The National Museum of Denmark

Research at the National Museum

The National Museum is a research institution within the Ministry of Culture. It has the same status and requirements as other state research institutions. Guidelines for the National Museum’s research can be found in the Museums Law of 2014 and in the Law regarding research carried out at archives, libraries, museums etc. of 1996.

The objectives of the museum’s research

The National Museum is Denmark’s main museum of cultural history, which means that it is responsible for carrying out and communicating research within the museum’s main areas, both at a national and international level.

The museum’s research activities are based upon its own and external collections, antiquarian work, archives, libraries and other sources which can shed light on given subjects. Against this background, the museum’s research contributes to the understanding of the connection between society and society’s development, culture and cultural identity, together with the interaction between man and nature. Within these areas the museum undertakes research to obtain new knowledge about our cultural heritage.

The museum communicates its research results both to the broad general public and to research circles.

Research of a world class standard

This is one of the main conclusions made about the National Museum’s research by an international panel of evaluation of highly qualified researchers from Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. You can read their conclusions in an evaluation report covering the period 1995-2004. The evaluation was undertaken in the autumn of 2005.

The main conclusions:

That the National Museum carries out research of a high quality.

That the National Museum’s research is of a world class standard in some areas.

That the National Museum is widely recognised as an attractive partner to collaborate with by other researchers in the field, both in Denmark and the rest of the world.

That the National Museum’s research is the starting point for high profile communication of information, involving exhibitions, teaching and publications.

That the National Museum’s research is vital and relevant for it to fulfil its other responsibilities of collection, registration, conservation and dissemination of information.

The report

The overall results of this evaluation can be found in the report 'Evaluation of the research of the National Museum in Denmark 1995-2004'.