NEWS September 2, 2026
Opening date announced for Denmark’s new National Museum of Natural History
On March 6, 2027, one of Denmark’s most ambitious museum projects in recent history will become a reality when the Natural History Museum of Denmark opens its new national museum of natural history in Copenhagen’s Botanical Garden.
The new museum introduces a bold approach to Danish museum architecture, bringing together the Botanical Garden’s historic buildings with extraordinary new underground exhibition halls and above-ground structures inspired by the logic of nature itself — variation, density, layering, filtered daylight, cycles.
Visitors will be able to explore eight new exhibitions: The Universe, The Earth, Life, Denmark, The Arctic, Biodiversity, Humans, and the Ocean Hall.
We won the international design competition in 2012 together with Claus Pryds Arkitekter and have since worked to realize a vision in which the Botanical Garden, its historic buildings, and contemporary architecture come together as one integrated whole.
“We have created an underground world of exhibition halls where daylight filters softly through skylights, maintaining a constant connection between the landscape above and the spaces below. The halls are designed to engage all the senses — almost like moving through natural phenomena,” says Lene Tranberg, architect and co-founder of Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects.
“The ambition has been to create a place where, for a moment, you can step away from the city and enter a world of nature, science, and wonder. The Botanical Garden continues across the underground exhibition halls, creating a natural interplay with the buildings so that the museum is experienced as one unified whole,” says architect Claus Pryds.
A Natural History Beacon for the Future
The opening of the new museum marks the beginning of a new era for the Natural History Museum of Denmark and its work in research, collections, and public engagement.
“Our vision is to create a beacon for natural history for the future — one that strengthens the connection between people and nature. Nature is in crisis, and at the same time, many people feel increasingly disconnected from it. When we do not feel connected to nature, we do not feel responsible for it either. That is why our most important task is to help restore that connection — and to inspire the sense of wonder that can lead to change,” says Museum Director Nina Rønsted.
“We do this through world-class research, extensive collections, and engaging public programs, which are now being brought to life in a new setting where architecture and exhibitions work together to frame the story of natural history and humanity’s place within it. We hope visitors leave with a sense of excitement, greater knowledge, and a desire to care for and protect nature.”
A Milestone for the University of Copenhagen
David Dreyer Lassen, Rector of the University of Copenhagen, highlights the opening as a historic moment for the university:
“The Natural History Museum of Denmark is a central and highly valued part of the University of Copenhagen. It is a museum we can be proud of — not only as a university, but as a nation. With these impressive new surroundings, we have even greater opportunities to strengthen the public’s engagement with science.”
The wider consultant team behind the new museum includes: EKJ, Julie Kierkegaard Landscape Architects , Professor and Landscape Architect Steen Høyer, Ebbe Stub Wittrup
THE NEW MUSEUM IS SUPPORTED BY
Museum building: VILLUM FONDEN, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation, The Obel Family Foundation
Exhibitions: A.P. Møller Foundation
“We have created an underground world of exhibition halls where daylight filters softly through skylights, maintaining a constant connection between the landscape above and the spaces below. The halls are designed to engage all the senses — almost like moving through natural phenomena”
Lene Tranberg
Architect and co-founder of Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects
“Our vision is to create a beacon for natural history for the future — one that strengthens the connection between people and nature. Nature is in crisis, and at the same time, many people feel increasingly disconnected from it. When we do not feel connected to nature, we do not feel responsible for it either. That is why our most important task is to help restore that connection — and to inspire the sense of wonder that can lead to change,”
Nina Rønsted
Museum Director, Natural History Museum of Denmark
