Trapholt

Are you into art and modern design? Then Trapholt is the place for you. If you have the morning off, it is a good way to meet an aesthetic and artistic need. Trapholt is a museum with changing modern art, design, and handicraft exhibitions. Especially the great focus on modern art in particular for Trapholt. If you share this interest, Trapholt will be a special place to visit.

The museum is beautifully located in Kolding right next to Kolding Fjord. A walk along the fjord is highly recommended in connection with a visit to the museum.

Trapholt both offers the opportunity to see beautiful artwork, classical Danish furniture design, as well as getting a bite to eat with a beautiful view when you get hungry.

You can read all about what is happening at Trapholt and what you need to know when planning a nice day here.

Trapholt museum

The Museum is also called “Jyske Louisiana”, as it is located directly next to the fjord, which has similarities with the museum Louisiana in Sealand, which has the view of Øresund. The beautiful surrounding is only enhanced by Trapholt’s sculpture park, which contains sculptures of various Danish contemporary works. A walk through the beautiful park is a refreshing opportunity to experience the art in the open air.

Outside, the white museum building can be experienced as an attraction on its own. A beautiful, sculptural wall separates the museum itself from the meandering sculpture park.

Upon arrival, the first thing you will see is the arrival point, where the entrance opens up to an indoor museum street. The street guides you through all the exhibitions and follows a natural terrain towards Kolding Fjord. A special section of the museum building is dedicated to Richard Mortensen’s paintings in close collaboration with the artist himself. One of the most important Danish artists of the 20th century internationally. 

The museum also includes Arne Jacobsen’s Kubeflex summerhouse, which is decorated exclusively with Arne Jacobsen’s own designs. The house is created by the artist himself and is the only one of its kind. If you are into Danish furniture design, you must have this experience for all senses, made by one of the most important Danish furniture designers. There are daily guided tours in Arne Jacobsen’s Kubeflex summerhouse and through the entire Trapholt museum.

A modern museum of art

Trapholt museum was inaugurated in 1988. In 1996 as a part of an expansion of the museum, new halls were created to make extra room for the furniture collection and for special exhibitions. As you approach Trapholt you will see a low, white-painted concrete building. The building’s entrance is on top of a hill that slopes down towards Kolding Fjord. This gives a beautiful view and a special architectural experience.

Trapholt is the only museum in Denmark, where you can both see handicrafts, visual art, furniture design, and design. There is a strong focus on modern art and the museum’s special exhibitions are always a mixture of Danish and international artists and designers.

The exhibitions are changed continuously. Some may be experienced for longer periods than others. However, not all of the exhibitions are temporary. The museum also presents some permanent exhibitions. Arne Jacobsen’s Kubeflex summerhouse and the Richard Mortensen room are both permanent exhibitions, which makes Trapholt very exceptional. These must be experienced. The sculpture park is also a permanent and a very special way of experiencing art out in the open.

A unique offer for you and your fellow visitors is the opportunity to put together your very own and special exhibition with main works from Trapholt’s collection of art, design, and crafts. The whole thing takes place digitally, where you can go around the exhibition and choose those works, you think that should be a part of your personal exhibition. When completed, your personal exhibition will be displayed on a screen and it can be shared on your social media. It is a particularly exciting way to make a museum visit interesting for children.

The exhibitions at Trapholt

As mentioned above, you can make the acquaintance of Arne Jacobsen’s summerhouse at Trapholt. The summerhouse has been located on a beach in the southern part of Sealand for many years and has literally functioned as a holiday home for the artistic family. Arne Jacobsen designed the Kubeflex summerhouse in 1969-1970, but it was never put into production and the prolific artist died in 1971. However, the family has used the summerhouse until 2002. Few people know about the existence of Kubeflex. Arne Jacobsen is mostly recognized for the chairs the Swan, the Seven, and the Ant.

The summerhouse is called Kubeflex, as it is composed of modular elements, which can be put together in a variety of ways. The size of the modules can also be varied as required. This makes the summerhouse a beautiful example of a modern type of accommodation. Since 2005, Trapholt has had the honor of being able to present the summerhouse to museum guests.

Another permanent exhibition is the Richard Mortensen room, which was designed in collaboration between Richard Mortensen and the museum’s own architects, Boye Lundgaard and Bente Aude. The room was opened to the public when the museum was inaugurated in 1988. The idea behind the room is to create a space where architecture and paintings unite. The room is multangular, and each painting is featured alone on a large, white wall.  

The paintings in the room are inspired by the Tale of the Cow, which is an ancient East Asian myth. This has had a major impact on Richard Mortensen’s life. The works are a perception of various states of mind over the course of the myth.

In addition to these permanent exhibitions, there are various temporary art exhibitions.

Enjoy a break at Café Trapholt

You can spend hours visiting the museum Trapholt as there are several interesting works, exhibitions and architectural buildings to be explored. It can whet most people’s appetite. At Café Trapholt you can enjoy a break from arts eating delicious food and refreshing drinks. At the same time, allow your thoughts to wander while enjoying a beautiful view over Kolding Fjord.

Café Trapholt emphasizes the concept of slow food, which is why there is a strong focus on using good ingredients that are prepared from scratch. Because of this, it is not supposed to be a quick, rushed lunch, but an experience that is due to respect for nature and the time it takes to prepare good produce.

On weekdays there is both a la carte and buffet for lunch. Wednesday evening is a special evening at Trapholt, where it is open until 9 pm. In this connection, it is also possible to eat dinner in the café. It serves a delicious, seasonal buffet with a variety of hot and cold dishes. A great way to combine dinner with an exciting visit to the museum.

The café is open for the museum visitors, which means that you can only eat in the café if you have paid admission.

The best brunch option in the city

Every Saturday and Sunday, as well as holidays, you can experience the best brunch buffet in the city at Café Trapholt. The brunch is always served from 11 am to 3 pm and is very popular among museum visitors. Therefore, it might be a good idea to reserve a table if you want to experience the delicious buffet. Just like lunch and dinner, you have to pay the admission fee to be allowed to enjoy the café’s tasty dishes.

The brunch buffet mainly consists of homemade products prepared from the best ingredients. It is everything from bread, feta cream to all different kinds of salads, and delicious American pancakes. Beverages such as coffee, tea, and juice are also included in the buffet.

The brunch buffet costs DKK 185 including drinks. However, the price is only DKK 85 for children up to and including 12 years. When combining the admission ticket with the brunch buffet the price is DKK 240, so you will be able to save a lot.

This is a great weekend experience where a cozy brunch can be combined with an exciting visit to the museum.

Opening hours and practical information

Trapholt is open for visitors every day from 10 am to 5 pm. However, on Mondays, it is closed. Wednesday is a special day at Trapholt because of the extended opening hours, which is until 9 pm. This provides a great opportunity to visit the museum and clear your head after a long day of work. At the same time, you can enjoy the mentioned buffet in Café Trapholt on Wednesdays. When visiting the museum in the evening you will experience everything differently - the light and the atmosphere are especially different.

The admission fee is DKK 110. Children younger than 18 have free admission. Discounts can be achieved by students and groups.

If you want to be guided through the exhibitions and listen to the story of Trapholt, the museum offers guided tours for smaller and larger groups. If you are just there with your family, it is possible to download the smart app Vizgu on your smartphone. It is entirely free, and the app can recognize the works when you scan them. You get your very own art guide to Trapholt and other museums. 

A visit to the museum can also be combined with a picnic in the sculpture park. You can bring your own food and drinks, which you can enjoy at the tables in the park. If the weather is not permitting it, they also have indoor facilities. A nice way to spend an afternoon in good company.