Stable Yard (Staldgården) – Museum Kolding

From royal stables to city museum

Staldgården sits on the slope beneath Koldinghus, its long, whitewashed façades tracing a line between castle and town. The present buildings date largely from the 17th century, when they replaced earlier timber structures built to house the royal horses serving the castle above. For centuries this was a working stable yard, with cobbled surfaces underhoof, carts rattling in and out, and the smell of hay and leather hanging in the air. As Kolding developed into a regional centre, the Stable Yard’s role evolved with it. The complex has seen army remounts being trained, regiment horses quartered and supplies stored. Yet the basic form has remained remarkably intact: long wings around an inner courtyard, sturdy brickwork rendered in white, roofs pitched against the Danish weather, and heavy gateways framing glimpses of the castle on the hill. Today, instead of hooves and harness, you find exhibition rooms, digital installations and carefully curated displays. Museum Kolding uses the historic shell to tell stories that stretch across the city’s timeline, from craft traditions and industrial pioneers to the turbulent mid‑20th century.

World War II shadows and Zelle II

The darkest chapter in Staldgården’s history arrived during the German occupation. The complex became Gestapo headquarters for South and Southern Jutland, and part of the south wing was converted into a small prison block. Five cells were fitted out for interrogations and detention; only one, Zelle II, survives today. Zelle II is preserved almost exactly as it was left in 1945. The space is narrow and stark, its walls bearing the scratched names and markings of Danish resistance members held here. It is a rare, tangible trace of occupation‑era repression, and that authenticity gives the room a powerful, sobering presence. A contemporary digital installation layers sound, light and narration onto the untouched surfaces. Different story tracks focus on individual prisoners, local resistance networks and the machinery of occupation. Rather than filling the cell with objects, the interpretation relies on voice, echo and darkness, letting the original room remain the central “artefact”.

Made in Kolding and local craftsmanship

Beyond wartime history, the Stable Yard also opens doors onto Kolding’s creative side. Exhibitions explore local makers, with a particular focus on silversmith Holger Kyster and the city’s design heritage. Kyster’s elegant silver pieces, often created in collaboration with leading designers of the 20th century, are shown as both everyday objects and sculptural artworks. Displays trace how small workshops and ambitious entrepreneurs helped shape Kolding’s identity as a design‑conscious city. Objects, sketches and photographs reveal the working methods behind polished final pieces. This thread of craftsmanship links neatly to the building’s own sturdy construction: hand‑laid bricks, timber framing and carefully proportioned façades. Temporary exhibitions in the south wing broaden the lens further, drawing in themes from wider Danish history, art and culture. These changing shows mean the content within the old walls is never static, even as the architecture outside remains reassuringly familiar.

The courtyard and its castle neighbour

Step back into the central courtyard and the relationship between Stable Yard and Koldinghus becomes clear. The castle looms on the hill above, while the museum buildings stretch around you at a more human scale. The cobbles and simple architectural lines create a calm outdoor room that feels removed from the surrounding streets, despite being in the heart of the city. In good weather the courtyard offers a moment of pause between exhibitions: a place to sit on a low step, look up at the red‑brick ruins of Koldinghus and imagine horse‑drawn carriages clattering through the archway. The juxtaposition of castle and former stables underlines how tightly woven Kolding’s layers of power, defence and everyday labour have always been. From here, narrow lanes link directly to the compact city centre, while the hill behind rises steeply to the castle. The Stable Yard thus acts as both threshold and anchor, tying together museum, monument and modern town within a single, walkable space.

Experiencing atmosphere and reflection

A visit to Staldgården is as much about mood as about individual objects. Inside, the wartime sections are deliberately low‑lit and immersive, encouraging a slower pace and quiet reflection. Texts and media are offered in an accessible, contemporary format, but the physical fabric of the rooms—wooden doors, worn thresholds, deep window reveals—keeps the historical distance close. Elsewhere, brighter galleries spotlight shimmering silver, design pieces and thematic displays from Museum Kolding’s collections. Together they create a layered impression of a city shaped by both trauma and creativity. The setting in a former stable yard adds a tactile, almost cinematic quality: every corridor turn reveals a new angle on the past. Whether you stay briefly to experience Zelle II or take more time to explore changing exhibitions, the Stable Yard provides a concentrated encounter with Kolding’s stories in an intimate, historically charged environment.