The archaeological faculty of the University of Århus is situated in the old mansion Moesgård. It is well located, away from the city but not too far and surrounded by a forest like park adjacent to the beach. The 18th century Manor House of Moesgård is also home to an important archaeological and ethnographic museum. The permanent exhibition presents many unique archaeological finds from prehistoric Denmark.
Two finds from the Iron Age - the Grauballe Man, the only completely preserved bog body, and the impressive sacrifices of over 15,000 weapons from Illerup Ådal - are the absolute highlights.
To the north of the exhibition galleries various houses of the Viking Period (Hedeby / Haithabu) have been reconstructed. The Hørning Stave church stands out among the noteworthy Viking period replicas, being typical of the first churches to be built in Denmark, around the year 1000.
A prehistoric track way of 4 kilometres long passes reconstructions of an Iron Age house as well as reconstructed graves and cult sites from the Stone Age and Bronze Age. Moesgård is one of the most important sites for archaeological reconstruction in Denmark – with the university just around the corner for all necessary research.
Please note that Moesgård Museum is expanding heavily at this moment. The permanent exhibition is closed until autumn 2014 when a new museum building north of the manor Moesgård will open. The Prehistoric Track (Oldtidstien) is still accessible but the (re)constructed houses will be closed for a certain period because of work. Please check the official website for details.
