Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum (The Danish Welfare Museum)

Behind the Walls of the Old Poorhouse

Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum occupies the former Svendborg Købstads Fattig- og Arbejdsanstalt, a 19th‑century poorhouse complex from 1872 that later became the Viebæltegård welfare home. Within its sturdy brick wings, enclosed yards and chapel, you step into an intact institutional world where people once arrived not as visitors, but as “indlagte” – admitted residents who lost much of their freedom. The architecture still feels purpose‑built for control: long corridors, heavy doors and barred windows frame every movement. As you pass through the gate, you cross an invisible line between town and institution. The high perimeter walls that once hid poverty and social exclusion from public view now serve as a backdrop for reflection. The museum makes deliberate use of original fixtures – from washrooms to workrooms – to show how daily life was regulated for more than a century.

Lives on the Margins of Society

The museum’s core story is the Danish welfare system seen from the perspective of those at the bottom: the poor, homeless, elderly without family, people with physical or mental illness, single mothers and children taken into care. Exhibitions trace how authorities judged newcomers as “deserving” or “undeserving” of help, a distinction that decided whether you slept in a slightly more comfortable support ward or in the austere workhouse with iron beds and rough blankets. In reconstructed dormitories and day rooms you encounter objects, documents and staged scenes that evoke the residents’ routines – the clothing they wore, the food they ate, the rules they lived under. Audio stories and written testimonies connect faces and names to this system, making the institutional categories feel painfully personal.

From Forced Labour to Welfare Home

For decades, work was both obligation and moral remedy here. The poorhouse enforced labour in workshops and on the grounds, part punishment, part attempt at rehabilitation. Displays in areas like the mat‑making workshop or laundry show how repetitive, often heavy tasks filled the days, especially for those labelled able‑bodied yet “idle” or “wayward”. The narrative follows the site’s transformation in the 20th century, when it shifted from strict poorhouse to modern welfare home. Legal reforms, new ideas about social rights and changing attitudes towards poverty all left their marks on the buildings. Yet even after rules softened, the physical setting – gated yards, dormitory wards, isolation cells – reminds you how institutional care could still feel like confinement.

Children, Placements and Lasting Traces

Several major exhibitions focus on children placed outside their families, from the late 1800s to recent decades. Through case histories, photographs and creative installations, you follow children through orphanages, foster homes and juvenile institutions, seeing how decisions made by adults shaped entire lives. One long‑running exhibition traces the paths of seven siblings through childhood, separation and adulthood, while another presents art and testimony from a woman who spent nearly twenty years in care. These stories broaden the museum’s scope beyond this single poorhouse, connecting it to a wider landscape of institutions across Denmark. They invite visitors to think about the emotional impact of being removed from home, the stigma attached to placement, and how echoes of these practices can still be felt today.

Spaces for Reflection in Courtyards and Chapel

Between the exhibition buildings lie hard‑surfaced yards edged by remnants of barbed wire, once used to divide residents and control movement. Today these open spaces act as outdoor galleries and quiet breathing spots between intense indoor rooms. The former chapel adds a contemplative note, hosting displays and sometimes smaller installations beneath its high ceiling and simple ornamentation. Accessibility upgrades – ramps, lifts, adapted toilets and improved lighting – have been carefully added so that most of the 2,500 m² complex can be experienced by visitors with limited mobility. Benches and small seating areas invite you to pause, absorb what you’ve seen and discuss difficult themes with companions before stepping back out into the everyday bustle of central Svendborg.

Planning a Thought‑Provoking Visit

The museum is open for a long annual season, typically from early February to mid‑December, with regular hours from late morning to late afternoon and extended weekly opening during Danish school holidays. Admission is paid, with reduced prices for students and free entry for children and teenagers, reflecting its role as a learning place as well as a heritage site. Given the density of material and emotional weight of the stories, a visit easily fills two to three hours, especially if you explore both permanent installations and current temporary exhibitions. The former chapel houses the ticket desk and museum shop, where you find books on social history, postcards and small gifts. A modest café counter and nearby garden areas offer chances to decompress after encountering more than a century of lives lived on society’s margins.