Museum of Danish Resistance

Underground Architecture and Design

The Museum of Danish Resistance occupies a striking subterranean space beneath Copenhagen's Citadel, deliberately designed so visitors must literally descend to enter the occupation years. The 2020 renovation transformed the museum into an entirely underground exhibition, with only a modest oval structure at street level housing the ticket office, shop, and café. This architectural choice is intentional—the descent mirrors the clandestine nature of the resistance itself, creating an immersive passage from everyday Copenhagen into the shadowy world of occupied Denmark. The spacious underground galleries belie the modest footprint above ground, offering a contemplative environment where the weight of history feels palpable.

Five Stories of Impossible Choices

Rather than presenting the resistance as a monolithic patriotic movement, the museum centers on five historical individuals whose narratives span the political spectrum—from communists to collaborators. Each figure's story reveals the moral complexity of the occupation: not everyone who resisted did so for identical reasons, and not all Danes made the same choice. One such figure is Abraham Steinbock, a Jewish medical student whose family escaped to Sweden aboard a fishing boat in October 1943; the authentic vessel is preserved as a centerpiece of the exhibition. These personalized narratives transform abstract history into human dilemma, showing how ordinary people navigated extraordinary circumstances.

Acts of Sabotage and Underground Resistance

From 1940 to 1945, the Danish Resistance undertook dangerous clandestine operations including producing illegal publications, conducting espionage, and executing sabotage missions. Resistance agents killed approximately 400 Danish Nazis, informers, and collaborators by 1944. The museum documents these acts through original artifacts—homemade weapons, photographs of fallen fighters, and blood-stained clothing with bullet holes—creating a visceral record of the conflict. A pivotal moment came in 1943 when the Danish government ceased cooperation with occupiers and dissolved in August; simultaneously, Danes launched a general strike that the Nazis failed to suppress. The exhibition also chronicles the precision bombing of Gestapo headquarters with British SOE support, though the tragic mistaken bombing of a nearby school illustrates the human cost of resistance operations.

Interactive Engagement with History

The museum moves beyond passive observation through hands-on activities that place visitors in the shoes of resistance members. You can attempt to print illegal magazines using period equipment, intercept and decode German telephone conversations, and crack the Enigma code used by occupying forces. These interactive elements transform the exhibition from a display of artifacts into an experiential understanding of the ingenuity, courage, and constant danger that defined underground resistance work. All exhibits are presented in both Danish and English, with guidebooks available for deeper historical exploration.

The Evacuation of Danish Jews

One of the museum's most significant narratives concerns the covert rescue of Denmark's Jewish population. Unlike many occupied nations, Denmark's resistance and civil society undertook a coordinated effort to smuggle Jews to neutral Sweden, saving the vast majority from Nazi persecution. The exhibition juxtaposes this heroic chapter against exhibits documenting Denmark's initial cooperation with German occupation, presenting a nuanced picture of complicity and resistance coexisting within the same nation. This duality—showing both collaboration and rescue—reflects the moral ambiguity many Danes faced during the war years.

Legacy and Contemporary Relevance

The museum opened in July 2020 following three years of construction, replacing an earlier above-ground facility that operated since 1957. The original exhibition, "The Fighting Denmark," was assembled by resistance members themselves shortly after liberation in 1945, reflecting the movement's own desire to document their struggle. Today, the museum serves as a vital educational institution affiliated with the National Museum of Denmark, ensuring that the experiences of those who lived through occupation—whether as resisters, collaborators, or ordinary citizens trying to survive—remain tangible and relevant to contemporary audiences.