Silkeborg is a city in central Denmark, located on the Jutland Peninsula, on the Gudenå River. The city is the seat of the Silkeborg Municipality. It has a population of 41,674 (2008). The city’s development began with the construction of a paper mill in 1844 at the initiative of Michael Drewsen. It received city rights in 1900. After the mill closed in 2000, the machine and textile industry played an important role. The city is the seat of Jyske Bank – one of the largest banks in Denmark.
- Silkeborg Museum – on Hovedgårdsvej 7. The museum is located in a building from 1767, the oldest in Silkeborg. The museum’s collection includes, among others, a man found in a peat bog in 1950, whose origins date back to 350-210 BC, called Tollundmanden (Tollund man). The man’s body was so well preserved in the peat that the two brothers who found the body called the police, suggesting that they had discovered a recent crime. The body had a noose of rope tied around its neck. In 1938, only 100 m from where the man was found, the body of a hanged woman, Ellingkvinden (Elling Woman), was found. Research has shown that the woman lived at about the same time as Tollundmanden. An exhibition has been built based on the finds of people and objects from the early Iron Age.
- Silkeborg Kunstmuseum / Silkeborg Art Museum, on Gudenåvej 7 – 9. The museum houses a collection of over 5,000 works by around 150 artists from all over the world. The collection was donated to the city by the painter Asger Jorn between 1953 and 1973. The collection includes around 100 paintings, many drawings, ceramic works and graphics by Asger Jorn himself. The collection includes works by artists such as Max Ernst, Picabia, Le Corbusier, Léger and Danish artists: Ejler Bille, Vilhelm Bjerke Petersen, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Egill Jacobsen, Henry Heerup. From the COBRA artistic group you can see the art of artists such as Alechinsky, Appel, Constant, Reinhoud, Wolvecamp and from the 1950s: Baj, Dubuffet, Gallizio, Lam, Matta, Michaux, Ting, Wemaëre. In addition to the above collections, the museum has collections from the early 1900s: Johannes Holbek, Julius Paulsen, Albert Gottschalk and from the 1800s: Jens Adolf Jerichau and Aksel Jørgensen. From the second half of the 20th century, Danish artists are represented: Sonja Ferlov, Erik Ortvad, Frank Rubin, Poul Gernes, Per Kirkeby Richard Winther. There are also works by European artists.
- AQUA Ferskvands Akvarium / Freshwater Aquarium – at Vejsøvej 55. The building is immersed in 1,000,000 litres of water, where through the glass you can watch the life of fish, aquatic animals, birds diving for food, and aquatic plants.
- Hjejlen / “Golden Plover” (bird) – at the Havnen water landing stage. A passenger steamboat that has been sailing on Silkeborg’s lakes since 1861. Its route on the lakes starts at Silkeborg and runs to Himmelbjerget and back.
- Himmelbjerget – 10 km to the south-east. A hill with a height of 147 m above sea level. From the hill, the Heavenly Mountain, there is an extremely beautiful view of the surrounding lakes and forests. Himmelbjerget is a place in Denmark that is very popular with Danish tourists. Ry – 20 km to the south-east.
