."  Located inside the forest is an 18th-century manor house that has been the Danish royal summer palace since 1902.

The next stop on our tour is the Aarhus Cathedral (Aarhus Domkirke).  The longest and tallest church in Denmark.  It is also one of the oldest redbrick buildings in Jutland.  The construction began in the year 1190 and finished around 1350.  It contains over 200 frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries as well as a 16th century carved altar.  It was originally dedicated to St. Clement, the patron saint of sailors.

The final stop on our tour is the Den Gamie By open-air folk Museum.  According to the brochure we will "witness the recreation of a traditional Danish village featuring 75 historic structures collected from around Denmark, including artisan workshops, residences, a theater, post office and school."  Most of the buildings are from the 15th -18th centuries