Culture Night 2024: Mercenaries and medieval canons

Take a trip back to the Middle Ages at the Danish War Museum's Culture Night when we are visited by German mercenaries from the association Freie Rostocker Fähnlein.

Watch and listen as Denmark's largest reconstruction of a medieval cannon is showcased.

Everyone interested can learn more about weapons and cannons from the Middle Ages.

How do you actually load a cannon and a musket? What is the difference between a cannon loaded from the front versus the rear? What is black powder? And what type of ammunition does a cannon and a musket use?

All the mercenaries will, of course, be dressed in clothing and gear from the early 1500s. After the show, you can get up close to the cannon and speak with the soldiers – here, you can learn more about their work and life during the Middle Ages.

The show starts at 6:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, and 10:30 PM.

Light Installation from Ukraine

As darkness falls, we will present the touching light installation "War and Love" featuring six personal stories from Ukraine that tell of preserving love amidst the horrors of war.

Here, everyone interested can learn what happens when your spouse is sent to the front. Can you dream of having children when your world is being bombed? Do lovers grow closer under the pressures of war, or does war tear them apart?

The light installation is created by illustrator and journalist Jakob Fälling. It consists of about 100 drawings and animations, depicting the six Ukrainians and the country they come from, all drawn on-site as documentary illustrations. An audio track of about 20 minutes provides three to four minutes for each Ukrainian's story.

"War and Love" will be displayed on the Danish War Museum's facade facing the harbor (Søren Kierkegaards Plads).

You Can Hold a Weapon

Inside the museum, you can explore the artillery exhibition, which tells of nuclear war, the 1864 defeat to the Germans, and learn how King Frederik IV went to Italy seeking love but came back with two of the museum's finest cannons. You can also delve into the exhibition "A Distant War" and get a close look at what it was like to be a Danish soldier in Afghanistan (it's one of the last chances to see this exhibition, which will only be on display until the end of the year).

Especially for Culture Night, all our guests will have the opportunity to hold various weapons themselves – for example, a medieval sword, a Sten gun, an MP40 submachine gun from World War II, an AK47, and an M10, which is the rifle used by Danish soldiers today.

Practical Information:

• Where: The Danish War Museum, Tøjhusgade 3, 1220 Copenhagen K
• When: October 11 from 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM
• Price: Entry with Culture Pass only

Culture Passes can be purchased here